Doing Nothing

The last couple of days, I have been busy doing nothing. Damn busy. That is one thing I love doing. Doing nothing. And I am not only good at it, I am probably the best at doing nothing. Ask my mom, she always says, ' you are good at nothing'. But I really want to prove her that I am the best when it comes to doing nothing.

Believe me it is not an easy task to do nothing. It requires exceptionally high motivation levels to keep on doing it. Out of the numerous tasks that can be categorised as 'doing nothing', let me stress on the most relevant one. Sleeping. Frankly, I pity people who can't sleep for long hours. Alright, I agree it is difficult and requires inborn talent and years of practice. But it is possible to attain the degree of expertise that I possess at present. To do this,
1. You should be at the pinnacle of joblessness.
2. You should convince yourself that other tasks are not worthy of your noble attention.
3. You should have perfected all other tasks categorized under ' doing nothing' , for eg: throwing banana skin directly into the dustbin from a distance of at least 2 meters.

So coming to the first one : You should be at the pinnacle of joblessness. Reaching here is difficult. You have to cross stages identified by me as semi-joblessness. For eg : 20 hours before a semester paper. I mean, in these stages of semi-joblessness you can not sleep for more than 4 hours at a stretch. Now that is not exactly a 'doing nothing' kind of sleep. You have to put the notes aside before going ZZZzzz, and once you get up , you got to curse someone, get hold of the notes, rearrange them and resist the urge to go online. So you see, you have pretty important jobs at hand. But when you have had your lunch, a heavy one, rinse you mouth, PC on stand by, Cell phone on silent, lights off and action, that is a 'doing nothing' sleep.

Second : You should convince yourself that other tasks are not worthy of your noble attention. Prioritise. Sleeping and exercise does not go hand in hand. Someone else can go to the bank.Groceries can be ordered over phone, your personal visit will not yield discounts. After all, you have worked hard to reach the pinnacle of joblessness.

Third : You should have perfected all other tasks categorized under ' doing nothing' . This is for relishing the ultimate feeling of a typical 'doing nothing' sleep. You feel contended. You feel that you deserve that sleep. It means you no more have to practice putting your signature on newspapers still unread. It means you already know that bisleri and aquafina bottle caps are interchangeable , but bisleri and pearl pet caps are not.

So go ahead pals. It is the time to do nothing and sleep.

The crazy instant

There are moments which just get registered into your system. However hard you try, you can't get rid of them. Some of them ,you are really fond of, and will continue to cherish all your life. And for some, you no longer need them. But there are some moments, which can't be judged. Let me be more elaborate. The moments that I am speaking of, may be some happenings, some event, some image, few seconds in your life,a feeling, an impulse, the smaller things that we tend to ignore but the things that slowly mould us into what we actually are. Out of these, there are some moments, or let me call them instants, that can't be judged. Good or bad. Happy or sad. Success or defeat. They are just there. Out of no where dropped on you, or sometimes a result of meticulous planning. Feeling as if you are the most lonely person in the world, for a few seconds, while chitchatting with a group of friends in a cafe. Is this possible ? One such crazy instant.

When your mom wants you to call her up when leaving college, so that she can know whether you will have lunch at home, you dismiss it in one corner of your mind, thinking it to be yet another job to be done but low on your priority list for the day. So invariably you forget to call her up at the right time. Whenever it strikes you at the right time, you always decide to postpone the call. It is not that important, you say. You will call her up when you get off the train, but that may sometimes be too late. But you know that your lunch will be ready, irrespective of when you call. Even if you forget to inform her, you can always say that you have had ' some stuff ' in the canteen or cafe, so you will not have lunch.

But on the day when the samosa absolutely sucked at the cafe, and you have had the kind of breakfast that you will never ask your mom to serve you ever in your life, you want to call up your mom.You want to tell her that you will be home in about one and half hours and that you will definitely eat. You want to let her know that you are leaving college now, just to show that you are calling up the right time. You want to tell her that you were not more hungry than today in the past one year, and you can't recollect when was the last time you were this hungry. She understands that you have gone crazy and asks you what you will eat. No roti, no rice, you ask for brown bread sandwiches. You want to pay your bill and leave the cafe as soon as possible.

