I just loooooooove watching movies.
Being in Pune which has a lot of multiplexes, I’ve been for a lot of movies every month. When I was pursuing my graduation in Goa there were no multiplexes so we used to go to theatres like Samrat in Panjim & Vishant in Margao. Even now when I’m down in Goa and meet up with friends for lunch in Panjim, a post lunch movie at Inox is always welcome. Atleast, one gets to escape from the torture of the sun and be as cool as a cucumber in the theatre.
Sometimes, I feel if I weren’t in HR, one of the ‘top 5’ options on my career list would be a movie usher at Inox. He he.. :-)
Watching movies in the theatre and on the TV/laptop are two different experiences. Now I’m sure you must be thinking that I’m referring to the wide screen experience. Yeah! That is one difference. But another major difference for me is that given a device, which has the FWD option, I can really make good use of it. This option applies mostly whilst watching hindi movies. All the naach gaana, unwanted masala can be easily done away with just one click. One can finish watching a 3 hours movie in 2 hours. That’s time management for you.
Also you don’t need to utilize your brainpower to guess the story of a hindi movie. Within the first 5-10 minutes of the movie, you know what the end is gonna be like. Or if you watch the last 10 mins you know what the movie must have been like. It’s very unlike a Hollywood movie, where you have to literally break your head guessing the script. Even if you miss the first 10 mins of a Hollywood flick you’re in trouble..
And if you’re a movie buff like me, I’m sure you must have realized by now that the chaps in Bollywood can’t write (or type or foresee) an original film script. Ok some of them confess that their scripts are inspired by a Hollywood movie XYZ.. But most of their movies are pure copies of Hollywood movies. The only effort they put in is to modify the story here and there to resemble an Indian setting. I guess that’s what they are paid for. ;)
Anyway, when I shifted here I realized I have a lot of free time, especially on Sunday and other holidays. So, some of the ways I pass my time out here is watching movies, blogging and internet surfing. My Mom feels I should be doing embroidery, knitting and crochet. I dare to think otherwise..
A friend of mine too loves watching movies and this time when I went to Goa, I flicked his CD/DVD case. Ok!!!!! flicked is too harsh a word and it sounds like I’m a chor. But no I didn’t rob it but took his movies with grace ;) By using the term ‘with grace’ I wholly imply that the movies are given to me. I added them to the pile of movies I already have at home.
I’m enclosing a list of movies that I have. Of course the no. of movies on the list will go on increasing as I add more. But if anyone of you is interested in swapping movies do let me know. After all, I’m only an email away......
Friday, November 30, 2007
Journey Back...
My return journey to Silvassa was simply unforgettable.
Whilst coming back to Silvassa my mom, aunt and two cousins came along. We had booked tickets in the first week of September on the Veraval Express but since ticket booking by the Railway Authorities starts 3 months in advance, we were on the Waiting List. I had a nice time teasing my cousin that he would have to sleep on the floor of the train & someone might ‘un’intentionally stamp him. I’m sure you guys must have guessed who the someone is that I’m referring to. Evil ‘ME’
When we checked the status of the tickets a day before the journey there was good news and bad news. To our good luck all the tickets got confirmed. But to our bad luck we were allotted berths, which were not close to each other in the train. We decided to negotiate with the other (single) people on the train. After all we were 5 of us against 1 so they would obviously feel sorry for us and shift for the sake of humanity..
A hurried morning of packing our bags and we were at Margao Railway Station 10 mins ahead of the slated departure. But damn.. the train was 15 mins late. We had to go to the next platform so heaving our heavy bags over the overbridge we reached PL2. Once there we asked the guy at the Tea Stall ‘Where’s the AC compartment?’ and he waved to the right and said, ‘End of that side’. We took all our baggage there and waited.
The train was really running late so my cousins started munching on chips. Then as a coolie went by we asked him, ‘Where’s the AC compartment?’ He said that side and waved towards the other end of the platform. Oh boy.. What ensued next was a mad run to the other end of the platform. We surely must have been a funny sight as we ran with our luggage.
Once there, we heard the stupid announcement ‘Veraval Express is arriving on Platform 2 shortly’. Sheesh.. So we waited and waited. The same announcement was repeated twice after a gap of ten minutes... Initially, every time the announcement was made some people got ready with their luggage but when the same announcement was repeated people didn’t seem to care. I guess the Railways should use a bit of marketing strategies here and try and promote their food/juice/magazine stalls. It sure would be nice to hear the Railway Authorities being courteous towards their customers.
Ultimately the train came an hour late..
Once inside the train, we found that our berths were in different compartments. So we decided to try our strategies.
Strategy No 1: Exchange a ticket with your neighbor and ask him to shift.
Expected End Result: The neighbor shifts to your friend’s place and your friend shifts to his. Mission accomplished.
Unfortunate Actual Result: Apparently there were a lot of families in the train and they would not shift. Would we have shifted if we were in their place???? Naa.. No way..
Strategy No 2: Catch hold of the TC.
Expected End Result: The TC checks his list and makes the necessary changes. Mission accomplished.
