As the year ends..

There is nothing in this world which makes me happier than listening to Cold Play, type in my old age computer not the laptop or ipad..the computer keyboard….no I am not one of those who has taken a liking to touch phones and ipads…but I still own them…this exactly points how contradictory we are… As the year ends...this is all I could think of...

We like something yet we end up with something completely different.

I had stopped writing on my personal blog, why? Because everything around is so impersonal.  One moment which stayed with me this year was while passing by in the taxi, I saw a young naked boy in the arms of his little sister looking eagerly at a passerby’s packet of food, a lady sitting under the flyover, her permanent address may be, and two men sitting on the chair waiting with plates for food to be served. The taxi went in a hurling speed, life moved on, so did theirs, but left an imprint on me.

Another learning—Indians aren’t equipped to deal with solo female travelers. Had the time of my life travelling across Udaipur, yet those glaring eyes, the ones that question-“the girl is travelling alone?”, “How did your family allow you to travel alone?”, “You don’t have anyone to travel with? And the best is when the woman asks her partner to get up and she comes and sits next to me…as if I have nothing better to do in life!  Some ugly looks some sniffs…yet there is nothing that has made me happier than travelling alone basking in the nature, the great Aravalis during rains, the black clouds pouring just when you stand atop the Monsoon Palace..these are joys may be you can never describe nor relive!

Biggest Learning—Some so called friends stabbed right in my back and some fake friendships still continue to weigh on..apparently being honest dosen’t leave you with anyone! So here is to being little nice this year!

And of course- I still can’t believe I inspired someone to drop his job study and go to college! I am always so proud of you my little brother, my friend! @arunabho: I am so proud of you that you got through your dream college and ofcourse this made this year close at its best!

Got my dream job too… yet…

Lived life on my terms…and thus…

Still figuring out how people fall in love …but…

Funnily those gaps will have to find their answers some day and “Lights will guide you home…”

Why am i unsafe in my city?

I am a scattered and cluttered brain. I am writing a personal blog after a very long time. What i will write is offensive, its not for every one. You will judge me for every word that i write, you will say, "kuch bhi likhti hai", "jhola leke andolan karna shuru karde", " dude, what shit man" ...i know but you know what i still want you to read this. Its in hindi, so it might be so downmarket for some of you, you will think it doesn't happen to people around us...this happens in burbs (suburbs), no da, this is the story everywhere, close your eyes, or your brains, but yes this is the fact, and we deal with this every goddamn day!

Kyun jab ek ladki share auto me baithey toh woh sikudtey rahey? Kyun nahi jagah de saktey use ki woh bhi baithey tumhare jaisey... Kyun jab hum galti se general compartment me chadh jaye toh log keh uthey, ye gents compartment hai.....kyun ghurtey rehtey ho aisey? Kya dikh jayega tumhe? kyun hum yunhi dartey rahey ki koi hame hath na laga dey, kyun hum itne satark rahey ki koi hume chu na jaye....kyun first class me munh ke samne har roz newspaper dhar ke baithey ki samne khada woh admi hamey ghurta na rahey.....kyun mauka patey hi humey log hath lagatey rahe....

Maine toh na dekha aaj tak ki kisi ladki ne cheda hai tumhe, toh itni talab kyun hai tumhey apni chichori harkaton ko bayan karne ke liye.....

Kyun ek ladka apna back pack back me liye chale aur kyun har ladki use samne liye? Kya takleef hai tumhe gar hum formal-one piece pehney ya saree? Tere baap ke paise se na kharidi hai na kharidengey apne kapde, toh fir kyun takleef hai tumhey ki hum kya pehne?

Office tum bhi jatey ho hum bhi jatey hain, raat bhar kaam tum bhi kartey ho hum bhi kartey hain, toh fir kyun hi koi keh jata hai, ye ladki roz late ati hai, pata nahi office me kya karti hai......Sapne tumhare bhi hai aur hain hamare bhi, toh kyun log ye samjhtey hain ki hum kamatey hain shopping karne ke liye? 

Kyun hi shadi career se badhkar hai, aur kya khana banana hi humara janam siddh adhikar hai? Kab niklengey hum is soch ke pare, kab samjhengey ki hamare bhi hai sapne asmaan chune key....

Sharab tum bhi pitey ho hum bhi pitey, toh character hamara kyun less ho jata hai, kyun hum us 'type' ki ho jatey hain, kyun hum 'easily available' ban jatey hain? Kyun kisi single ladki ko ghar rent par nahi detey? Kyun hamare character par hai itney sawal uthtey? Hai soch kharab tumhari, uska bhugtan hum kyun karey? 

Kyun hai aaj hum unsafe apne hi shehron me, kyu dar lagta hai hume kisi ko thappad laganey me jab woh hamse battmeezi karein, kyun hai aaj log itne darey apne hi muhollley aur rishtedaron ke beech me, kyun dartey hain bachhey aaj school janey se, kya milta hai tumhe ek 6 saal ki bacchi ko rape karne sey.....kyun sab hai itna badla hua ek dashak me, ya tha yehi pehli bhi aur hum they ankhein meechey hue? Koi toh bata de kyun sari nazrein hai mujhpe jab mai khadi hun station me akele apne train ka intezar kartey hue.....

Fairfax to acquire BB?kya bolti?

Dear Mr. Hyderabadi Biryani (Fairfax owner), 

tum kayeko kaliberri leni???unsold inventory kilo ke bhav me milti kya? fone leni toh leni tum humko wapas same price pe chipkati? Mera frendz mere pe hasti ki mai do do blackberry leke ghumti...BB hath me insult sath me...tum zara kuch change kayko nahi karti?10 percent holding se seedha private karti...jawabdari nahi leti...fukat me tum paisa waste karti..itna paisa hai toh hum garibo ko college jane ko paisey deti na...stupid!....ideas mangti humko puchti ...ye blackberry sidha uthake tumhare sir pe marti! stupid fone upar se mahinne ka adha salary kha jati...
Tumko malum hoti free mey bhi koi bb nahi leti, tum smart hoti toh dus taka bechke lungi uthake ijjat bajake ghar aajti....

Matri-Mental

I just couldn’t stop myself from writing this one.

I love birthdays they are my favorite but with birthday comes the factor-so when is the bell ringing?

Which bell??? of-course the wedding bells , in my case it will be a gong than a small bell as I am the only candidate left for slaughtering. (people just cant digest happy single faces!)

So one fine day my mom went and paid a subscription amount to one of the largest wedding sites which recently opened a small office near my house. Let’s not do the name-game blame.
When my mom told me she has paid some Rs 4k for the same I was furious but as time passed, that website is the most entertaining platform off late.

Some people will come and comment on how you could write something like this or they might have copy right on what they write on the site. If I am violating IPR then my lawyer is available but trust me if this dosen’t make you laugh nothing will. —

These are some of the examples and trust me these are not even the best ones…they can be accessed for free so just have a gala time…

So these are taken from sections where the guy is supposed to write – partner preference or the kind of woman they would like to get married to and some are from the about me portions..