It takes more than three seconds for the realization to set in. You got to go back home and cook your own food.Mom is away on the other side of the country, and you can't be there in the next one and half hour. You are alone amidst all.You will be alone when you get back home and you will have a lonely dinner.It is impossible to judge those few seconds of your life that will never leave your system.It is definitely not the best feeling in the world. But then you do not hate that feeling as well. It signifies how much you miss your loved ones.Those few seconds ,when you realized it is no use calling up your mom, seemed to be an eternity. You stop reaching for your cell phone and smile at your friend who has just cracked the most dumb joke of the day. You order another of the same stupid brown samosa.

Free kick

Mayukh : You should do what you love doing, and not what everybody does. You should go to the Himalayas for a year, just to revitalize.

Orco :Dude gimme a break. Nowadays all are going to the Himalayas to revitalize.

I love my luck

I used to be alone and the destination was always far. After a couple of days, I stopped thinking about having some company. It's only now that I feel it was one of the top fifty 'most stupid things' I have ever done. To stop cribbing for some company at that time. So by the time I saw them, I had gotten used to travelling alone. Rains continued filling up the days and lab became the most important thing for me.

We used to arrive and leave by the same train and we took the same bus twice a day. They had an effect on me from day one. The first day I saw them, we were on the bus, the tyre got punctured. I still can't believe that was the first day. I stepped ahead towards them, wanting to share an auto with them to the institute. Suddenly it occurred to me that it was only yesterday I had juiced up my music player. It meant I could not afford to be in a hurry. Pink Floyd needs time.

The more I saw them, the more I wanted to be with them. Something pulled me back, it always does, at the right moments and sometimes at those moments when I shouldn't be pulled back.They were the best, I would have said this on the first day itself. They were inviting, only one of their kind. Unparalleled.Questioning.Not bothered.Aloof. I had to be with them. But why was I pulled back? For me it was a battle. The laboratory had roped me in their side. I was given a choice. As it has always been with me, I choose. I chose the lab and could not abandon it in the middle of it. After the days' fight ended, I prepared for the forthcoming fight at dawn. It left me no time. I was enjoying it. The joy was enough to keep me in the fight. The amount of grey matter being utilized, gave me a high. For the time being, they took a back seat. I did not ignore them though, their effect was long lasting, omnipresent, and ignoring them was a choice not left to me.

They were punctual. I was never in a hurry, did not even bother about bus timings. If the bus left before it's normal time, I waited. If my train was late, I waited for 20 minutes for the next bus. This was not the case with them. They left in an auto. I could have shared an auto with them, but I was not in a hurry. One day, they stayed back. Did not go for an auto. Waited. Looking towards me. It was an invitation I guess. Half a minute, one and half, five minutes , ten. They were questioning indeed, but they were not bothered. They got cruel in an instant, they left looking towards me with pity. Now I missed them. I had missed my chance to be them. More than being with them, I wanted to look deep into them. Unravel their mystery, what made them the way they were. Piercing. Deep. Mesmerizing. They were the most beautiful pair of eyes I had ever seen.

Next day, we boarded the same bus. I had made a choice the day before, I had missed my chance.Nothing was different. Same bus, same conductor, similar co passengers as it had been for the past 50 days. But sameness plays an important part in glorifying what is something different.One should respect the routine, the sameness in order to rejoice the difference. And what a difference it was. Heavens poured. She did not have an umbrella with her.Oh my god ! I was dreaming about this just a while ago. She asked whether I can take her in my umbrella. That was my last day at the institute. I love my luck.

It's been one year.

Yea, one year. The feeling had sunk in quite a long time ago. That is a good sign actually. Good for me that I have left it behind. But deep within I wanted that feeling to stay with me for some time more. Can't help. It is actually good for me I hope. One year.

Anthony Kaha Milega?