Unfortunate Actual Result: We caught hold of the TC (Hey naughty, not literally mind you but with our pleading sad faces) but he could not help us. He gave us all the seat nos of people traveling alone (that turned out to be 2) and asked us to request them. But since they were traveling long distance nobody was interested.
We then decided to compromise. No not really compromise but it was a Win-Win situation. Howzaaat? Simple. We won by getting all the seats confirmed and again won by getting the lower berths. He he..
Since, this was the first time my cousins traveled by train my younger cuz was running around like a monkey all over the train. He wanted to know how to climb the berths, what happens if he pulls the red chain, what’s the fine, whether there are snakes in the train, where the AC vents are, does the TC have a berth to himself, whether they cook in the pantry car… question, question.. Every time the train would go through a tunnel he would count the seconds it took to come out of it.
A sumptuous meal of Pulao and Chicken topped with docegrao and bhatk I was all set to take a short nap. But since my cousin was so excited, he would climb the top most berth and climb down again not forgetting to tickle poor Blen arranging her bed sheets on the middle berth on his way down. Boo hoo.. My brilliant plan of sleeping in the train after tiring myself at the wedding went down the drain.
Since this train starts from the South, it was filled with South Indians and they were all speaking in Malayalam. There was a family who went off to sleep after their lunch and they were very much annoyed with my cousin monkeying around. The old man told me to tell him to sleep. So, I told my cousin with a strict face. ‘Sleep!!!’ My cuz then remained quiet during which they settled back to sleep.
Hardly a minute later there was a long Vroooommmmmm.. and the old guy and his folks got up with a start. Courtesy my cousin switched on the (old antic overhead) fan. The old guy had had enough. He got up angrily and told my cousin, ‘Act as though you’re in class.’ Boy!!! Did he make a mistake??? The devil that my cousin is pat came the reply, ‘Nobody sleeps in class.’ Ha ha…
There were two cute lil gals in the train going from Goa to Ahmedabad and so the evening was spent chit chatting with them. My older cuz then took out a pack of cards and the older lil gal taught us a card game, ‘Go Fish’.
Post dinner we all slept keeping in mind we had to get up at 3:30 am. Mobile alarms were set and we went Zzzzzzzzzzz….. Since the train was running late we arrived at Valsad station at 4:40 am. We were just in time to catch the 4:50 Passenger Train to Vapi. Since we had to change platforms we hurriedly got all the luggage up the overbridge and down the other side. If I was traveling alone I would have probably crossed the tracks instead of taking the long way.
We got tickets (Rs.5 for 25 kms… cheap.. I advised my cuz since he was so crazy about trains to buy a Rail Pass and travel on unlimited trips via train) We boarded the train and sat sleepily for the 40 mins journey to Vapi. The train was a double decker but that did not interest my sleepy cuz.
Once we got to Vapi, we got into an Auto to get to Silvassa. Vapi has this typical odor of chemicals and has been labeled as the 3rd dirtiest city in the world. Boy!!! Anyway the rest of India (leaving Goa aside) ain’t so clean either.
Whilst coming back to Silvassa my mom, aunt and two cousins came along. We had booked tickets in the first week of September on the Veraval Express but since ticket booking by the Railway Authorities starts 3 months in advance, we were on the Waiting List. I had a nice time teasing my cousin that he would have to sleep on the floor of the train & someone might ‘un’intentionally stamp him. I’m sure you guys must have guessed who the someone is that I’m referring to. Evil ‘ME’
When we checked the status of the tickets a day before the journey there was good news and bad news. To our good luck all the tickets got confirmed. But to our bad luck we were allotted berths, which were not close to each other in the train. We decided to negotiate with the other (single) people on the train. After all we were 5 of us against 1 so they would obviously feel sorry for us and shift for the sake of humanity..
A hurried morning of packing our bags and we were at Margao Railway Station 10 mins ahead of the slated departure. But damn.. the train was 15 mins late. We had to go to the next platform so heaving our heavy bags over the overbridge we reached PL2. Once there we asked the guy at the Tea Stall ‘Where’s the AC compartment?’ and he waved to the right and said, ‘End of that side’. We took all our baggage there and waited.
The train was really running late so my cousins started munching on chips. Then as a coolie went by we asked him, ‘Where’s the AC compartment?’ He said that side and waved towards the other end of the platform. Oh boy.. What ensued next was a mad run to the other end of the platform. We surely must have been a funny sight as we ran with our luggage.
Once there, we heard the stupid announcement ‘Veraval Express is arriving on Platform 2 shortly’. Sheesh.. So we waited and waited. The same announcement was repeated twice after a gap of ten minutes... Initially, every time the announcement was made some people got ready with their luggage but when the same announcement was repeated people didn’t seem to care. I guess the Railways should use a bit of marketing strategies here and try and promote their food/juice/magazine stalls. It sure would be nice to hear the Railway Authorities being courteous towards their customers.
Ultimately the train came an hour late..
Once inside the train, we found that our berths were in different compartments. So we decided to try our strategies.
Strategy No 1: Exchange a ticket with your neighbor and ask him to shift.