Here’s one--

“SHE MUST BE NATURAL(NOT TO USE TOO MUCH PERFUME, BODY SPRAY OR HIGH MAKE UP ALWAYS), ADJUSTABLE & STRONG-HARDY GIRL. I LIKE FLEXIBILITY ACCORDING TO THE SITUATION. I LIKE DUAL PERSONALITY GIRL. WHEN SHE TAKE CARE OF MY FAMILY AS A VERY GOOD, SHY GIRL, BUT WHEN SHE WITH ME AS A SOME BAD, HOT GIRL. SHE WILL DO TOO MUCH FUN-MASTI-PLEASURE & DOMINATE ON ME AS HER OWN WAY. I DON’T LIKE WEAK, POOR GIRLS.

Advantage for marry me: She must get a lifetime pleasure by me. I want to be very obedient of my wife & off course I love my wife more than me.”


Goes the next one---



“I am simple guy and i like also simplicity. I would like to visit Darjeeling that is wonderful in my life.”



This one is all for climate change—

”As I said I like nature very much, so, it's clear that I like to travel a lot to a nature oriented places. I like green nature very much. So, I have started a greenery in my garden. Though I am not a green thumb person, but I try.”

This is just a sneak peak for further entertainment go to one of the matrimonial portals :P

Cross-selling,wherz it headed?

As calendar year 2012 is paving its way for newer dateline, brokerages and analysts are busy coming up with their top 3 recommendation of the year. ofcourse, noone really cares after six months what happend to those calls except for the analyst whose prediction might have earned some money to his clients, most of them are overlooked in the heap of stock calls.

But as I was checking out the entire list, I came across the fact that a few brokerages have a buy on those same banks. Now I wont take the names of those specific banks, because that means i have to approach them, send questions and i don't think they have the time to respond to personal blog queries…anyway, So getting to the banking part, these are private banks which are invariably the banking behemoth of the country...top three or top five....with decent loan growth and an increasing non performing asset (NPA) blot on their books.

This certain bank, has been making waves with regards to its aggressive approach and branching out into various other things than its core banking operations.
Then there is another one, which undertook heavy downsizing during mid 2012 and had a fancy name to the entire process.. similar to the name of an animated movie where fish is trying to find his son....

These banks are now heavily dependent on the concept of "cross-selling".. cross selling is basically the front line person in the bank trying to convince you to buy various products like insurance/term plans/ they rarely try to sell mutual funds as it is not really a favored topic for banks/ new savings accounts/personal loans/car loans/deposits et al. Basically the person's job when hired was to look after only the counter or do something else which has now become an ancillary job.
According to banks cross-selling is all about reducing its expense per customer on cost of operations..basically why pay your employee for just serving the savings account of X…add loans/credit card/insurance/ every other product for consumption and help grow business.

But the problem that I see when I visit my bank is that the pressure of cross selling has hit the ceiling, I see most of my banking friends trying to stick some or other products to each of us.

Infact, the pressure is so high on these various levels of managers to meet their targets that I see them buying their own insurance or term plans because they have to meet targets. Now selling insurance or various other plans to some new customer is fine, but my concern is when these people are buying these products themselves or making their friends and family buy them. ofcourse the bank has no problem with it because they are more interested in how many policies were sold and how much margin they made on it, the problem begins when the person is unable to meet his earlier targets...ofcourse the person cannot sell the same thing every year to same people, customers are wary of buying any new product which they do not understand and how it works and there is not much you can do while doing your existing main work. Also the lure of capital markets for retail investors have gone up in last few years and larger chunk of insurance business stil lies with LIC. Even though some insurers tried giving out free pressure cooker or some other offering for buying their policies, people are still trying to stick with the old gun. And the old gun is busy spending the vault’s cash on government’s disinvestment program.
As the pressure mounts on either some fizzle out of action or your chances of promotion looks bleak…

Ofcourse it is not just one bank's story every other bank is upto the same gory story. But my concern is till when can this system sustain itself?
Of course India is a huge country and there is an untapped potential etc etc, but from where I see it the cracks are already there and it won’t take much time for it to rumble into ashes. Lets not forget 2008’s story so soon with the advent of credit card defaults everyone stopped giving out credit cards and personal loans. One hilarious example being banks don’t give credit cards to journalist..and I don’t know any journalist who does not have one credit card…

Home loans are not going up, car sales are down which easily indicates drop in car loans, personal loans are something i have no idea about but I am sure even they are in doldrums...so how are these banks which have lined up aggressive growth plans looking to grow? Has someone ever asked them what their new portfolio sales look like?if yes what are they? I don’t know how the future of people doing the cross selling looks like, but I really feel bad for them….

Mind it rascala!

I haven’t blogged in a very long time, nothing tempted me to sit and write on something but this thing just had to be typed down. Why now? maybe this incident is just the trigger. Ofcourse I am talking about the gang rape, eve teasing, manhandling and every other form where a woman is touched without her permission.

Last week while crossing the road, I saw a school girl being manhandled, by the time I screamed at that person, South Bombay being SoBo, cars started moving and I couldn’t do anything about it. I wondered why that kid didn’t stand up for herself, my blood boiled that she didn’t say a word and ran towards her school gate. I kept thinking why… and took me back to the worst memory of my school days.

It’s a taboo to come out openly and say yes, I was a victim, whereas the fact is every god darn women in this country has been one at some day. If you think I am wrong just go and ask your girl friend, ask your best friend, you will be startled to hear those stories. When I was a victim of eve teasing in school, I prayed every day that there will be a divine intervention and it will stop and I was not the only one there were more like me,and then ofcourse you fight back.... now eve teasing is a word which is commonly used in our Asia Pacific region –mostly in India and its neighbouring countries. I always thought why, I guess may be because we don’t have the guts to call a spade a spade. Let’s get it right – Its sexual harassment. Period. When a bunch of guys would touch you and you can’t do anything, they leave you with nothing but emotional scars. They leave you with memories which haunt you every time you walk alone and you see men staring at you.

They leave you with the fact that, hell you have to fend for yourself.

It happens to girls when they are in school, it happens as we walk on the street, in the general compartment of train, while crossing past the crowd, from anywhere to everywhere. There is some or other guy waiting to touch a woman. I don’t understand what pleasure can one derive from this behaviour, I don’t understand why cant you touch your own woman? Why come after strangers?? and the worst is when guys react after a woman screams back at them at public places.

What gives the right to a guy to touch any woman? It’s a punishable offence just that I rarely see anyone being punished from stories that I have heard from friends. Infact once a guy took the address from the police station and landed up at the girl’s house the next day when she was alone and asked her to pay off for the fine which he paid at the police station when she had lodged an FIR against him. Don’t believe that? Trust me, there are worse than this.

