jEEnA iSi kA nAAm hAi !!!

Well guys/gals the very purpose of writing this blog is to appreciate myself. It may sound weird, but in tammy’s world this is perfectly fine and acceptable.

I strongly believe that for any work you do, appreciation is must. And yes most importantly it should be done at the proper time without fail. Even I believe in self appreciation. If you feel there is no one to appreciate you, then appreciate yourself and you feel a lot of positive energy within you.

I really appreciate people who do something good to themselves or to the nature or to other’s, just for the sake of humanity. It makes me feel very happy when i help some one who really need’s help, and especially who deserves it. I would like to share an incidence with you all.

I used to stay in JB Nagar, Mumbai, and there was an old guy who used to sell matki wali ice cream’s. I like ice cream a lot, even I have a ice cream day in a week – Thursday. he he he he.. J. He used to stand besides an electric pole on his bi cycle near my house. I used to visit him frequently and now even he knows me by face and greets me when ever I pass from there.

A month or two back, when I was passing from there at around 12:15 in the night, he geeted me asked me the time. I told him the time, and he called off for that day and started packing his belongings to go back home and even I moved towards mine. I might have covered a few meters and I remember that same happened to me a few times before also.

Then I realized that the old guy does not have a watch and he does this daily. The very moment I decided to help him in the best possible way I can. All off a sudden I remembered that we had a few extra wrist watches at our home, the same which all the credit card companies offer for free to attract the customers while applying for a card.

I went back home and checked with one of my roommate nishant and fortunately I found a watch which was working fine. Then after 2-3 days, while coming back from work, I found the ice cream wale uncle standing there. I went to the home and immediately came down to handover the watch to him.

I asked him how do you come to know what is the time when you have to leave for the home. His words were “Aise hi aap jaise kisi se pooch leta hoon”. Then I asked him you don’t have a watch, keep this one. And i made one thing very clear to him, I said “Ye ghadi aapke liye hai, aur main nahi chahta ki aap kisi aur ko gift kardo ya bech do. To main ye aapke haath me hi dekhna chahta hoon”.

At first, he was not accepting it, but I said this is for you and you have to keep it. Then he started thanking me “sab aapki dua hai” I said “meri nahi upar wale ki dua hai.” J And after that whenever I pass from there I feel proud of myself, and I appreciate myself for what I have done. And that makes me feel happy.

I thank nishant for his watch.

Also if this is called humanity, I would thank God for giving me some. Or I should say God gives it to everybody, but he gave me the power to retain it.

I would like to put up by saying a line to myself “tammy be what you are, always” :D

dEDicAtED friENd - aiRtEl!!!

Hey!! tammy’s back :)

This is one of the blogs that was pending from a long time, and finally I am writing it today.

A few weeks back, I was feeling very lonely and out of the place. I am sure this is something which happens to all of us sometimes or rather most of the times: D. And when this happens, its human tendency to try to run out of everything, which again is completely not possible.

Lets look at a few things that people usually do –

For those people who take alcohol , then the most usual and easiest thing to do is, get drunk and try to loose conscious, and enter in a new world :D forgetting the real one.

If you don’t, then you have to pay for it coz it not easy to loose conscious.

The first thing that people do is they don’t eat anything and try to listen to some good music. As very correctly said, music is a great stress buster. I am quite sure that you might have skipped the word TRY in the previous sentences.

This is something which does not solve your problem, so the very next thing one do is – drop dead in to the bed and allows the silent night to work for you.

If at that time, you get a phone call from a friend or simply an sms of any of your friends, we become a little happy. It always happens, when you are expecting a call or an sms, all you can do is just keep expecting. J

One day I returned from work, a lonely feeling crept into my mind. I got into the bathroom to take a shower (my personal belief is that taking a shower is also one of the major stress buster). While I was busy in, I heard the sms tone of my hand phone. I started guessing the name of the person, and the only name that comes into my mind is airtel.