Expected End Result: The neighbor shifts to your friend’s place and your friend shifts to his. Mission accomplished.
Unfortunate Actual Result: Apparently there were a lot of families in the train and they would not shift. Would we have shifted if we were in their place???? Naa.. No way..
Strategy No 2: Catch hold of the TC.
Expected End Result: The TC checks his list and makes the necessary changes. Mission accomplished.
Unfortunate Actual Result: We caught hold of the TC (Hey naughty, not literally mind you but with our pleading sad faces) but he could not help us. He gave us all the seat nos of people traveling alone (that turned out to be 2) and asked us to request them. But since they were traveling long distance nobody was interested.
We then decided to compromise. No not really compromise but it was a Win-Win situation. Howzaaat? Simple. We won by getting all the seats confirmed and again won by getting the lower berths. He he..
Since, this was the first time my cousins traveled by train my younger cuz was running around like a monkey all over the train. He wanted to know how to climb the berths, what happens if he pulls the red chain, what’s the fine, whether there are snakes in the train, where the AC vents are, does the TC have a berth to himself, whether they cook in the pantry car… question, question.. Every time the train would go through a tunnel he would count the seconds it took to come out of it.
A sumptuous meal of Pulao and Chicken topped with docegrao and bhatk I was all set to take a short nap. But since my cousin was so excited, he would climb the top most berth and climb down again not forgetting to tickle poor Blen arranging her bed sheets on the middle berth on his way down. Boo hoo.. My brilliant plan of sleeping in the train after tiring myself at the wedding went down the drain.
Since this train starts from the South, it was filled with South Indians and they were all speaking in Malayalam. There was a family who went off to sleep after their lunch and they were very much annoyed with my cousin monkeying around. The old man told me to tell him to sleep. So, I told my cousin with a strict face. ‘Sleep!!!’ My cuz then remained quiet during which they settled back to sleep.
Hardly a minute later there was a long Vroooommmmmm.. and the old guy and his folks got up with a start. Courtesy my cousin switched on the (old antic overhead) fan. The old guy had had enough. He got up angrily and told my cousin, ‘Act as though you’re in class.’ Boy!!! Did he make a mistake??? The devil that my cousin is pat came the reply, ‘Nobody sleeps in class.’ Ha ha…
There were two cute lil gals in the train going from Goa to Ahmedabad and so the evening was spent chit chatting with them. My older cuz then took out a pack of cards and the older lil gal taught us a card game, ‘Go Fish’.
Post dinner we all slept keeping in mind we had to get up at 3:30 am. Mobile alarms were set and we went Zzzzzzzzzzz….. Since the train was running late we arrived at Valsad station at 4:40 am. We were just in time to catch the 4:50 Passenger Train to Vapi. Since we had to change platforms we hurriedly got all the luggage up the overbridge and down the other side. If I was traveling alone I would have probably crossed the tracks instead of taking the long way.
We got tickets (Rs.5 for 25 kms… cheap.. I advised my cuz since he was so crazy about trains to buy a Rail Pass and travel on unlimited trips via train) We boarded the train and sat sleepily for the 40 mins journey to Vapi. The train was a double decker but that did not interest my sleepy cuz.
Once we got to Vapi, we got into an Auto to get to Silvassa. Vapi has this typical odor of chemicals and has been labeled as the 3rd dirtiest city in the world. Boy!!! Anyway the rest of India (leaving Goa aside) ain’t so clean either.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Enchanted by Divar
Travel has always been one of my passions. Unfortunately for me, I’ve studied in very strict schools & colleges and long distance tours were a big No-No. Even today when I see school children go to other states and countries on tours I get real J…
I also love nature a lot and one of the places in Goa which is a perfect blend of natural beauty and has totally enchanted me with its beauty is Divar.
Its located just across the Ribandar road and one needs to travel to Divar by ferry. Whilst traveling by ferry one can see a lot of barges in the water. The barges are used to transport iron ore. As one alights from the ferry, there is a bus waiting which I guess is used to ferry people to the village and back. The road is a long narrow one and one can catch a glimpse of the village from the ferry point. The bus & ferry timings are coordinated in such a way that as one alights from the ferry there’s a bus waiting for you to go to the village.
At the ferry point there is a bus stop (read concrete structure) but I don’t think people use it. The only people who probably use it are the rowdy boys (or gals) who have scribbled a lot of gupshup on it.
The mangroves out there remind you of the backwaters of Kerala and one will notice a lot of wildlife like birds, insects, frogs or even scary snakes. Now it all depends on how you look at nature. Mind you, snakes can be cute too. There was this small fishing boat (Pic) tied to a tree and it looked very inviting. Now before you think that I went and untied the rope and went for a boat ride naaa.. I spared the fishermen the trouble of rescuing their boat.. So, thoughtful of me.. He he..
There is also a small white washed grotto where there are Holy Statues. (Pic) And just across it there is another Statue of Hindu Gods. This is pretty common in Goa and shows how people live in religious harmony.
Whilst going on the winding road to Divar if one sees the top of the hill, the Divar church is visible whereas if one strains one’s eyes to see on the right hand side, the steeple of the Old Goa church can be seen.