Why is it so okay for men to think they can touch woman and get away freely with that? More often than not I have seen woman either ignore or not react to what was just done to them. And when one goes silent, in most cases everyone prefers to shut their soul and walk ahead, my question is why?? if it hits your self-respect so badly, if it gets tears in your eyes, it boils your blood, and then why not stand up for yourself? What ails?

So when the pare-medic student was gangraped for giving it back to the men in the bus and no one has been caught yet, what point are we driving home? That we can’t hit back at men for our safety?
That the male ego just wouldn’t have it? Where are we headed? And to hell with the statement that Mumbai is safer. The mirage about Mumbai’ safety standards can be clearly stated with this year’s NCRB report. In a report released in June this year, Delhi registered 568 cases of rape, compared to 218 in Mumbai in 2011 according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) records. In the 2007-2011 period, Delhi topped the chart, followed by Mumbai, Bhopal, Pune and Jaipur.

But will something change?apart from the fact that crime rates are incessantly going up? I guess nothing will, the only thing that can change is how we react to the situation. So if you are reading this and you have wasted time to read this crap, then next time when someone purposely brushes off against you in that Dadar flyover or touches you in that busy train-stand up for yourself, don’t give in…. *Data note from ToI article via firstpost.

Enam Securities employees bid adieu to their alma mater

One look at Enam Securities’ office and one can see big cartons placed neatly next to every office desk with names pasted on them with new desk numbers written on it and everyone is busy scanning the desk and deciding which files and reports to put in the carton. After broking deals for a decade from this office (Enam had shifted to this office in 2001) this is the last day for employees of investment banking and securities division in the Dalamal Towers building, Nariman Point. From Monday they will be showing up at their new bosses’ Axis office at the Bombay Dyeing complex in Lower Parel. Enam has been the behemoth of the Indian investment banking industry and it has acted as lead manager for most of the big and successful IPO’s that the country has seen. On November 16, 2010, Vallabh Bhanshali, promoter of Enam had put a fullstop to this business by selling it off to Axis Bank which had then recently appointed Shikha Sharma as its MD and CEO. Bhanshali was advised by Anil Singhvi whereas Macquire Group had brokered the deal from Axis’s end which was signed in this south Mumbai office. Interestingly since its sell off to Axis, Enam has not brokered any big ticket transactions and insiders say it’s mostly the old deals that they have been working on before the merger took place. Its last IPO being the small sized central government’s realty company NBCC. There has been no news of any job cuts in the team. After sixteen months of hanging by the fence, reserve bank of India had finally approved the merger in April this year. Initially the deal was concluded at Rs 2070 crore, after coming under the central bank’s scanner the deal value was brought down by one-third the actual value. For Axis, which does not stand anywhere close to the league table this deal is supposed to change its future. Though the final approval from the share holders, high court and securities and exchange board of India is still awaited, the final integration will take place by the end of the year. The moving out of the employees from Dalamal Tower also means that the commercial office tower which the promoters of Enam had bought in the commercial business district Bandra Kurla Complex will need lesser office space. Earlier the promoters had thought that the team will operate out of the BKC office even after the sale. Sources say Enam is now either looking to sell off or lease the nearly 2 lakh sft space to possible tenants. Property consultants have been sounded off for the same, but for now its adieu time for employees in the investment banking, institutional and retail brokerage and other segments like financial distribution from South Mumbai office address.

Book prices at one go-thisyathat.com: Website Review

Okay here it is 3.20 pm on my laptop screen and I haven’t written a single word since morning….what am I thinking I have no idea, just that nothing compelled me to write something.
And as I was going through our daily newslist I chanced upon a site called, www.thisyathat.com, quite an Indie name, but then I thought lets go and check this site…no its not an adult site, it’s a book price comparing site.
Nothing can make a book lover happier than a site like this, but I had never heard about this site before.
So basically what’s this site about?
It’s a pretty simple website which limits itself to its core function of- differentiate between.
So one has to simply put the name of the book that they are looking for in the search box and it provides the pricing at which it is available on eight different book selling websites in one go.
The websites where it searches for books are- Uread.com, Simplybooks.in, BuyBooksIndia, indiaplaza, BOOKadda.com, flipkart.com, infibeam.com, CROSSWORD.
For example, the book by Sir Mark Tully, (It is because of him I dreamed of becoming a journalist as a kid), called Non Stop India, is available at a price tag of Rs 291 at Uread.com to Rs 499 at Crossword. The prices are in the increasing order.
So now a book buyer doesn’t have to go and open each and every url of all book selling websites but instead jump on to this site and look for the best and cheapest book deal. At present the site takes author/book name /ISBN for searching results. The web site is pretty simple and does not provide an unending list of books but has merely ten recommendations on its web page. But that does not mean you won’t get a book that you want. If you know the name of the book then you know you will be given the best deal options on the site.
It also gives clarity on whether, a site has a cash on delivery (COD) option or not, as much I searched through the site, SimplyBooks.in and Crossword does not provide the option of COD, which is an Indian buyers most favoured route of purchasing online. Normally people can’t fathom whether the book will be delivered or not.
The website also suggests the delivery time the vendor will take to drop your book to your doorstep, as per my personal experience flipkart.com takes the least time to ensure your book reaches you fast like a next day delivery…whereas others take a minimum two-three days to dispose something which you are eagerly waiting to read.
ThisYaThat is a member of the Venture Initiation Program at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and is also supported by the Weiss Tech House. The website says that they are going to add more stuff on the site and I really hope they don’t get into comparing washing machines and personal items….. I really like it the way it is just that they can get more book titles on the site, trivia on authors and books which will make it too good an experience for a book buyer  Happy Reading!!!!

