Ye hai bombay, ye hai bombay......meri jaan!!!

Back to my favourite topic…..“Mumbai”. This place is surrounded by sea. Almost every place has got a beach and that’s the best part of Mumbai!! And a walk by the beach is so soothing. It works like a panacea…..bringing peace to the troubled mind and calm to the restless soul, with the warm sea water lapping at ur feet……..and if it’s Juhu beach….….u get the added advantage of the smooth sand (I love the place…..in spite of it being very dirty most of the times!!!).

Sunset at beach......a time when u just want to keep mum and observe and let the sea and the nature take hold.........

Well, there’s another sea, which amazes me more than the first one. The sea of people…..in the beginning it drives you crazy. You just don’t feel like going out. And people like me are just too scared……born and brought up in place where u see so many people at one time only in d morning and evening(when all people go to work and children to school) or in a festival …….in fact d road becomes so bare in d afternoon…u even here the leaves rustling. Mumbai is just the opposite….always chaotic. The shoving, pushing, dhakkam dhukka….....almost evb around u is ready to hit u if u come in their way. But lately it doesn’t seem to be so overwhelming. Once you realize u r a part of that crowd, and not, as one of my friend tells me a “Jhansi wali rani” who has to live in this big bad city; u can negotiate that sea easily.....just like a wave does!!.....sorry for putting the whole idea in such a blunt way….but I just love the similarity…..sea and crowd(shayad simile or metaphor kehte the…yaad nahi)

Watch ur steps...........May God help u if u falter........shayad itna kadam se kadam mila kar kabhi marchpast bhi nahi kiya!!!

My Alma Mater!!!!!

Was missing college days a lot.......thought of uploading few pics which are my favourite.........

The gulmouhar tree looks so beautiful......some of the trees are so full of flowers dat it
appears all red in colour......

Mera College!!!!!!!!!!!

BIT looks sooo beautiful on a rainy day.......mesmerizing!!

BIT bus........the best, cheapest way to travel to town(ranchi as referred to by us)......its so
crammed most of d times dat once d driver had commented "hum to kehte hain bus mein bhi
train ki tarah boggie laga deni chahiye"

Jab bus na mile to auto hi sahara rehta tha........chaahe woh jitna bhi fare le.........but ek baat
thi........hum bhi pura fare wasul kar lete the.........must be clear from d pic......hehehehe

BIT looks beautiful in winters......just a sample of one of d blooming dales........

Looooooong time no see.........

well, well.......i know its been a long time that i wrote anything.....not because i was so overloaded with work or because had nothing to write about( Mumbai mein reh kar aisa kehna gunah hai!!). Simply because i was most of the times too free to do anything(u know sometimes u've nothing to do, and u keep cribbing about the same and even if thrs something which u can do....but u still wont do it nd keep complaining).
Anyways.....right now i'll just put a wonderful poetry i read in "Little Women"......its a wonderful novel by Louisa May Alcott.

Queen of my tub, I merrily sing,
While the white foam rises high,
And sturdily wash and rinse and wring,
And fasten the clothes to dry.
Then out in the free fresh air they swing,
Under the sunny sky.

I wish we could wash from our hearts and souls
The stains of the week away,
And let water and air by their magic make
Ourselves as pure as they.
Then on the earth there would be indeed,
A glorious washing day!

Along the path of a useful life,
Will heartsease ever bloom.
The busy mind has no time to think
Of sorrow or care or gloom.
And anxious thoughts may be swept away,
As we bravely wield a broom.

I am glad a task to me is given,
To labor at day by day,
For it brings me health and strength and hope,
And I cheerfully learn to say,
"Head, you may think, Heart, you may feel,
But, Hand, you shall work alway!"

Nanhi si jaan in Mumbai

How can one devote a blog to Mumbai nd not write d 1st post abt d "Local Trains"......the lifeline of the fast paced Mumbai....which keeps Mumbai running.
For me also the local has been an amazing experience.....nd its not just me......almost every1 has sth or d other 2 say abt it......its used as an ice-breaker........a conversation starter..........nd everywhere........be it a paan-shop or a 5 star hotel.

So i'll also start by some of my experiences...nd its a kaleidoscope.......

I bought a 1st class ticket......."train mein bahut bheed hoti hain.....achhe se jayenge 1st class mein"......ye sab soch rahi thi to justify the Rs 104 tickets( 6 times more then d usual tics).......Well......3 trains had crossed infront of me nd i dint board it.....u know y??.....itna dimaag lagane ki jaroorat nahi......simply b'coz i cudnt find d 1sat class compartment.....so wen d 4th train came.....i quickly got into it, 2^nd class (wahi jiska fare is 6 bucks only)nd had to travel the whole way,standing......so much for the "comfort".

While returning I pledged I wont waste my 1st class ticket......ab to jo bhi ho.. i'll find out ki 1st class kaun si hai nd usi mein baithungi......well!!....to my luck(or bad luck).....i found d 1st class compartment..but nd its a big but......it was a male compartment.....nd fully packed......hehehe........bahut paisa wasul kiya!!

Yet another day......but d same local........aaj decide kiya.....ab to 2nd class se hi travel karungi......nd bingo!!!!......jab train aayi tab itna rush tha ki when i finally got into d local, i realised it was 1st class female compartment!!!

I was getting really confused!!!!!..........ye logon ko kaise pata chalta hai ki kaun si compartment kahan aakar rukegi.......must b some arrangement( as I m a tube light!!)......i asked my seniors at work.......nd finally d gr8 jumble resolved.......platform mein pillars are marked to show where d compartment will stop......d red striped ones are for 1st class nd so on.......bahut jaldi pata chala na mujhe!!

Talking of confusions….Mumbai is perplexing nd very very chaotic…….slums nd posh areas aise mixed hai ki its difficult to demark the two. Infact the 1^st view of Mumbai which I had when d plane landed was of slums!!........Neways….as if theres less things to confuse new comers….all areas have a common nomenclature…Dadar(E) nd Dadar(W) nd same goes for all……Bandra, Andheri …..but don’t thing that East nd West areas are close!! Waise Mumbai is verrrrrryyyy crowded nd platforms…..wahan to lagta hai, always koi festival chal raha hai…….it sometimes takes 10 min to come out of d platform only. I had shifted to Andheri(W). I had just got down fron d train nd was congratulating myself for descending safely(yeah……..travelling in Local is an achievement atleast for d 1^st month). After a struggle of 15 min I finally hit d road nd asked d auto wale bhaiya

“saat bangla chaloge bhaiya”

“nahi………..waise yahan se koi nahi jayega….aap Andheri(W) se auto dekho”

It was then dat I realized I was at d ‘wrong’ Andheri.

These are some of the harmless incidents………time for some tragedy…..buhuhu…

Just back from jamshedpur, where I had another nightmarish traveling experience( kabhi fursat mein bataongi….). By this time, I had become quite apt of traveling by train. Well!!.....somehow I was not able to get on 3 trains(hehehe…..will I ever become a seasoned traveller!!)….when d 4^th train came….as always loaded with ppl…d train started but I made a dash for it……nd yeah!!...i did get on d train safely but behold my Lord!!.....itni aasani se nahi…..i saw dat my friend cudnt get on d train nd then d grrr888 Smriti…got down 4m d train (jumped 4m d running train!!........as many of my friends said when they heard of it……..but I hate to put it dat way). Phir ??......phir kya……ligament sprain in left hand nd hospitals(injection, x-rays etc) ke chakkar….with the Mumbai police as my escort!!

There are many such incidents...........but if u haven’t been bored a lot nd still have d patience to read my posts...then.......wait for d sequel!!