Once you enter the sleepy village you will be totally mesmerized by the pin drop silence. Of course the humming of birds and the occasional vehicle sound exists but that’s totally negligible. The beautiful old Portuguese houses are a treat to the eye especially if you have an eye for Goan Architecture.
At the top of the hill is a church and next to it is a Cemetery. One can get an amazing view of the Mandovi river as well as Ribandar from here. You will also be charmed by the pleasant breeze blowing out there. The entrance of the Cemetery has a sign in Konkani which reads, ‘Aiz Mhaka Faleam Tuka’ (Pic) Translated in English it means, ‘Today me tomorrow you’. Ok the grammar ain’t right. Lemme change the sentence without altering the meaning. Hmmmm…. Its something like, ‘Today its me, tomorrow it’ll be your turn’. Sure gives you that creepy eerie feeling. Booooo……
The famous festival of flags called Bonderam is held here annually but unfortunately I’ve never been for it. My brother has been for it and he said its really nice. I sure hope to go for it someday.
So, people if you want to be surrounded by nature then the island of Divar is the place to be.
I also love nature a lot and one of the places in Goa which is a perfect blend of natural beauty and has totally enchanted me with its beauty is Divar.
Its located just across the Ribandar road and one needs to travel to Divar by ferry. Whilst traveling by ferry one can see a lot of barges in the water. The barges are used to transport iron ore. As one alights from the ferry, there is a bus waiting which I guess is used to ferry people to the village and back. The road is a long narrow one and one can catch a glimpse of the village from the ferry point. The bus & ferry timings are coordinated in such a way that as one alights from the ferry there’s a bus waiting for you to go to the village.
At the ferry point there is a bus stop (read concrete structure) but I don’t think people use it. The only people who probably use it are the rowdy boys (or gals) who have scribbled a lot of gupshup on it.
The mangroves out there remind you of the backwaters of Kerala and one will notice a lot of wildlife like birds, insects, frogs or even scary snakes. Now it all depends on how you look at nature. Mind you, snakes can be cute too. There was this small fishing boat (Pic) tied to a tree and it looked very inviting. Now before you think that I went and untied the rope and went for a boat ride naaa.. I spared the fishermen the trouble of rescuing their boat.. So, thoughtful of me.. He he..
There is also a small white washed grotto where there are Holy Statues. (Pic) And just across it there is another Statue of Hindu Gods. This is pretty common in Goa and shows how people live in religious harmony.
Whilst going on the winding road to Divar if one sees the top of the hill, the Divar church is visible whereas if one strains one’s eyes to see on the right hand side, the steeple of the Old Goa church can be seen.
Once you enter the sleepy village you will be totally mesmerized by the pin drop silence. Of course the humming of birds and the occasional vehicle sound exists but that’s totally negligible. The beautiful old Portuguese houses are a treat to the eye especially if you have an eye for Goan Architecture.
At the top of the hill is a church and next to it is a Cemetery. One can get an amazing view of the Mandovi river as well as Ribandar from here. You will also be charmed by the pleasant breeze blowing out there. The entrance of the Cemetery has a sign in Konkani which reads, ‘Aiz Mhaka Faleam Tuka’ (Pic) Translated in English it means, ‘Today me tomorrow you’. Ok the grammar ain’t right. Lemme change the sentence without altering the meaning. Hmmmm…. Its something like, ‘Today its me, tomorrow it’ll be your turn’. Sure gives you that creepy eerie feeling. Booooo……
The famous festival of flags called Bonderam is held here annually but unfortunately I’ve never been for it. My brother has been for it and he said its really nice. I sure hope to go for it someday.
So, people if you want to be surrounded by nature then the island of Divar is the place to be.
Traveling by Train
Trains… When I was a small kid this very word used to bring cute little steam engines puffing fluffy gray clouds in my mind. Naaaa…. I’ve never been on one, but I’ve seen a lot of them, as a kid on my darling idiot box. Before you ask me why I bestowed such an elaborate title on my TV.. It’s because it’s the only box I used to hate to love and love to hate. Confused??? Keep guessing..
But during the last 2 months if the same word ‘train’ is used to coin a question to me like “Have you booked your train ticket to Goa?” its more than enough to give me a nightmare. L
It all started when I shifted to Silvassa. I realized that if I travel by bus from Silvassa to Goa in a break journey format (Silvassa/Vapi-Mumbai & Mumbai-Goa), I’d not only be doing a break dance in the 2 buses but I would also be forced to travel very frequently to the physiotherapist and the doc for my aching limbs and probably broken back.
This time when I went to Goa for my cousin’s wedding in October, I bought the Trains at a Glance (book) from Mumbai but that proved to be useless as Vapi is not listed as a major railway station there. So, I went online to check for trains. The Indian Railways has a website where one can get a lot of info about trains.
I got my tickets booked to Goa and since my Mom, Aunt & cousins wanted to come back with me we got our tickets booked 2 months in advance.