Third Eye-Kolkata and its new ruler

Sitting in one of the swanky offices of a private equity fund in the heart of the financial capital of the country, I was preparing my questions for the interview. The fund manager entered the room and even before I could begin to ask questions, he says 'forget Mumbai, lets talk about Kolkata, what is happening in that city? whats your sense?'
In last one month, every businessman or CFO or Fund manager that I have met asked me the same question but in this case I could sense, he wouldnt leave the topic unless I tell him the whole story.
I chuckled and said to my self, "My sense-its nonsense"
As he asked me the question- a picture flashed in front of my eyes- a business journalist from Mumbai who had recently reached Kolkata, wearing western formals reached her office, awaiting to witness one of the rare moments which would soon become an integral part of Bengal's history- End of the glorious era of Marxism in the country and welcoming change or the much touted word to the run up to the state legislative elections, 'Poriborton'.
Every street, every nook and corner of the state screamed {Poriborton}, Mamata Banerjee, the poster girl of West Bengal or more famously knows as 'Didi' had come up with a new slogan 'Amra badla chai na badal chai' or 'We don't want revenge but we want change'. This slogan made her the 'Matir manush', her publicity soared and everyone from the Mango Man to the Industrialist with Mangroves, all hailed Didi as the new face, someone who would make change happen.
Cut to the Win-From the alleys of Kalighat where Mamata Banerjee resides with her mother, she is the harbinger in the city's corridor of power.
As Banerjee thronged the streets , people screamed with joy expecting a sea change in their livelihoods. Indeed there has been a sea change but not how people live or think about the political party they sent to power, the question that has cropped up in every 'para adda' or 'Bengali's are famous for their daily chat sessions in the neighbourhoods known as rock adda or parar adda' is why did we send her?
To begin with, Mamata Banerjee came and declared that land be given back to all the unwilling farmers at Singur, the infamous small car project of Tatas which still awaits its jury. She came and declared that an ordinance has been passed for the same, just that the missing link being that the esteemed governor of the state had no idea what was happening.
Then she went on to resolve the Naxal problem in the state, she asked the centre to remove central forces and within weeks naxal attackers were back doing what they do best and Didi was back with a new thoery blaming the left for the same.
As she proclaimed that all matters have been resolved she took to Gorkhaland issue, and more or less let GTA know that they can have a separate state. What more, the bastion of ministers that she carries around, have nothing more to add or deduct from their statements, they know only one word, "Yes Minister or in this case Yes Didi"
When 130 infants died in a state run hospital in Malda, she said it is not her government's fault they were all conceived during left rule. When people died every day at SSKM hospital she again enforced her claim, it was CPM's fault.
Due to heavy showers when roads get clogged, that too is CPM's 'Chokranto' or fault. When more than 1oo people died in hooch case, it was again blamed by the state chief minister as "CPM is behind this and we will take strict action against this".
She can also qualify to be the only CM who takes roll calls of international consulates' representatives at industrial meets. When industrialists ask for land for setting up of projects, her answer is simple-"Find it yourself" but when they come from people close to her, projects are miraculously altered and land rates cheaper.
One of the most prominent cases of Mamata gone wrong was when she sent the Goenka's and Todi's to jail as AMRI lit on fire killing more than 90 patients, quite amusingly the acting chairman of AMRI, a government nominee is still out and there has been no case registered against him.
As I was leaving Kolkata and I went to meet a realtor to say good bye, his first reaction was, "You are going? you must go an d you should go fast, infact everyone should leave this city..."
The Mango man or the common man who sent her to power has only one question, What is DIdi doing? what exactly is she doing and what does she want?
The fund manager asks, we rarely ever paid to CPM for our investments in the state but now it has become difficult to make any transactions. We all believed that she will make business environment is not at all conducive for investors. Also her workers are rampantly asking for money. Does she want the money herself or who is taking that money? A question best answerable by the CM herself.
As Kolkata has slipped from the map of being a tier-I metro, investments are shying away from the city which boasts of the residences of biggest business conglomerates, what ails Kolkata is a question whose answer I couldn’t get answered.

Its an opinion, kindly check other sources for factual informations.

The heritage buildings and its unplastering sheen

You know you have boarded a flight to Bombay or Mumbai when its favourite junk food Dabeli and two samosas cost Rs 100.

The financial capital of the country or the city of dreams, the mesmerising sea or the twinkling sky, the windy breeze or people sweating on the streets, there is indeed a different smell to this city.

But there is one thing that remains unchanged, the grandeur of old heritage buildings in the city. From the Gateway of India to the skyline of Cuff Parade, the Nariman Point or the far flung Mumbai University campus. The effrontery of Victorian eclectism and Gothic architecture swarms across the city and one can't help but wonder and gasp at the fact that these structures won’t be built again.

I live in a 156 year old heritage building in the heart of the city, and I travel to Nariman Point for work every day, in those 30 minutes, I come across at least twenty old buildings which are now safe guarded with green cloth as if a beautiful woman is heralded in an abaya, with an albatross hung around its neck which says,'Under Reconstruction'...the charming balconies and the beautifully carved buildings facing the breezing sea and part of the world's most elite skyline is waiting for its turn to metamorphose into a mammoth of swanky steel and glass.

The live example is the Napean Sea Road stretch, the home of the effervescent and the crème de la crème of Mumbai, yet a sight at any of these homes looks more like an antithesis of its glorious past...

One doesn’t even need to look farther, as Nariman Point, once the business centre of the city and the address to be, has lost its sheen to its peers in the suburban districts. With various Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) laws, some of these buildings which are in dire need of rehabilitation will fall prey to some wealthy developers. And some of these contractors are more than eager to convert them into international standard buildings, which effectively means- glasses imported from China and of course India is over producing steel these days.

Off late, the city has become a replica of what Dubai was two years back, plethora of still cranes holding up in the sky awaiting its turn to churn more homes to add to the concrete jungle and a series of boards stamped on its face saying, ‘’To Let’”. Yet in all these madness a heritage walk down the street on a lazy sunday is always refreshing and rejuvenating, as its opens our eye to what there was and what there will be. In all this hullabaloo of recreation and stepping into new frontiers of building designing, iIt’s not just the building, it’s the heritage which will bid adieu someday, and once again some sixty years down the lane, this steel and glass shall be history.....

Songs of the Mystic

Music echoes across Mohar Kunj as Babu Fakir and his team play the ektara, khamak, dhol and duggi, and sing in trance. Babu is a Baul from Gorbhanga, a village 250 km from Kolkata, and this is Sufi Sutra, the second edition of an international Sufi festival in the city that ends on Saturday. The backdrop of the festival is the Victoria Memorial.

The Bauls are wandering minstrels of a syncretic sect and musical tradition which shares much with Sufism. Some of their songs have been passed on for generations. Babu Fakir’s group of 10 has both qawwals and Bauls.

Musicians from Azerbaijan, Denmark, Egypt, Morocco and Hungary perform alongside their peers from Delhi, Kashmir and West Bengal. Sufi Sutra is organised by Banglanatak.com, an organisation that works with Bengali artisans to help them earn a living through traditional art forms. The festival is supported by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Unesco, the state tourism department and corporates.

The Azerbaijan State Ensemble of Ancient Musical Instruments, the Orient West Choir from Denmark, Egypt’s Elkawmeya Folkloric Music Troupe, Morocco’s Marouane Hajji et L’Ensemble Akhwane, and Sondorgo from Hungary present folk and religious music.

The Indian groups include the Nizami Khusro Bandhu from Delhi, qawwals who specialise in the poetry of Sultan Quli Qutub Shah and Roshanara Begum, daughter of Shahjahan.

The Kashmir Music Society will perform Rouf, Sufiyana and folk. The festival concludes with the Bauls and fakirs from Nadia and Murshidabad districts.

Amitava Bhattacharya, director of Banglanatak, says, “Sufi music is all about love and brotherhood. It is prevalent in West Asian and Persian countries but this year we are bringing in variations with groups from Denmark and Hungary, as their songs are not restricted to Islam.”

Samrita Dutta, a 12-year-old from London here on holiday, has come with her grandparents. Her grandfather whispers explanations in his granddaughter’s ears. “She hardly understands Bengali but is clapping her hands to the rhythm,” says Samrita's grandmother. Samrita says she likes the songs, they sound nice to her ears.