DUDE 1- I can smell that
DUDE 2- Arre aaj shot baitha hai
DUDE 3- Same guys, (looking towards 2) 1 ko dekh, dekh usko
DUDE 2- Aaj sach me shot baitha hai
DUDE 1-Yeh le
DUDE 2- Abbe aaj sach me shot baitha hai,
DUDE 1- toh le naaa
DUDE 3- bata idhar
DUDE 2- idhar de ek bar

DUDES 1 2 3 laughing and DUDE 4 arrives

DUDE 2- yeh dekh
DUDE 4- leke ke bata
DUDE 2- abbe aaj mil sakta hai kya
DUDE 4- nahi bee
DUDE 2- Arre aaj shot baitha hai bee
DUDE 3- baju me dekh
DUDE 2- arre voh tere dost ko call kar naa
DUDE 4- voh ladka yeda hai bee
DUDE 2- mai call karu kya
DUDE 4- chup bee
DUDE 2- abbe try kar naa
DUDE 4- ruk number leta hoon
DUDE 4- yo, mil gaya
DUDE 2- call kar
DUDE 4- sala b*&%#d airtel
DUDE 2-mai call karu kya?
DUDE 4-abbe ruk naa
DUDE 2-yeh le lag gaya call
DUDE 4- hello , hello , hello UNCLE mai uska dost, ok ..ok UNCLE thank you.
DUDE 4-maine bola tha naa


DUDE 3- baju me poochu kya
DUDE 2- pooch naa
DUDE 3- dude....kidhar milega
DUDE 1- You know any place nearby
STUD- Not nearby
DUDE 1- How much can we get it for?
STUD- 10 for each....
DUDE 1- Where can we get it from
STUD- take some from us
DUDE 1- wont suffice, 4 of us , may be 5
STUD- opposite the gate, studio, florist, pan tapri, somewhere there
DUDE 3- whats his name?
STUD- ANTHONY
DUDE 2- Ok, il go..koi aa raha hai mere saath
DUDE 4- chal
DUDE 2- whom shall we ask for?
STUD- ANTHONY
DUDE 2- ANTHONY?


DUDE 4- Yaha Anthony kaha milega?
Man 1- Kaun Anthony?
DUDE 2- Chal

DUDE 4- Abbe idhar studio kidhar hai?
DUDE 2- Yaha florist kidhar hai?
DUDE 4- kya malum?

DUDE 2- Yaha florist kidhar hai?
Little Boy- yeh gali me jao...sab florist hai
DUDE 4- Chal

DUDE 4- Yaha Anthony kidhar milega?
Man 2- Kya kaam karta hai voh
DUDE 2-Chal


DUDE 4- Yaha anthony kaha milega?
Lady 1- Kaunsa Anthony?
DUDE 2- chal

DUDE 2- ek last try lete hai
DUDE1- last lekin


DUDE 2-Yaha Anthony kaha milega?
Boy 1- Kya kaam hai
Boy 2- Arre hari om ??
DUDE 2- haa (thinks, so its happening today)
Boy 2 - vaha jake pooch...chicken shop me
DUDE 4- chal

DUDE 2- boss, anthony kaha milega
Man 3- yeh raste se neeche jao.... seedi se utro ..second door
DUDE 4-chal


DUDE 4-Anthony kidhar milega?
Boy 3- voh door ....(shouts at someone)
Lady 2- kya kaam hai?
DUDE 4-Kuch baat karneka tha
Lady 2- bahar gaya hai
DUDE 4-chal
DUDE 2- (thinks- hudd b*&^%$)


DUDE 2-abbe mera nasib kharab hai....aur sala sach me shot baitha hai...
DUDE 4-rickshaw
DUDE 2-rickshaw
DUDE 4- bus aya dekh
Counductor- Chutta nikalo
DUDE 2- nahi hai boos, yeh dekho
Passenger - want a rupee? (thinks- hmm dudes in true sense)
DUDE 4-yea
DUDE 2-thanks...
DUDE 2-conductor ki ^&%$#~
DUDE 4-chal

DUDE 3-mila kya
DUDE 4-nahi bee
DUDE 2-Aaj sach me shot baitha hai, aur sala nasib bhi kharab hai.
STUD- what happened?
DUDE 2-Anthony not at home..
STUD- ask that lady, that kid, anyone one will undertsand ( thinks- kya lallu log hai )
DUDE 2-koi aa raha hai mere sath?
DUDE 1-chal

DUDE 2-Anthony hai
LADY 3- usne bulaya tha?
DUDE 2-haa
LADY 3-kya kaam hai?
DUDE 1.....cahiye tha...
LADY 3- ok