2 months in advance. Yeah, I know.. Big trouble. We got tickets with fancy WL-XYZ and PNR nos printed on them. Railway Booking to any destination in India starts 3 months in advance. Which means one has to plan his/her journey well ahead. If one goes even a day later most of the tickets are already taken. I guess this is ‘coz the Travel Agents play a nice trick by booking all the tickets in their name and then releasing them as and when they get Bhakras.
Anyway, I’ve learnt a good lesson about booking tickets. The best bet is to book your ticket 3 months in advance and then if you can’t go as planned cancel your ticket. It’s a hundred times better to pay the cancellation fee then to spend sleepless nights thinking about your waitlisted ticket.
Hmmmm… When I was in Pune I used to mostly travel by bus. Booking a bus ticket was never a hassle with telephone booking. I used to book tickets over the telephone and pay the amount on the day of the journey. This also implies that I used to book tickets last minute and also cancel and book the same as per my convenience.
The bad decision maker that I am, the days that preceded the journey were filled with FPC (Frequent Phone Calls) to my Mom filled with FAQ like, “Should I leave tomorrow or the day after?” “Should I leave on the 3rd or the 4th or the 5th ?” Hence, most of my trips used to be on the spur of the moment, so much so that sometimes I used to book a ticket on the same day (sometimes even in the afternoon) of the journey.
Added to that the lone train which used to run on the Goa-Pune route was not a direct train. It’s a Goa-Delhi train with Pune as one of the stops in between. It also had real odd timings (it arrives at 4 am in Pune & since I always traveled alone there was this eerie feeling of what if I remain sleeping?) So traveling by train for me was a big No-No. But my bike has been twice on that route (my very lucky bikey).
But now after gaining some experience in long distance travel via train I wish I had traveled by train on the Goa-Pune route.. Even if I would have remained fast asleep in the train I would probably wake up and find myself in a new place.. Wow!! Adventure… Cool eh???
Its not that I’ve never traveled by train. The first time I traveled by train was from Goa to Mumbai. Then also to Karnataka and probably close to a dozen times on the Pune-Mumbai route. But these journeys have all been short distance ones (except for the Goa-Mumbai one which was planned well in advance) so there never has been a hassle involved in booking tickets.
Anyway, back to the tickets.. Our ticket nos read WL-7,8,9,10 & 11. What ensued next was that my aunt and I had to go on an educational spree asking people the million dollar question, “Will our tickets be confirmed?”
Everyone had his or her own opinion. Mind you, people can be really challu*… They don’t wanna make you feel bad so they mostly prefer answering in the affirmative. We were told not to worry and our tickets would be confirmed. Different people gave us different opinions:
1) Many people cancel their tickets so your no would surely go in the Confirmation List. [What if they don’t cancel????????]
2) You have to be after the TC to confirm your seats. Maybe even give him a small little bribe. [Eeeeeeh…. That’s unethical..]
3) Pray and pray and pray to God. [Yeah, I did pray. Only difference was that I prayed that people on the Confirmed List should cancel their tickets]
4) I was also told that if you’re on the Waiting List in the General Compartment, sometimes they even add a General boogie compartment if the Waiting List nos. are high but in our case we had AC tickets so whether they would add a boogie or not it would be of no help to us. [We would probably have to do the Boogie Boggie Dance in or on (the top of) the Train to get a seat..]
5) Then one of my office colleagues told me that AC tickets were the most difficult ones to get confirmed. And he related his experience when he had to go on a long distance train with a Wait Listed Ticket standing in the small place between the train doors.. [Yeah.. hold your nose.. Its the same space which is near the loo..]
Anyway, keeping all these opinions in mind we would check faithfully every alternate day the status of our tickets. My aunt over the phone & me online.
Sometimes, we would debate whether we should cancel the tickets v/s taking Tatkal tickets. We ultimately decided on settling for the ‘Let’s wait and see’ option. Further research on the Internet gave us Guidelines & Cancellation terms and conditions. There are a lot of rules and of course there’s fine print too. We also saw that the Railways very cleverly woo you with the tricky sentence, ‘Railway Chart can change last minute.’
Slowly our ticket nos crawled up.. From WL 7 to 6 to 5.. and ultimately it became confirmed a day prior to the journey. Kindly refer to my next posting on the Journey back to Silvassa for further details about the so-called confirmation.
So, its only after shifting to Silvassa that I’ve literally been forced to learn the A-Z of Indian Railways. For coaching classes on the same you can always contact me although I think the above write up is more than enough..
*The meaning of Challu = Smartie Smart. There can be different versions of the word Challu if you didn’t know. Eg. Naughty Challu, Evil Challu, Matlabi Challu, Bugging Challu, etc.. etc..
But during the last 2 months if the same word ‘train’ is used to coin a question to me like “Have you booked your train ticket to Goa?” its more than enough to give me a nightmare. L
It all started when I shifted to Silvassa. I realized that if I travel by bus from Silvassa to Goa in a break journey format (Silvassa/Vapi-Mumbai & Mumbai-Goa), I’d not only be doing a break dance in the 2 buses but I would also be forced to travel very frequently to the physiotherapist and the doc for my aching limbs and probably broken back.