The European music magazine Songlines has partnered with Banglanatak; its editor Simon Broughton will write about Sufi Sutra and has put up an exhibition to showcase his documentary, Sufi Soul: The Mystic Music of Islam.

Directed by Broughton and narrated by popular historian William Dalrymple, the film is about Sufism in Syria, Morocco, Pakistan and Turkey and its role in spirituality, culture and worship. It also documents performances by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen and Youssou D’Nour, among others.

Golam Fakir of Gorbhanga says of his fellow Bauls, "Our village is very poor. We all used to work as labourers in the fields. Sometimes we didn't have money to eat, but this music is our companion. We used to earn Rs 100-500 in a month by singing Baul songs, but now we earn Rs 4,000-5,000. Some singers earn Rs 10,000-30,000 a month."

The organisers say Sufi Sutra is appreciated by the government of Bihar, which wants to give folk musicians a platform for their talent and the chance to earn a better livelihood. A particular focus is on the Nirguns, who sing Bhojpuri songs written by Kabir and woven around the theme of the soul meeting with a formless God.

With inputs from Debaleena Sengupta

Being single@25 and more!

As I was trying to figure out whom DLF is shortlisting to sell its Aman Resort asset, a friend, lets call her Simi, pings me on facebook and asks, "Have you shortlisted?" I replied, "yeah but I am wondering why Louis Vuitton would like to buy it", she interrupts, "Bitch! I am talking about your short listing" and I kept thinking what I am supposed to shortlist.

Then I realised, and i replied, "Ohhhoo! that shortlisting, nah, I am not doing it mom and dad and entire clan is going to do it."

Simi said, "Oh, I have shortlisted ten, can you believe it Ten!!! mom will start calling them from next week, I am sure one can definitely be rounded up."

I replied, "Good, i really hope that you get married by the end of the year!"

Yeah! Marriage! and we were talking about shortlisting men from all the matrimony websites and news paper advertisements. With an onslaught of matrimonial websites like jeevansathi.com, bharatmatrimony.com , shadi.com, community wedding portal to same caste wedding portals, there are options which are bound to defy one's imagination. To add to it daily newspapers come up with an extra suppliment dedicated entirely for the purpose of match making and very smartly they publish it on sundays. so the entire sunday the entire family except for the one who is supposed to get married look at ads which scream 'wanted grooms' or 'Bride wanted' , as if its a paper of wanted criminals.

The whole day is spent looking at these haunted wanteds and finally once a consensus is reached, the prospective 'parties' are called. And if they like the 'party' they then mail their resumes to each other, and if both parties like it, then they meet either at the girl's place or the new found fancy of the urban India, a cafeteria or open resturaunt of any mall near their homes. Thats quite a long process which can at times take a week or months at large!

Also to add, some portals also offer authenticity checks done by consultants like AC Nielsen, I mean hatts off man! There are other features too, I am really not interested to decipher the portal. Do it yourself!

So finally, when the average girl and the average boy who couldnt find any partner on their own, or had gone through a series of break ups- give up and infamously put a tag of destiny on their forehead and within a week of even knowing each other's name, their facebook pages scream "In a Relationship".

Wait! its not even six months, the status will shift to being, "Married" and some 55 comments congratulating the two hapless people, who in their entire lifetime would have never imagined to be together are now apparently 'happily married'. And then bikini clad pics and skimpy shorts would be all over the internet, dancing in Macau to sunbathing at Langkawi, Kissing at Maldives to playing with snow balls in Iceland! Options are endless!

But that's still better than being a 25 year old, single bengali girl, that too a business journalist! because the above mentioned traits isn't really what qualifies one to be a good 'Gharowa" or 'homely' girl. Every time a relative comes visiting or any family function one is forced to attend, the only topic of discussion that attracts maximum attention is, "biye kabey dichho?' (When are you getting her married off?)
Infact a few months back, I went to my father's best friends' daughter's birthday party and the caterer uncle was a common friend, and he screamed across the first floor to my father, " Dada, I will take the catering order for your daughter's marriage"

To my horror, I could see atleast one hundred eye sockets staring at me, the uncle further continued ,"But beta, he should not be a Muslim or very rich, then I would not take the order."
My mother quipped, "Cheley holiye holo!" which meant, "Its enough if there is a guy"
And everyone on the floor sighed, there is no boy!

But then, Indian families are very different from their western counterpart, there are relatives who seldom think its their job to save me from my present destitute state. So a cousin of mine went ahead and told a Forty year old uncle, that there is a girl would you like to get married?
Another cousin, how could she be left behined, she wanted me to meet a guy who is least interested in getting married! So finally, my mom looks around the paper as she cant browse internet and calls people. Once someonse asked her, what is your daughter's weight? I asked her to reply she is a 'Phulkopi' which means cauliflower :P

As every sunday is spent dealing with marriage and its anciliary topics, I have found my perfect way out of it. Call cousins over for picnic, taking them out for movies or join a gmat class.. trust me its quite a better option than your parents asking you at the end of the day, "why don't you have a boyfriend?" Trust me they will get you your favorite car to your dream travel trip, if only you said, You have the 'Guy'!
Once my mentor ended up asking me, "Are you lesbian?How can you stay wihtout a guy for two years? I mean not even a fling..I mean being a leabsian is okay there is nothing to be ashamed off"

Hahahaha...everytime I think about it i can't stop laughing at what he said that day!No I am not laughing at the concept of being gay, but I am not> M quite straight and have had boy friends who have iterated everytime I dated them, that Men are not worth the chick-chick that they bring along!

So here it is, accept it, a girl dosent need a guy just for the heck of it! Money can buy diamonds, clothes, cards, dinners, everything but not what the women is exactly look for! It includes lot of caring, sharing and not a pint of lying, the option of being worried for the other person and spending sleepless nights, going on a long drive at 3 am, or just cooking dinner for the other...theres a lot more to finding a guy than just meeting in a mall and popping the beautiful question you can only dare to ask, "so what's your hobby? Do you like gardening, cooking?" Hell No! theres no land for gardening any more in Bombay so Shut the Fuck Up! and yes ofcourse i will work 14 hours a day and cook !that is all is left to my existence!

Until then, its being happily single mode :)

whats the weirdest you have come across? teme, its fun to hear these stories....

Kalighat Paintings

As new age modern artists swiftly run their brushes on canvas, the oil paints splash onto each other to give life to a new painting. On the other hand, Ganga Chitrakar, in his mid forties, sitting on the stairs of the enigmatic, Victoria Memorial Hall, a museum built in 1921 in Kolkata, draws border line strokes with strong vegetable colours on a piece of cloth depicting naxalism in Nandigram, a village in West Mednipur.