The Man- kya hua
DUDE 1-......cahiye tha
The Man- kisne bheja
DUDE 1- Some STUD saw him while........
The Man- ...vahi se ho kya?
DUDE 2-yea
The Man- kitna cahiye
DUDE 1- price?
The Man- 10 for each......
DUDE 2-ok
The Man- come
DUDE 1- Aap ANTHONY?
The Man- yea
DUDE 1-Give him the money
DUDE 2- yeh lo


The Man- yaha se second door, vaha se first door, or you can ask them
DUDE 1- ok cool
DUDE 2-thanks, hold this .......
The Man- whats your name?
DUDE 1- RAGHAV

DUDE 2- Arre sorry yaar
DUDE 1- chalta hai...I always tell RAGHAV

DUDE 1- Chal ..... khareedte hai
DUDE 2- chal
DUDE 1- 6........dena aur 1.......dena
Shopkeeper- Chota ki bada
DUDE 1- Chota,
Shopekeeper- Yeh lo
DUDE 1- bada de do
Shopkeeper- sorry bada nahi hai
DUDE 1- ek kaam karo..... ....dena aur 1..... dena


DUDE 2- did u see that girl?
DUDE 1- haa
DUDE2- .... bhi hoga sala
DUDE1- very much possible

DUDE 2-rickshaw
DUDE 1-Auto
Driver- Soch samajh ke paisa dena
DUDE 2-chalo pehele
DUDE 1- yeh lo
Driver- nahi nahi, 20 cahiye
DUDE 2-dost soch samajh ke dee raha hoon
Driver- please, please bhai sahab please, please aisa theek nahi hai

DUDE 1-abbe kya tha voh
DUDE 2-kya c*&^$#

The stupid pamphlets.

I get up on a cool cloudy Sunday morning and reach for the crisp newspapers . We get quite a few every day. Times of India (including the garbage called Mumbai Mirror), Hindustan Times, Economic Times and a Bengali daily. On Sundays, these Times' add loads of 'time pass' and what arrives at our doorstep seems no less than a manuscript. Some of these make a good breakfast read, some I leave for the break that I take between lunch and the afternoon siesta and the rest for the remainder of the day. The articles that I leave out completely are the atrocious ones, mainly the Mumbai Mirror types. The newspapers do contain plenty of good articles though.Overall, these papers serve as a good companion for a lazy Sunday ( or certainly the morning at least, if I am busy for the rest of the day).

But the most depressing thing about the Sunday papers are dozens of pamphlets that arrive with them. Hidden in between every folds, they just slip out when we open that page. It has come to become a very common practice in mumbai, stuffing the newspapers with stupid pamphlets that endorse some or the other thing. The most common ones are tuition classes, music classes, dance classes, travel agency and menu cards of some dumb restaurants. For example, I got this one today , " Amazing Kids classes, for Junior KG and senior KG. Please contact XYZ, also requires a dedicated faculty." This is insane, endorsement and recruitment at one go. Why on earth should parents send KG kids to tuitions? Also, I am against these so called playschool for toddlers. They should spend quality time with their parents. But this is a totally different issue.

Please device some new means of marketing. By this, I do not mean you guys appearing at every doorstep early morning and endorsing your sick business. Even if you get hold of my cell phone number and call me up, I will humiliate you to such an extent that you will contemplate suicide ( ask the airtel and vodafone folks). So what should be your new strategy? That's your headache. Please spare me my comfortable morning read.

Where are the labels?

They are gone. They were disturbing me since the last couple of months. Just those small thoughts that keep flying at the back of your mind and suddenly pop up out of nowhere, then they make you ponder over them for no reason, vanishing the next moment. At times I wanted to add some variety to the labels, sometimes I felt they are too diverse. I felt that I am concentrating largely on a particular type of writing. Then I realised that I am being stupid.There is not a thing in this world that can limit my imagination. These labels were probably doing just that. They had to go. Why should I categorize my posts? Why should I narrow down my writing to suit a particular label? I am free, my thoughts are free flowing. I realised that the labels are secondary. What is more important is that I can convey my thoughts as freely and as effectively as possible. I hope I am never disturbed by those stupids thoughts again. Feeling a bit more relaxed now. The readers (if there are any) can categorize the posts as and how they like. I do not mind. If the labels had made navigation easy, then probably I do not care for the reader's comfort ( yea I said that, anyways there are hardly any posts here, so you don't require 'navigation').