This time when I went to Goa for my cousin’s wedding in October, I bought the Trains at a Glance (book) from Mumbai but that proved to be useless as Vapi is not listed as a major railway station there. So, I went online to check for trains. The Indian Railways has a website where one can get a lot of info about trains.
I got my tickets booked to Goa and since my Mom, Aunt & cousins wanted to come back with me we got our tickets booked 2 months in advance.
2 months in advance. Yeah, I know.. Big trouble. We got tickets with fancy WL-XYZ and PNR nos printed on them. Railway Booking to any destination in India starts 3 months in advance. Which means one has to plan his/her journey well ahead. If one goes even a day later most of the tickets are already taken. I guess this is ‘coz the Travel Agents play a nice trick by booking all the tickets in their name and then releasing them as and when they get Bhakras.
Anyway, I’ve learnt a good lesson about booking tickets. The best bet is to book your ticket 3 months in advance and then if you can’t go as planned cancel your ticket. It’s a hundred times better to pay the cancellation fee then to spend sleepless nights thinking about your waitlisted ticket.
Hmmmm… When I was in Pune I used to mostly travel by bus. Booking a bus ticket was never a hassle with telephone booking. I used to book tickets over the telephone and pay the amount on the day of the journey. This also implies that I used to book tickets last minute and also cancel and book the same as per my convenience.
The bad decision maker that I am, the days that preceded the journey were filled with FPC (Frequent Phone Calls) to my Mom filled with FAQ like, “Should I leave tomorrow or the day after?” “Should I leave on the 3rd or the 4th or the 5th ?” Hence, most of my trips used to be on the spur of the moment, so much so that sometimes I used to book a ticket on the same day (sometimes even in the afternoon) of the journey.
Added to that the lone train which used to run on the Goa-Pune route was not a direct train. It’s a Goa-Delhi train with Pune as one of the stops in between. It also had real odd timings (it arrives at 4 am in Pune & since I always traveled alone there was this eerie feeling of what if I remain sleeping?) So traveling by train for me was a big No-No. But my bike has been twice on that route (my very lucky bikey).
But now after gaining some experience in long distance travel via train I wish I had traveled by train on the Goa-Pune route.. Even if I would have remained fast asleep in the train I would probably wake up and find myself in a new place.. Wow!! Adventure… Cool eh???
Its not that I’ve never traveled by train. The first time I traveled by train was from Goa to Mumbai. Then also to Karnataka and probably close to a dozen times on the Pune-Mumbai route. But these journeys have all been short distance ones (except for the Goa-Mumbai one which was planned well in advance) so there never has been a hassle involved in booking tickets.
Anyway, back to the tickets.. Our ticket nos read WL-7,8,9,10 & 11. What ensued next was that my aunt and I had to go on an educational spree asking people the million dollar question, “Will our tickets be confirmed?”
Everyone had his or her own opinion. Mind you, people can be really challu*… They don’t wanna make you feel bad so they mostly prefer answering in the affirmative. We were told not to worry and our tickets would be confirmed. Different people gave us different opinions:
1) Many people cancel their tickets so your no would surely go in the Confirmation List. [What if they don’t cancel????????]
2) You have to be after the TC to confirm your seats. Maybe even give him a small little bribe. [Eeeeeeh…. That’s unethical..]
3) Pray and pray and pray to God. [Yeah, I did pray. Only difference was that I prayed that people on the Confirmed List should cancel their tickets]
4) I was also told that if you’re on the Waiting List in the General Compartment, sometimes they even add a General boogie compartment if the Waiting List nos. are high but in our case we had AC tickets so whether they would add a boogie or not it would be of no help to us. [We would probably have to do the Boogie Boggie Dance in or on (the top of) the Train to get a seat..]
5) Then one of my office colleagues told me that AC tickets were the most difficult ones to get confirmed. And he related his experience when he had to go on a long distance train with a Wait Listed Ticket standing in the small place between the train doors.. [Yeah.. hold your nose.. Its the same space which is near the loo..]
Anyway, keeping all these opinions in mind we would check faithfully every alternate day the status of our tickets. My aunt over the phone & me online.
Sometimes, we would debate whether we should cancel the tickets v/s taking Tatkal tickets. We ultimately decided on settling for the ‘Let’s wait and see’ option. Further research on the Internet gave us Guidelines & Cancellation terms and conditions. There are a lot of rules and of course there’s fine print too. We also saw that the Railways very cleverly woo you with the tricky sentence, ‘Railway Chart can change last minute.’
Slowly our ticket nos crawled up.. From WL 7 to 6 to 5.. and ultimately it became confirmed a day prior to the journey. Kindly refer to my next posting on the Journey back to Silvassa for further details about the so-called confirmation.
So, its only after shifting to Silvassa that I’ve literally been forced to learn the A-Z of Indian Railways. For coaching classes on the same you can always contact me although I think the above write up is more than enough..
*The meaning of Challu = Smartie Smart. There can be different versions of the word Challu if you didn’t know. Eg. Naughty Challu, Evil Challu, Matlabi Challu, Bugging Challu, etc.. etc..
Friday, July 13, 2007
The Meaning of My Name Part II
Hii..