'Chitrakar' or painters began painting on the 'Pat' or cloth which became Bengal's indigenous painting form originating in the 19 th century called Kalighat Painting. The name Kalighat attached itself to the painting form as the painters or 'patuas' used to sit around Kalighat Kali Mandir, one of the most visited temple of Goddess Kali located in Kalighat, the southern part of Kolkata. The patuas based their paintings on straight lines, soft curves, strong suggestions and no detailings of the characters on the painting. This school of painting was the most coveted form between 1835-1935 and they only used vegetable colours to make their 'chitras' or visuals. Pilgrims who came to worship in the temple or visitors who simply wandered in the city could not help but take the city's memories back in the form of these Kalighat Paintings which narrated stories of Goddess Kali, Ram and Sita or Krishna with Radha, Annapurna and others.

As time passed by the patuas did not restrict themselves by only painting Hindu lords, as Mughal emprors began their invasions some of the artists converted their religion and became Muslims and narrated new stories. The patuas fascination took to the Babu-Bibis, the Britishers who lived in the south part of the city also called White Calcutta. Though the painters could not visit or see them but they read the newspapers and derived their thoughts for the painting. Researchers say that Kalighat School of painting blended two different styles which includes the oriental and the occidental form of painting.

As the century passed by the Kalighat temple and its environs are no longer home to these patua families. Most of the patuas relocated to their villages in various districts of the state. A significant amount of patuas are nestled in a village called Naya, situated in West Mednipur district, 150 kilometeres away from the city. The present day artists take the title of Chitrakar or Patua which specifies their caste status.

Most of the artisans have been living in dire conditions though things have been improving since last few years as these artists have gained prominence across the globe with their art work. Banglanatok dot com, a social enterprise in collaboration with European Union, has been working with 230 patuas in both districts in Mednipur. Ranjan Sen, creative head of Banglanatok, says, "Patuas in various districts have signature style like patuas in Murshidabad have a lot of detailing imbibed in their work. Also originally Kalighat paintings were done with only black and white, later on colours came in. The economic condition of the painters is very poor. The paintings go through personal collectors or dealers but as a community their conditions are dire. Though in last few years things have been improving."

The organisation is working on the concept of 'Shilpi bachley shilpo bachbey', if artisans live only then only will art live. One of the aspiring Patchitrakar, Moyna chitrakar had taken to begging with her husband to fend for her family but now not only she earns a healthy living she exhibits her paintings in Paris too. Sen adds, "Earlier they had a monthly income of Rs 500-600, and now the average income of the villagers is approximately Rs 7000-8000 per month." Some artisans are also fetching higher amounts.

Anwar Chitrakar, a west bengal state award recepient, had sold one of his paintings to Delhi Metro Station which fetched him Rs 80,000. Anwar's paintings have been showcased at Harley Gallery in United Kingdom and his graphic novel encapturing 1000 Kalighat pictures have released recently. Anwar, says,"People had stopped painting on Kalighat Pat. It is our family legacy to draw Kalighat Paintings, I started working from 1998 but everyone here had been doing cloth painting work but the payment was miniscule. When I first started selling I used to sell an 8 by 12 inches painting for Rs 100-150 a peice now I sell them for Rs 800 a piece on an average. I have also sold paintings for Rs 75000-85000 a piece depending upon the size of the painting."

The paintings are based on themes which is prevalent in the society, some of the themes are 9/11 strike on the world trade centre in USA, the evils of child marriage, water conservation, safe sanitation, HIV Aids awareness, naxalism in Nandigram. The painters have also innovated their paintings to give three dimensional look.Four of Anwar's paintings is part of the new artist section of the Kalighat Painting exhibition at Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata which has been put together in collaboration with Victoria and Albert Musuem in London. The exhibition is part of the cultural pact signed between Indian and Britain last year. The exhibition showcases some of the rare Kalighat Painting collections which are present with V&A London in Kolkata. The exhibition will travel through the country.


Most of the paintings on display are from the collection of John Lockwood Kipling, which he collected during his tenure in Calcutta. The museum also boasts of collections from Mukul Dey, the Indian artist and first Indian principal of Government art college in Kolkata. Dey's collections can be found across continents, though he wanted to open a museum in Calcutta but a major part of his Kalighat Paintings were acquired by W G Archer.

PLS NOTE: I had written this copy for my publisher Business Standard Ltd, enclosed link is what came on the paper finally, but this is my personal take!
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/deft-strokes/454636/