One of the main reasons of it is because; I had not got any messages from any of my friends since days and in those airtel was sending me at least a message daily. Then I gave it a thought and agreed upon that airtel is the only true friend of mine. He keeps me updated about itself without any expectation of me replying back to him.

Then as I left the place, I realized I lost a true friend, and that reminds of a true saying, NOTHING IS FOREVER & LIFE MOVES ON.

LifE iN A mEtrO….. hUH

Well I have been waiting for the movie since long. I had 2 reasons for that.

Firstly I heard the songs of the movie, and believe me they are just awesome, as I am a crazy for music, so here was something which was testing my patience.
And secondly I have been told that the movie is based on a novel, “That Thing Called Love” – by Tuhin A Sinha. Thanks to my friend’s for letting me know this, and special thanks to Ankur who even made it possible for me to read that one, as he brought it home.

This was the first ever novel which I completed in 3 days, that too without affecting my daily routine. (Was a tough job for me). Believe me being a novice in reading; it took a lot of dedication from me.

And finally it was May 12, 2007, the D-day and we friends plan to go for it @ Goregaon HUB. We got the tickets for the 7:20 pm show. The same day I got a call from a friend of mine (the only previously know face to me in Mumbai, I was looking forward to meet him from Past 6-8 months. In last one year I have seen him only twice) to see his place - Thane.

I had a quick lunch @ 1:00 pm (lunch @ 1:00 on Saturday is another very rare thing), and left for his place.Reached there and then I was looking to come back by 6:30. I planned to directly join my friends at the multiplex and not coming back to my place again. I left that place at 6:45, keeping in mind that it will take max 1 hour to reach and even I was prepared that I will miss some of it.

My friend's told me to collect the ticket from the guard and directly join them. I agreed on that.Then I decided to take a direct bus to the multiplex, for which I helplessly waited till 8:15. And then I decided that I will take another bus, not direct but then will take a rick from there.

I was almost asleep (which I guess every one of us is used to, when we travel long distances in a BEST bus), and Anshul’s call woke me and my first few words were “Don’t tell me Interval ho gaya hai”. He said yes, and my eyes ran to my watch. It was almost 9:00.

I tried to find out where have I reached, and after looking at some of the hoardings, I concluded that I have not covered even half of the distance.

By the time I reached Hiranandani, Powai, my clock ticked 9:30. I thought it would be better to go home and dropped the idea of even getting to see a part of the movie. So I got down at Powai, and took another bus for my place.

When I got down, was feeling like I am alone in this world, i remember a few lines of a song from the movie.

Rishtey to nahi, rishton ki parchaiyaan mili,

Ye kaisi bheed hai, bus yahan tanhaiyaan mili
(from the day 1, this is really true for Mumbai)

I finally realized that though I didn’t get to see the movie- life in a metro, I definitely live one. :D

gIvE mE a bREAk !!!

I want to thank all my friends and other unknown people who have forwarded chain letters to me in 2003, 2004 & 2005 and 2006.

Because of your kindness:

• I stopped drinking Coca-Cola after I found out that it's good only for removing toilet stains.

• I stopped going to the movies for fear of sitting on a needle infected with AIDS

• I smell like a wet dog since I stopped using deodorants because they cause cancer.

• I also stopped answering the phone for fear that they may ask me to dial a stupid number and then I get a phone bill from hell with calls to Uganda , Singapore and Tokyo.
  

• I also stopped drinking water outside for fear that I will get sick from the rat shit and urine.

• When I go to parties, I don't look at any girl, no matter how hot she is, for fear that she will take me to a hotel, drug me, then take my kidneys and leave me taking a nap in a bathtub full of ice.

• I also donated all my savings to the Amy Bruce account. A sick girl that was about to die in the hospital about 7,000 times. (Poor girl! she's been 7 since 1993...)