The seasons

More on the seasons again. I hope you will agree with me when I say that there are only three seasons in Mumbai. Summer, Rains and Winter. The most amusing part is the order in which they come.

Winter- (December, January, February)
Summer-( March, April, May)
Rains-(June, July, August, September) and again
Summer-(October, November)

The 'October Heat' justifies my selection as October being called a summer month. And yes, I do not remember November being even close to cool, forget about the chill. So November for me is summer in mumbai. The city has a really depressing weather pattern. 10 years ago, I would have agreed if someone said Mumbai has a pleasant weather. Also, November was cold then. But now it is sickening. May be it is a consequence of global warming, it gets sweltering hot during the months that I have mentioned as summer.

Can I miss out the rains? In third standard, it was somewhat compulsory for ones favourite season to be the rainy season. Why? That's because you can fill an extra page. Hot Pakodas, Greenery all around, Puddles, Paper Boats in the puddles. Come to think of it now, who would enjoy pakodas with one family member stuck in Bandra and other just outside the building unable to cross into the society main gate. Greenery? Branches are scattered all across the roads because of heavy winds. Some were brought down by the lightning. Puddles have turned into pools and rivers. Talking about paper boats, the municipal corporation wants the navy to help in the rescue operations. The situation is really bad. There is no point wearing raincoats and carrying umbrellas, we get soaked anyways. So my advice is to just carry minimum baggage during the rains, you will get wet anyhow.

It is so gloomy during the rains. No sunshine for weeks together. But then you cannot keep complaining, life goes on and things have to be accepted. I try to find out ways to keep myself busy during these months. Firstly, ensure that you have your computer in a good condition. Have an UPS connected as voltage fluctuations are common during these times .See to it that your Internet is connected, it helps to pass time constructively while at home. Remove the broadband wire when it is lightning outside, this prevents your LAN card from getting damaged.Secondly, keep track of the sporting events around the world. This is the time for major football competitions like the world cup and euro. If you are lucky, then there may also be a cricket world cup but it depends upon where it is being held. The French Open and the Wimbledon Open takes place while it rains in mumbai. So the busy sporting calender will prevent you from slipping into depression during these months.

The winters in mumbai are my personal favourites. They are never harsh here. Yes, it was bititng cold this February.The city witnessed some record low temperatures but I enjoyed it. It was sunshine at 12 noon,but I was not sweating. It was very pleasant as it has always been during the winter months here. So, winters are the right time for pakodas and dal khichdi for me. As far as paper boats are concerned, I never had a liking for them.

Winter

I remember when I was in school, I craved for holidays during the winter season. Not that nowadays I want a reason for a holiday, those days used to be different. After Christmas holidays, our school reopened on the 2nd of January. Usually it would be an unit test or a week away from the unit tests. So, it would be study time.Did I crave for holidays so that I can study? Never.

Winter has always been my favourite season. It feels so nice to sleep under the blankets till late in the morning.The lazy bum that I am, I was always annoyed when mom used to wake me up early for school. I used to pray that somehow she forgets to wake me up and I can a have good early morning siesta. That could not have happened. She was always on time. Strangely, when the alarm did not ring, I remember waking mom up so that she can get me ready. Such foolishness, I was apprehensive about missing school.

But things have been different in the last three years. We have holidays in the month of December and January after the odd semester exams. Have enough time to sleep in the morning. Somehow I feel, my prayers have been answered. I will not trade these months from the last three years for any price. Since I am staring at an important period in my career, I doubt how much time will I have for my lazy musings.I guess there will be harsh winters ahead, leaving behind my slothful attitude I hope to be hardworking and energetic. A new prayer.

My Favourite Poem.

If
by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Rahul Dravid

Last time when India toured the land down under, Rahul Dravid showed the cricketing world what he is made of. Personally, I knew his calibre long before this tour. Some experts hailed him as 'one of the best' during the 2002 tour to England. But again, that was not news to me. I knew it even before. When did I actually realise, how fine and meticulous cricketer he is? I do not have the answer. May be it was, when he was strugling to keep his place in the one-day side during the late ninetees. May be during the time he was playing those 'perfect shots'. May be when he was at the slips gulping those Kumble induced edges. May be at the time when he was coming to bat at 3 after just 2-3 overs. I just do not know. But what is more important to me is what I have learned from this great man during the last decade.