I just got this email from my friend Prince and am posting the same on my blog. And from the replies that I'm getting from different friends, it sure looks that I'm gonna have a series to the topic 'The Meaning of My Name'..
Read on....
Subject: What's in a name?
Well Blen reading your blog on all the possible meanings and the origins of your name I could not help , but to feel compelled myself to do a little research. Here are some interesting facts and meanings of words that are spelt or sound a lot similar to your name. Should be fun reading them.
'Bèlèn'.: This is actually the Spanish form of Bethlehem , the name of the town in Judah where King David and Jesus were born. The town's name was derived via Greek from Hebrew בֵית לָחֶם (beit lachem) meaning "house of bread".
'NUR' means "light", derived from the ancient Arabic word nawara which means "to illuminate".
'Nou' in arabic is shining light, shining stone, gem and like wise.
The French connection….
'Benir' is a french word which means 'to bless'
'Blè' is also a french word which means wheat or herb. I guess u have already come across a word with a similar meaning.
'Nouerin' French means to tie a/the knot
'Nourri' is another French word which means 'to harbour', 'to feed', 'to nurse'
'Noir' in French means black or Negro.
'Nuit' means night or dark night and again happens to be French.
'Noyer' (French again) means walnut
Well Blen this is the closest I could get to a word/name which is both spelt and pronounced a lot like 'BLENURE".
'Ballynure' is a village near Straid in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The village is effectively split in two by the A8 main road which runs from Belfast to Larne. A stream called 'The Ballynure Water' runs through it and the houses are a mixture of old fashioned buildings and new estates.
Many placenames in Ireland are derived from plants and, unsurprisingly given the natural vegetation of the island, many of these are to do with trees. Ballynure as such in Irish means farmstead of the Yew tree.
But my best bet is that the name 'BLENURE' could have been derived or modified from the Biblical name of 'Ben-hur' which in Biblical terms means "son of Hur"; derived from a Hebrew root meaning "to be white."
The idea of knowing the meanings and origins of ones name does capture the interest and imagination of many people and perhaps more compelling if you have a name never seen or heard of before. Such is the case with Blenure.
Well blen lots of possible meanings for ur name, nothing conclusive though….and I must confess that the quest for the correct and appropriate meaning of your name is as elusive as the lost continent of Atlantis. Ha ha ha.
-- God Wins It........Always!
Prince......
I just got this email from my friend Prince and am posting the same on my blog. And from the replies that I'm getting from different friends, it sure looks that I'm gonna have a series to the topic 'The Meaning of My Name'..
Read on....
Subject: What's in a name?
Well Blen reading your blog on all the possible meanings and the origins of your name I could not help , but to feel compelled myself to do a little research. Here are some interesting facts and meanings of words that are spelt or sound a lot similar to your name. Should be fun reading them.
'Bèlèn'.: This is actually the Spanish form of Bethlehem , the name of the town in Judah where King David and Jesus were born. The town's name was derived via Greek from Hebrew בֵית לָחֶם (beit lachem) meaning "house of bread".
'NUR' means "light", derived from the ancient Arabic word nawara which means "to illuminate".
'Nou' in arabic is shining light, shining stone, gem and like wise.
The French connection….
'Benir' is a french word which means 'to bless'
'Blè' is also a french word which means wheat or herb. I guess u have already come across a word with a similar meaning.
'Nouerin' French means to tie a/the knot
'Nourri' is another French word which means 'to harbour', 'to feed', 'to nurse'
'Noir' in French means black or Negro.
'Nuit' means night or dark night and again happens to be French.
'Noyer' (French again) means walnut
Well Blen this is the closest I could get to a word/name which is both spelt and pronounced a lot like 'BLENURE".
'Ballynure' is a village near Straid in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The village is effectively split in two by the A8 main road which runs from Belfast to Larne. A stream called 'The Ballynure Water' runs through it and the houses are a mixture of old fashioned buildings and new estates.
Many placenames in Ireland are derived from plants and, unsurprisingly given the natural vegetation of the island, many of these are to do with trees. Ballynure as such in Irish means farmstead of the Yew tree.
But my best bet is that the name 'BLENURE' could have been derived or modified from the Biblical name of 'Ben-hur' which in Biblical terms means "son of Hur"; derived from a Hebrew root meaning "to be white."
The idea of knowing the meanings and origins of ones name does capture the interest and imagination of many people and perhaps more compelling if you have a name never seen or heard of before. Such is the case with Blenure.
Well blen lots of possible meanings for ur name, nothing conclusive though….and I must confess that the quest for the correct and appropriate meaning of your name is as elusive as the lost continent of Atlantis. Ha ha ha.
-- God Wins It........Always!
Prince......
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
About Blogging
The blogging bug caught me somewhere last year when I first logged into Orkut. My project partner Ashita is a budding journalist and very good at writing articles so both of us thought of starting to blog.