• My free Nokia phone never arrived and neither did the free passes for a paid vacation to Disneyland.

• Made some hundred wishes before forwarding those Dalai Lama, Ganesh Vandana, Tirupathi Balaji pics etc… Now most of those "Wishes" are already married (to someone else)!

• If YAHOO deletes my account, it doesn't matter BUT PLEASE DON'T SEND me "YAHOO is deleting accounts: Due to sudden rush..." Otherwise I'll delete my E-Mail account!

IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you do not send this e-mail to at least 913760 people in the next 10 seconds, a bird will shit on your head today at 2:00 pm

Give me a break!!

Source: None other than one of the forwards :D

mAA tERi BhoOMi - mAtRUbhoOMi

Is it what is meant by matrubhoomi ?

Well the very reason I chose this topic, is that I had recently seen a movie named matrubhoomi by manish jha ( a must watch – thanks to Rohit & Ankur for making it possible for me to see it ), another off beat movie, which was splendidly well directed. The actors did a real good job. But the act in the screen was awful. It was all about female feticide or say female infanticide.

A short description of the story:

“The film begins in a rural setting, with the delivery of a baby girl to a village couple. Her disappointed father, who was hoping for a boy, drowns her in vat of milk in a public ceremony. Many years later, this unchecked trend leads to the village being populated solely by males. The now uncouth and aggressive young men of the village are desperate for wives, and release their frustration through group screenings of imported pornographic films, cross -dressed dance performances, and even bestiality. They are shown to be willing to go to the lengths of human trafficking in order to procure spouses for themselves.

The father of five boys finds out about a single young woman, named Kalki, living some distance from the village, and literally buys her from her father. She is then married to all five sons. Each night of the week, she is forced to sleep with one of the sons, and even the father gets his weekly night with her. Of all the men in the boorish lot, only the youngest son treats her with respect and tenderness.

When the youngest son is killed by his jealous brothers, and an escape attempt with a sympathetic domestic servant boy goes lethally awry, she becomes a pawn of revenge in an inter-community conflict and an unwilling object of sexual release for even more men. She is chained to a post in the cow shed and raped mercilessly night after night. The film ends on a violent but hopeful note, as she bears a baby girl while the men of the village kill each other off over rights to her and her child.”

They say:

Female infanticide is prompted by the existence of a dowry system which requires the family to pay out a great deal of money when a female child is married. For a poor family, the birth of a girl child can signal the beginning of financial ruin and extreme hardship.

I would ask:

When your son is married, why do you expect the money to flow in with the new member?

You stop expecting, which you actually never deserve, and then even you don’t have to shed money for your daughter.

They say:

They need boys to carry on the family line, whereas girls leave to join their husband's families.

I would ask:

If everyone starts thinking on the same lines, then where would you get a bride for your son to carry the family line?

They say:

A father needs a son to light his funeral pyre when he dies

I would ask:

What if even after trying for his whole life, a father could not produce a son?

Why does one forget that all the traditions are made by human, and they are made for human?

A few lines i best remember here:

“Raat hindole pe baitha ek,

banda rota jhool gaya.

Padh li aaj quran magar main,

Padh li aaj quran magar main,

Aayeaton ko bhool gaya.” – A famous song from movie Black Friday.

“Instead of cursing the darkness, let's light a candle.”

A dream came true in the city of dreams – MUMBAI

On this very day of April 16, 2007, here I am, born again in a new world – world of BLOGGING (thanks to Anshul & Niraj). It has always been one of the fantasies of the so called FANTASY MAN (thanks Nishant for the name).

It might be one of the most common things which all of you might have heard several times, and I am no very different. It talks about a dream, which most of the engineers (includes me too) have even before getting admitted to an engineering college – “APNE PAIRO PE KHADA HONA (to stand on one’s own feet)”.

After 87 days of actual struggle, finally I have got an offer from one of the leaders in finance domain in IT – in “Mumbai”, and I was supposed to join from 7^th of November 2005. My fate brought me to the city of dreams – MUMBAI.