Why did I mention 'May be it was, when he was strugling to keep his place in the one-day side during the late ninetees?' I always have my reasons. Never in my life I have seen Rahul Dravid play foolish and non-cricketing shots.While struggling and scratching for runs this man always played the right shots and showed the right technique. He has had his basics right all through his career. What I learned is you can always fall back on your talent and beliefs during the worst of times. Even when nothing seems to be going your way, you cannot 'hit your way out' (like few other batsmen). What you do is what you feel is right and what you have been learning and practicing. Watching him coming back to form with a hard earned century is just awe-inspiring. Remember that Perth innings this January. That 93 was hard fought and to get these many runs on such a wicket and after having had such a low scoring series upto then was just class apart. Give me another indian batsman who has come back to form in Perth.

I feel the Indian Cricket team would not be at the level where it is today if you take out the Dravid centuries that was scored overseas. The confidence that the Team has today while playing abroad is due to the previous wins outside India. Now tell me how many matches has India won overseas with Dravid being out of form? With every win that I recollect, I am presented with the glimpses of Rahul Dravid timing the ball to the off-side fence, flicking to the mid wicket boundary and a short wide ball cut to the fence behind point. His innings' have been the saviour during crucial moments abroad.

Let me tell you what I admire the most in this man. I really connect with him when I think of this. When I consider Sachin Tendulkar, he was born to be a cricketer. He had all the things that a batsman should have. I mean everything. He only had two things to do. Play cricket and word hard. Yes, work hard, because even the greatest of talent will go to waste if not supplemented with hard work. By the grace of god Tendulkar did both these things and he had to be the greatest cricketer ever. When I consider Sourav Ganguly, he had to be the leader. He is a born leader. There are certain talents that people are born with. Ganguly had the qualities of a leader. It came naturally to him . I am not saying that he has no cricketing talent, 10,000 runs can't be scored in jest. I am a big fan of both Tendulkar and Ganguly, but Rahul Dravid inspires me. He could have been anybody going by his personality. A CEO of a company, a HR manager, a scientist or a writer. I do not know why. It is just the aura around him. But he chose cricket , learned the game, imbibed the qualities of a great batsmen while at nets and proved to himself, that yes, he can play cricket and be extremely good at it.

Again, it is just my opinion that he had no inborn qualities of a cricketer. He chose to devote whatever qualities he had to be a complete batsman. This really inspired me, to start from scratch and get to be the very best without being provided anything on the platter.People who know I admire Rahul Dravid must have thought that, him being made the captain would have made me happy. The truth is, no, I was not. Some people should be left to do whatever they do best. I myself relate to this thought. But again what I relate to, is the way he accepted the challenge and decided to do things in his own way.He again started to learn whatever it takes to be a good leader. That is so myself. But once again, some people should be left to do whatever they are good at. Why I relate to this aspect so much? It is becasue I know what I am good at, but on the other hand I am not afraid of trying something new and challenging, altough there remains a huge possibility of failing. I am not against the decision of dropping him for the one-day side lately. Others deserve a chance, same way as he himself was given one. There is nothing left to be proven. If one has played more than ninty tests contiously, what else is left to do. Scoring atleast one century in every test playing nation is one of the most covetted achievements. I am simply lucky to be at a time when I could see him play live on television and learn so much from his character and personality.

Now let me get back to the first line. After scoring the match winning runs at Adelaide, he said in an interview, "No one can motivate you more than you, yourself".This was the line. It assured me that I had indeed been admiring and idolizing the right person. In the end, it is YOU. All the ammunitions are with you, you are the one who is planning and you are the one who will execute the plan. People will inspire and people will discourage.They will praise and they will also bring you down. All the while, during the hard times and not-so-hard times, the only one constantly with you is YOU. Make use of this YOU. Motivate yourself rather than waiting to get motivated. I thank this person for being an inspiration for me.

Ode To the Bhukkads.

