Friendship Day .. over the years and for times to come

A measure of evolution ( ok, lets be not so harsh on the word .. yes agreed that we corrupt with age so evolution is a misplaced word but then so is maturity , growth on similar lines of reason, but for lack of words - evolution ) is the shade of reaction under the same stimuli over the years ..

So down those memory lanes faintly remember , that the first Sunday of August, which we label as Friendship day, held no meaning .. not because the radius of circle of friends around were zero but that it hardly mattered, every day was for friend , every day was special and the ritual of making any day different seemed so out of world ...... the clock clicked over the years and during the course of Teenage , it assumed the pivotal role around the pivotal purpose of life " the hunt for mate " ...which meant the day was the D-day ... to assess performance over the year and sometimes over the quarter and some times on more than one subject ... to find out how many birdies are bonded over and cross with me, arm in arm , to the other side of relationship, from just another guy to boy friend ... so that was both a test day and festival . which meant blowing away pocket money for gifts , scheming plans to woo over ... while this still continues ( they say men are always boys till they die ).. I am sure fiddling around would be thing of past some time in future ...giving way to having the best friend for life around.

Vacuum Really sucks

The first cut gushes out the stream of blood to a foreign environment- and that’s when it is the scariest most and post that blood gets used to it … “ yeah am flowing out .. going down the drains .. but so did the blood stream before me “ quips the “ not the first” stream of blood..

And as more blood oozes, the pain remains and mostly aggravates but then no one can take from the first stream the degree of scariness.

As I place myself in a quiet corner of quietest but extravagant restaurant in town when the city is maddening with celebration, meeting endless near and dear ones, exchanging wises and gifts, illuminating the sky with fireworks and adding to noise by choicest of firecrackers… the loner me , feels so left out. Yeah had been lonely but this is the first time when it is striking me so hard same way as when blood is let out … and am in pain, a terrible pain …

Next Diwali or next touch of this feeling might not be that painful and I hope that …. But the current one is just slicing me .. “ what’s the point of being through this ? “ , “ could I have avoided this ? “ , “ oh god! Have mercy , don’t pain me that much “ … “ am I through or is the degree of torment still left ? “ …

I am not answering these questions , and probably could not .. but am just not waking up to answer it .. am so much down with the pain ,, I know where it hurts, how it hurts, why it hurt but have surrendered to the inaction,, cant do much about it …

But then wait !! am I that deep in pain ? Definitely not , am probably enjoying what others are aspiring ..Freedom … treating myself at the best place.. this shows am not so helpless and I will fight back !!

Hope is a bastard. It doesn’t know which strand of DNA formulated it. Is it from the hopelessness all around or is from the hope that hopelessness all around, is at its tipping point.

Salsa fever grips . is it just a fad ?

5 visits to Salsa schools in a lazy Sunday !! Depositing over Rs 1000 as token amount in 3 of them !! and 10 calls to schools teaching Social Dances !!! There should be some seriousness to the thought that strayed in my mind last night.. so am off set to create a Latin world within me .. I can already feel the blood of Incas throbbing in my viens .. Am I the Latin soul trapped in an Indian Body ? Or Do I look from Amazon too ? Well I guess the one in my mind screams that I belong to Rain Forest .. Don't I dance like Samba dancers?, don't I love soccer when Indians just cant get out of Cricket?, don't I love coffee than tea?, don't I look half African ? Hell yes !! Dios Mio !! I have been keeping my mind and thoughts in dark for so long , I swear by the mighty Amazon, I will bring justice.. and so I booked my next 8 Sundays and Saturdays to the jubilation of this new found discovery .. to the way we celebrate in Latin world, by Salsa, jive and Cha-Cha...

Latino Mundo ... In the process of creating my Latin world

Bliss of Staying in Delhi

One country and 2 different worlds !! Delhi and Mumbai 2 vibrant mega cities of India and that is where the similarity ends. And people take time to adapt themselves if they move from one to another. My eyes almost glistened as I bid Mumbai adieu, at the Chatrapati Shivaji Airport .. with heavy heart and heavier luggage I plodded through the routine procedures and waited for the aircraft.. A blonde, in her late twenties, caught up conversation with me, from there to Delhi, chatting all the while, but I could hardly take myself out of the fact that I would hugely miss those vadapavs ( bread with smashed potatoes), local trains , the chatter, the night life, the incessant and unpredictable rains, Lonavala and the Ghats, and most importantly my buddies .....

I landed at Indira Gandhi Airport in Delhi and soon realized that as Shivaji would be name of every third road, airport, hospital . Indira-ji would be occupy the same pedestal in Delhi...

The first look outside Delhi was startling ... These weren't lanes, they were in fact mega highways from Mumbai standard, and the roads compared to Mumbai was smooth, looked lot deserted, the thinning traffic was quite bothering, instilling within the fear of being left alone .. and even though the vehicles plying were remarkably low, the animosity on road wasn't. Quite contrary to the brotherhood seen in Mumbai... there were honking, exchanging of stares that relayed message from " mind it " to " don't mess with me , am the king here" .....I reached my room at the hotel, tired and grieved and soon the day was all over .. Days went by now, Weeks passed and now its a month .. and as I discover Delhi .. I found that

a. It is the cultural capital internationally. Walk over to IGNCA, lalit kala academy, Habitat Center, and you could find a mini Sikkim , a mini Japan, a mini Germany or Brazil around.

b. Street Food is just awesome, could drive any one to finger licking.

c. Delhi is India's answer to Dubai, Singapore or Dallas in terms of public infrastructure.

d. If cops in Mumbai were greedy, the ones in Delhi are greedy and gangsters.

e. Delhi sleeps when bars in Mumbai open up.

You start conditioning yourself to sleep early because there is nothing else to do in those deserted, spectra wide roads, with abandoned food joints, with zero vehicle density, amidst the gangster cops... and this is one change that is slowly getting injected in me.. I am sleeping Early.