The gang of Girlz

Friendship, friends on a ship... The ship sets sail from the port and after a lot of turbulence, and some calm waters, beautiful breeze and sea gulls playing by as the ship reaches its destination, some friends manage to hold it together and some drown. Though most of the friendships drown and become a replica of Titanic, some sail through, this is a story about five friends who are sailing through for last two years, quite happily with each other. We do fight, get angry and scream at each other but we know how to manage it too. The gang of girls stands united. may be that's why Shikha has a cup which i gave, says, "Liverpool- United we stand."
This story is about my beautiful Happy Club which was formed after watching Ajab Prem ki Gajab Kahani-let me do the honours :P,
First the President- who else can be better than Me! (Jerry)
The Vice President- some people keep fighting for the post- i will give it to Nidhi Mishra (Needy)- Phd in Gerontology.. i always told her it would make more sense to research on the phenomenon called Pooja Sarkar! She says next time, i will better hire someone else.
Scretary- Kinjal Bodani (Kinju), an interior designer by profession, who has designed some of the biggest names of South Mumbai and has never managed to design any of our homes. huh.
Auditor- we actually have a certified CA who specialises in US GAAP, now beat it!- Shalini Jaiswal Gupta (Shalu/shal)
and free parcel- Shikha Sood (Tom), banker by profession, and the other profession is to incessantly fight with me and also keep a record of the same! that's why we are called Tom n Jerry, in every three minutes we clock atleast one argument, but we cant do without each other too.
On October 5th, 2009 when i came back from six months of bed ridden status, i was alloted a shared room in a new wing of my hostel, the most beautiful and one of the heritage buildings in Mumbai, the 156 year old Villa Theresa Hostel at Peddar Road. You can never miss this building you have to cross my place to reach Marine Drive!
and one by one I befriended these girls as we all lived in the same wing and we went on to become the best of friends. Some of the most beautiful moments of my life have been spent with these lovely ladies, whether it be asking each other to keep dinner, requesting the warden to not close the gate as some is "just" reaching the hostel, or signing each other's entry, washing cups and plates (i hate cleaning them), infact I once threatened nidhi and shikhu that i will eat on paper plates but i won''t wash my dishes, so shikha finally washed them..hahahaha....the deal was she wont do the dish if i ate non-veg..heck i love veg!grrrr!!!
Every night, however much tired one may be, we all used to gather at Nidhi's room defying all hostel rules and we would share our day's stories, and if her roomie wanted to sleep, the paltan would shift to Shalu's room and finally on the lounge with our laptops in arms. The one who dominated the kingdom was Kinju's colleagues- Bindu, Ashita and Pooja. I dont think any of us can ever forget them.
Nidhi's bosses and Shalu's travel to Thane every day....and her monday upwas (fast) were the best, as we all used to get to hog potato chips...and of course my DNA Money stories and Raj. We all know each other's bosses, colleagues, relatives, every gossip in the hostel and also which stocks to invest. my worst recommendation still lies with Shalu- Resurgere Mines.
The best scenes would be when someone would ask, : would anyone oil my hair" the first to jump out of the room would be Kinjal, saying, "kal mera office hai early morning" Liar!
the next to chicken out would be me, finally Shikha would come with a barter theory. But the best ones were when i used to be asked to oil Nidhi's hair, i would pour half the bottle on her hair and say, "ho gaya"...and yet she would be nice to me.
Those memories are simply etched so deep that everytime I think about them i cant stop rolling on the floor...
Once during Kinju's bday, while we were busy planning her surprise she did so much over acting the whole evening that we all felt like abandoning the entire party andthe height was when she went off to sleep at 10.30pm, trying to act like Marlyn Monroe and when i called her she acted as if it is so not necessary to cuk the cake as she is deep asleep, noone beats Kinjal in acting!
All these moments maketh our friendship a beautiful voyage, speaking of voyage, I cant help but recollect our trip to Kashid, a pristine beach 11 kms ahead of Alibaug. The occassion was Neha's bachelor party. Neha- my godmother-who has always taken care of me, i call her BSE, as she used to slap fines on companies left, right and centre while working their.
As we were on our way to Kashid, on a ferry, i was filing a story from Shalu's phone and my notes were on a piece of paper, i was doing an exclusive pre-valuation IPO copy of Nitesh Estates, and midway, Shikha offered to help, though i declined twice, everyone said, how she loves me and wants to help me. So i let her help me, and five minutes of holding the paper, she lost the grip and the paper was flying in the sky finally drowning in the Arabian sea. As the paper was flying i ran behined it and infact i would have jumped off the deck had people not stopped me, so here I was without my notes, burning with anger, screaming my lungs out at Tom and filing the copy while everyone was busy clicking pictures. Shikha is still serving the sentence for this behaviour.
We made some memorable journey's together which includes our trips to Shirdi, Shani Shignapur, Alibaug, Indore for shalu's wedding and next on the cards in my darling Nidhi's marriage to her beloved man.
we all miss those sleep less nights, talking about our break ups and bad times. we held each other through the toughest times of our lives. infact it was quite surprising that we all were going through the worst together and we all stood by each other like rock, may be thats why during these easy times, we find it funny that at times we don't have topics to talk. As we all loved going to amarson's park at Breach Candy, not always did we talk. Just sitting together on the rock, as waves splashed and watching sunset made us smile and be happy. A deep breath and refreshed we walked again.
I and Shalu now stay in Kolkata, Nidhi and Shikha are in Mumbai and Kinju is in Gujarat, but distance has not dampened the spirit of our togetherness. not even our anger at each other. and ofcourse the silly conversations. But yes, I do miss our sunday outings, not a single sunday have we all spent either shopping or eating out...trying new dishes at Smoking Lees, to ordering pizzas, farewell party at Under the banyan tree to Koyla, getting ice creams for each other and eaing dairy milk's without asking from one's bag :P i always did those who had the manners to ask never got from me!
And the bundles of chocolates and cheese and wine we had!!! Those were definitely the best times, and remember how I used to pre book movie tickets and everyone would be late by atleast 15 minutes because of me!
From taking each other to doctor's to celebrating christmas and Saraswati Puja, last two years has been one hell of a hallelujah time, we never came late, never missed our 10.30 pm deadlines, why would we, what we all wanted was to reach hostel and meet each other as there are abundance of stories to tell and hear,
I miss those times, screaming at Shikha for carelessly crossing the road, looking at Nidhi whenever I wanted some thing when noone would give, palying shalu's favorite song list, fighting for chocolates and pastries with Kinju, and yet we wouldnt walk without each other..its either we all are in it or noones in it! So now the clock has been timed as we all will dance the night out as we all eagerly await and keep shopping for my dahling needy's wedding in November!!! Wake me up when November comes!
Cheers to the Happy wala Club !!!

Daat Dard :(

Daaton ka dard toh tutey dil key dard sey zyada bura hota hai
is pain mey toh pet bhi bhugat ta hai!
ice cream dekh kar jee lalchata hai, toh seekh kabab dekhkar man rota hai
ek bite lee nahi ki ankhon mey ansun aa jatey hain
chahey kitney combiflam ya voveran kha lo
lekin kambakht daat dard mera peecha nahi chodtey hain!
wafers ka ek tukda daton mey ja fasta hai
aur ye daaton ka kafila raat bhar rulata hai
jab bhi munh mey pani dalon nas chakra jata hai
haye ye daaton ka dard bada satata hai!!!
naye naye brush aur brissles ka ad dekh
thak gayi hun mai
mehenga sey mehenga tooth paste bhi kharid kar bekar baithey hain,
filling aur root canalling karwa karwa kar dentist ko amir banaya hai
lekin ye daton ka dard kabhi na picha chodey hai!

Kumartuli- as it prepares for Maa Durga's arrival

As one walks past the dinghy bylanes of Kumartuli, the hub of the artisans of West Bengal, one can't help but notice the idols of Goddess Durga half completed and covered as she is preparing for her arrival in next 36 days.
But Syamshree Pal, 55 years, is spending sleepless nights not only completing the orders he has in hand but thinking how will he able to finish them on time, as Kumartuli is hit with severe labour shortage this year.
He needs the labourers most as his children are not interested in pursuing this career and walk on his footsteps. His 26 year old son, is a pharmaceutical marketing executive. Though it is his family business and the nuances of craftmanship has been passed on to him through last three generations and after him the business will vanish from the family.
Shyamshree says, "I have been working as an artisan since i remember but i did not want my son to get into this business as it does not pay at all. It becomes difficult to run the family also there are a lot hardships in this business. We live in shabby homes , we are awake the whole night to complete these idols and it also has health hazards as we work with mirrors used in paints."
Also this year, most of the artisans have not been able to take big orders fearing non-completion of projects as labour shortage grips Kumartuli. Some potters have hauled projects as they look for labours.
Shyamshree continues, "I have hired four labours and I pay them Rs 1000 per day including food and shelter, whereas last year we had paid an average Rs 350 per day. Most of the laborers dont come since they get 100 day jobs with NREGS and some go to Mumbai and South where they get paid more. So it becomes to difficult for us to hire people."
With 42 idols for completion Shyamshree has a long way before he can sigh in relief.
The story is same for every artisan in this area. Every artisan is now paying anything between Rs 700-Rs 1000 per day as wages as compared to Rs 350-400 last year, a jump of 133- 150 per cent.
Nimai Chandra Pal, President, Kumartuli Mritshilpi Samiti, had joined his father straight out of college and learnt the tricks of the trade by watching his father and uncles at the workshop.
Nimai says, "Due to labour trouble the production is getting hampered seriously and the labour shortage is of around 40 per cent. Infact we have not been able to take more orders and we have already started refusing customers. We are worried whether artisans would be able to finish the existing orders in hand. If last year someone was making 35 idols this year he has only 20 projects. "
If only the fear of meeting the deadline wasn't enough the artisans are faced with contraction in margins in their business.
Last year artisans of Kumartuli had dispatched orders of 4000 idols which is slated to come down by minimum 20 per cent this year, vouch artisans.
Nimai adds, " At this point we can not give exact numbers but the production shortage number will be significant."
And to add to the list of existing woes of the artisans is the increase in raw material prices and their inability to pass it on to the end consumers.
Raw materials like bamboo, mirror, paints cost, shola (pit)has increased by 30 per cent as compared to last year.
The president further explains, "Nobody is trying to adjust the increase in prices that we are facing due to increase in raw material etc, for example if an idol was sold for Rs 20,000 last year it should be selling at Rs 26,000 this year, but the prices at which we are forced to sell is around Rs 22,000-24,000. so rest of the difference has to be borne by us."
As margin contraction dents the euphoria and excitement of the artisans of Kumartuli, those craftsmen who used to make big money by selling idols to over seas clients are facing trouble too. For a change, the mahisasur in the form of financial crisis is obstructing the sales of the idols of the Goddess of Power, Durga and it is unlikely that Durga will win this time.
Montu Pal, secretary, Kumartuli Mritshilpi Samiti, says, "This year I am supplying only 2 idols overseas one to cambridge and the other to Australia. Every year I sell more but this year orders are less. This year the margins have come down by 15-20 per cent."
Idols which travel overseas fetch anything starting from Rs 1.5 lakhs to Rs 2 lakhs. also with middle men in the bay, margins are squeezing further.
Montu adds, " Foreigners would not come to such places, the bylanes are narrow and unkempt, we can not expect them to come here and walk around see our work and then place orders. Very few people get direct orders most of them have to get it from middle men for these international orders. With business not so robust this year, and middle men not cutting their margins, it is really a challenging one this year."
As Mintu leaves hurriedly, with 30 idols to complete, including a 52 feet high fibre glass Maa Durga Idol which would adron FD Block in Salt lake, a first in India, this year Durga Puja hoppers will have lesser pandals to queue.