Let me be as blatant as possible." Feed me to impress me".Nothing makes me more happy than to gorge on good food. But on the other hand, when I see people pestering others to eat for their own satisfaction , that really turns me off. (Yes, this was directed towards the Bengali). I hate it when some one forces me to eat when I am full.

But this blog is about 'bhukkads' and that includes me and plenty of my great friends. It really make me proud to be in your company. It gives me a feeling that I am not the only one stuffing everything edible that is on the table. It gives me a sense of belonging and assurance. Let this be a 'thank you blog' for each and every one of you with whom I have shared the table with.

Some bhukkads are ready to attack each and every lunch box opened in the vicinity. I love that aggression. Some are willing to taste each and every dish ordered and then order another plate of it if it was good. I admire that strategy. Some give moral support when we doubt that another plate ordered would go extra and be wasted, and they are ever ready to lick clean that dish if all others are stuffed full. I worship that finishing move. These kind of specialist in my friend's circle make my day. It is for you to decide in which category I fall.

It was soothing to hear when someone said ' Mayukh,chal aaj chicken faadte hai ' , it was very hard for me resist the urge. But dude, I am really sorry if I said no that day. Just wanted you to know that your words will ring in my ears for the lifetime. The way you said it. In the future, if I am looking for some company to eat with, I will be reminded of your words. And I really wish that you will be around to give me company. Now for someone ,who is always ready for a non-veg meal. I promise that I will have chicken with you at 4.00 in the evening, even if you had asked me about it that day unaware of the time.

The friends who have accompanied to the unlimited pure-veg buffet, deserve a special mention here. It was awesome to see the way people can stuff themselves, the way they can pace their dinner so that they can stuff more and the way they laugh at anything and everything during that time. Not to forget the way they walk back after all this.You should accompany us to one this event to know what I exactly mean.

Bhukkads have a human side as well. I have seen them control themselves and restrict the order when it is a treat given by one of their counterparts.This should be applauded as it shows that these people (including me) do not turn morons at the sight of food, but they just appreciate and enjoy good food. Cheers to these guys.

I will continue to cherish each and every moment I spend with you lads and the experience so far has been amazing. Now let me recommend something to the fellow bhukkads. Since I happened to be in Vizag recently, this piece of information comes straight from this place. The food served here will amaze by you it's quantity. I may term it has 'bhukkad's paradise'. Two of us found it difficult to finish up a single plate of Chicken fried- rice. Now wasn't that insulting in front of a whole junta (comprising also of school going children) who were gobbling up a plate individually? Fellow bhukkads indeed. There is a restaurant named ALPHA which serves the best hydrabadi biryani I have ever had in my life. The sheer quantity petrified me. Both us gave up with about one-third of the double joint chicken biryani without even being touched. Now that is why I called the place 'Bhukkad's Paradise'.

PS : So here is the gist if you are wondering what crap have I posted," I admire people with good apetite and liking for good food".

What was the rant for ?

In the last post it was informed that I would elaborate on something later. So here it is. I wanted to book a ticket to Vizag by train. It had to be in the tatkal quota. So I got up early ( according to my standards) and switched on the computer. The lights went off before I could log on. When the power came back after half n hour and I started to book the ticket , I found out that neither mine credit card, nor dad's would work for the system. So had to call up bro for his debit card. In the mean time. the tickets got booked and I was left with only one two-tier Ac ticket which cost me about 1000 bucks extra than what my budget allowed.

If this situation could make my blood boil, imagine what happened the next day. The same thing took place again and this time I could not book my bro's ticket for the planned day.So our schedule went haywire.I purposely did not vent out my anger in the blog as I could have gone overboard and said some unacceptable things from the bottom of my heart.

But in any case our trip to vizag was a good one. My cousin brother had accompanied me. Our return journey was tiring but fun. We did not get a direct return ticket from Vizag to Mumbai. So we took a train to Nagpur from Vizag. Spent the night in a retiring room in Nagpur station and took an early morning train to Mumbai from Nagpur. The retiring room deserves a special mention. It is huge. If ever you get a chance to spend some time in Nagpur station I recommend you check out the retiring room.It is mammoth sized and too beautiful to cost 200 Rs per head. I simple loved it.

PS : More on the trip coming up.