I departed my place on 5^th of November and have reached to the city on 6^th noon. I was told by my cousin , to get down at kurla station and take a taxi to his place, as the place was new to me. But trying to be smart to save some money, I decided to talk to the people in my compartment and try to understand to take a cheaper route – THE LOCAL TRAINS. After consulting to a few, I finally decided to get down at kalyan station. I have been told “Get down at kalyan and you will get a fast local for dadar in the same platform, from there you will get a local to bandra and finally from there you take a rickshaw or a best bus”.

I did the same I was told. I got down at kalyan around 3:20 PM, and enquired about the things told to me. I was happy when it was confirmed that I will get a fast local from the same platform. After that I came to know that one need to get tickets for the same, from outside the platform. With a heavy heart and heavy shoulders too (3 bag of luggage), I came out of the platform, and could not believe to what I saw. The queue for the tickets was even more than the queue at the ration stores at my place.

I waited there some time and then decided better to take the second heavily used public transport – BEST BUS. I came to the other side of the platform from east to west, and some how make up to the bus depot. After a little enquiry I came to know that there is no direct bus for my brother’s place. I need to first go to borivali and then from there I will get a bus for bandra. And for borivali the route was very simple – take a bus for bhiwandi first.

After hearing so much unfamiliar names, I finally boarded a bus after confirming from the people that it will drop me to bhiwandi. My 2 piece of luggage were in the stairs of the bus and I was hanging out with a traveling bag on my shoulders at the door of the bus, somehow managing to keep the grip. Just before the first bus stop, I was told that this bus will not go to bhiwandi. I somehow managed to get out of the bus with half of my luggage and the bag left in the bus was thrown out at a distance, by a gentleman.

Now I had to start my journey again from the bus depot. I decided to take a rickshaw to the depot. After reaching there, carefully this time boarded in the correct bus. Safely reached bhiwandi and got a connecting bus to borivali. With the hope of reaching in about an hour, I took a nap in between. My watch said its 6. Then I started finding a quicker way round. Beggars are not choosers and no choices for me too but to again rely on the telling of the people around.

I was told to take a local train from borivali to bandra as again a rickshaw would take much of my time and money. So I decided to take a local and dragged myself to the railway station which was “just 5 minutes away”. As I entered the platform, I saw a local train waiting for me and welcoming me to a ride. I confirmed from people sitting in, that it will drop me to the destination. Now again I realized that I need to get the tickets first for the ride.

I randomly entered a compartment (which I later realized was a first class compartment) and relieved my shoulders, very innocently asking an uncle sitting next, where do I get the tickets from. He said go get it quickly the train is about to leave. I was so exhausted that like a kid I said to the same guy “Would you mind taking care of my belongings, till the time I get myself a ticket”. He said fine and there I go, running for one.

After looking at the queue, again I realized its better to take out my luggage from the train, in case I could not make it up to. Somehow I managed to get a ticket in 5 min, and I ran back to a compartment, and got into the rider. After getting down to the bandra station, I knew either I have to take a rickshaw or a best bus numbered 220 for carter road. I decided to save a few more bucks. So I was there for another about half an hour waiting for the bus numbered 220.

Finally I get into the bus, and my last travel for the day started. In about another 30 minutes I reached the place. I had to walk a few meters to finally halt. I covered the distance as a lethargic and finally to my brother’s place. Huh finally I reached.

It is not the end. My watch said its 9 PM. There I find a big lock hanging on the door, and a piece of paper saying “Collect the keys from Mrs.…….. from house no. 501 and have your dinner, we are at a friends place and will be late.” It was surely not my day.

All I can say to conclude is ‘ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD’, same applies to Mumbai also. And finally it gave place to one more struggler, but finally I was happy coz Mumbai gave me what I wanted –‘A JOB’.