And I walk past the lanes looking at every corner selling puja materials, after all maa ashbey baritey (Durga will come home)

Ek nayi udaan

Aye parindey udtey huye, zara tham ja is pal mey,
sun iskey dil ki chah ko, udney ka hausla zara dey isey
Chala hai ye dhundney apni nayi dagar, hai iskey dil mey ek chota sa dar,
sath dey ja bankar tu iska humsafar!
andhiyan toh bas ek shan hai, zara yad dila isey un thandi sisakti patton ki theh-thahati gunj ki yadein
hai nahi mushkil ek nayi safar
jab sath ho sathiyon ki leher,
toh kya hua jo tu hai aaj akela
aye parindey bata isey tu tha kaisey uda-
band pinjdon sey nikal, paron ko tha tuney kaisey sambhala
aye parindey zara tham ley isey is pal, le ja sang isey apney seher
dur kar apney man ka sangharsh le bhar udan aaj lekar ek nai sparsh!

You broke my heart

You broke my heart, slithered it apart
you thought its fine, you didn't give a dime.
you thought its fine to walk on that path, never bothering to look back.
you let me cry all by, you didnt even check where was I
Love did me in, looked like a sin.
you didnt even care to find my trace
left me to fend for my own sense
I walked under the sun looking hard for a shade with all those burn
walked hard on with the rain, looking for a light to drain
Its all disdaine as i stand alone with this pain,
with a broken heart and memories uncanned.

PS-these are lyrics that i write...

take my bow

You rotten dud, you broke my heart
you spoiled brat , drugged rat,
I dont care what you say anymore,
your time is up now don even bore
pack ya' bags and set ya' foot up
u dont belong to this door
its closed for you, forever and more...
I dont need you anymore,
your calls bug me and chats are gore
you seriously should walk out that door
it never matters what you say after the credits roll
what stays is what you did while you walked along
you broke the headlights bang on
now you are crushed beneath your soul
aint no forgiveness that can fill that hole
you messed it big time you little mole
now game is up and move ur arse through the door.

ये शहर है मुंबई

ट्राफ्फिक में फसे एक अन्थोनी साहब का गुस्सा

या लोकल ट्रेन की भीड़ में अटके शर्माजी का पिछला हिस्सा

सुबह अखबार देने आने वाला अब्दुल का किस्सा

या चौराहे पर खड़े हवालदार ताम्बे का वो बड़ा वाला मस्सा



येहाँ सबकी अकल में और सबकी शकल में

उम्मीद से देखते हुए उस कल में और इस भागते हुए पल में

जीतोड़ मेहनत के फल में

और पानी से सूखा बेचारे मुनिसिपलिटी के नल में



दिखता है ये शहर, इस शहर का छाप

दिखता है प्यार और ज़हन में छुपा थोडा सा पाप

दिखता है इस शहर की तेज़ी, इस शहर की रफ़्तार

दिखते हैं कई आम आदमी और कुछ अवतार



पैसा भी दिखता है और प्यार भी दिखता है

इस रोज़ मर्रा की ज़िन्दगी में कई रास्ता बार-बार भी दिखता है

हर शहर की तरह सुबह भी दिखती है और दिखती है रात भी

पर कुछ कोनो में फिल्मी सितारें और कोशिश की बरात भी



येहाँ भीड़ है फिर भी इलाज सूनेपन का नहीं

लम्बी इमारतें हैं, पर नामोनिशान आँगन का नहीं

दूरियां हैं पर तन्हाईयों का काम नहीं

घर तो फिर भी मिल जाता है यहाँ पर पडोसी का नाम नहीं



यहाँ सबको पाना है, सबको कमाना है

नापसंद कर के भी सबको यहीं रुक जाना है

सड़क की खड्डों को कोसना है और कभी उन पे ही हँसना है,

कभी उसी सड़क के कोने में खड़े होके छुपके से रोना है



क्यूंकि ऐसे ना धड़कता किसी और शहर का गली चौपारा

वो मरीन ड्राइव पे चलना और फलोरा फाउन्टेन का फव्वारा

ना ट्रेन के धक्के खाके रोज़ ऑफिस आना

ना ऑटो-वाले की खिट-पिट और ना टेक्सी-वाले का बहाना



बैठ के सोचो तो सब बुरा है फिर भी कुछ तो अच्चा है

अभी भी यहाँ लोगों के दिल में कुछ तो सच्चा है

बदमाश है पाटिल, पर प्यारा उसका बच्चा है

अमीरों की भीड़ में गरीब यहाँ भी कच्चा है



कई हैं खामियां, रोज़ कमियाँ हैं नई

गन्दगी, धूल, मिट्टी है पर मिट्टी की खुशबू हैं कई

अँधेरी से चेम्बूर, या जाओ कोलाबा से पोवाई

हर वक़्त एक नया ही अहसास दिलाये, ये शहर है मुंबई


Kindly Note: This poem has been written by Promit Mukherjee, from DNA Money, one of the most kickass writer i know :)