Also, I’ve always loved books and writing a lot. In fact when I was a kid, I’ve always considered books to be my buddies and have spent a lot of time reading books on different topics. (That is if you consider fairy tales, Archies, Tinkle, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, etc. etc. to be books on different topics.) Even now when I spy a book I always remember my faithful childhood cronies. I’ve also always wanted to keep a Diary. But writing a diary meant keeping it in a safe place away from the prying eyes of my bratty brother so I gave up on that idea a long time back.
Blogging is cool coz blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject such as food, politics, or local news; whereas some (like mine) function as a more personal online diary. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog) and audio (podcasting).
The ability for the readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Unfortunately for me when I log into my blogger, I’ve noticed only the number of views increasing and no comments at all. Except of course for the comments left by Jude who I bug incessantly to comment.
Blogging can have serious negative consequences also like releasing confidential information, legal liabilities, defamation, etc. But if one is careful not to get involved on blogging about political and influential parties and also not releasing proprietary or confidential information, especially about one’s job whilst blogging, I don’t think blogging would create any (read serious) problem.
As for me I’ve fallen in love with blogging and although I did promise to blog frequently in my second post, I’ve not really kept my promise. Now that a year has passed since I first created ‘My Space’ I am gonna try my level best and try to stick to my promise and blog more frequently..
Till then lemme say ‘Cheers’ and wish many more occasions for me to party with my bloggy… :)
Also, I’ve always loved books and writing a lot. In fact when I was a kid, I’ve always considered books to be my buddies and have spent a lot of time reading books on different topics. (That is if you consider fairy tales, Archies, Tinkle, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, etc. etc. to be books on different topics.) Even now when I spy a book I always remember my faithful childhood cronies. I’ve also always wanted to keep a Diary. But writing a diary meant keeping it in a safe place away from the prying eyes of my bratty brother so I gave up on that idea a long time back.
Blogging is cool coz blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject such as food, politics, or local news; whereas some (like mine) function as a more personal online diary. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog) and audio (podcasting).
The ability for the readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Unfortunately for me when I log into my blogger, I’ve noticed only the number of views increasing and no comments at all. Except of course for the comments left by Jude who I bug incessantly to comment.
Blogging can have serious negative consequences also like releasing confidential information, legal liabilities, defamation, etc. But if one is careful not to get involved on blogging about political and influential parties and also not releasing proprietary or confidential information, especially about one’s job whilst blogging, I don’t think blogging would create any (read serious) problem.
As for me I’ve fallen in love with blogging and although I did promise to blog frequently in my second post, I’ve not really kept my promise. Now that a year has passed since I first created ‘My Space’ I am gonna try my level best and try to stick to my promise and blog more frequently..
Till then lemme say ‘Cheers’ and wish many more occasions for me to party with my bloggy… :)
Thursday, June 28, 2007
The Meaning of My Name
Pic: Shanny (Blennius pholis), a common European blenny (credit: Jane Burton — Bruce Coleman Ltd.)
I still haven’t found a concrete meaning for Blenure and so, I’m looking forward to your suggestions/comments on the meaning of my name..
A Conversation
A: What’s your name?
B: Blenure
A: What????
B: B-l-e-n-u-r-e.. Blenure
A: Unique name. What does it mean?
B: I don’t know.
Alas, this conversation gets repeated like a broken record player nearly every second day. And unfortunately for me I still do not know the meaning of my name. I know it’s a French name but the French dictionary doesn’t seem to be interested in lending a space for my name. Poor me..
My pet name happens to be Blen, its easier then Blenure and people don’t get stuck on the ‘ure’ part. Besides Blen a lot of my friends call me Blenny so thought of adding these two names to my search.
Anyway, I was supposed to do a research on the meaning of my name for ages. I did it a couple of days back and hence this post reporting the findings..
Macwyn Cardozo, my brother’s friend (who happens to be my friend too) emailed me his findings:
hey bluie,
B: Blenure
A: What????
B: B-l-e-n-u-r-e.. Blenure
A: Unique name. What does it mean?
B: I don’t know.
Alas, this conversation gets repeated like a broken record player nearly every second day. And unfortunately for me I still do not know the meaning of my name. I know it’s a French name but the French dictionary doesn’t seem to be interested in lending a space for my name. Poor me..
My pet name happens to be Blen, its easier then Blenure and people don’t get stuck on the ‘ure’ part. Besides Blen a lot of my friends call me Blenny so thought of adding these two names to my search.
Anyway, I was supposed to do a research on the meaning of my name for ages. I did it a couple of days back and hence this post reporting the findings..
Macwyn Cardozo, my brother’s friend (who happens to be my friend too) emailed me his findings:
hey bluie,
well I am back with the thesis about ur name and its origins though its very funny and I just dont know how to go ahead. The internet hardly helped, till I just happened to meet an idiot doctor friend of mine.I asked him the meaning and he was like I have heard this word in some case.He suggested to try searching for ur name with a double nn.. and I did..Well experimenting with the endings, I stumbled on an odd result.. Blennuria means the presence of mucus in the urine...
Will continue to get more factoids, but before that U need a strong story about ur name if u happen to come across some doctor worth his salt.. :)
Will continue to get more factoids, but before that U need a strong story about ur name if u happen to come across some doctor worth his salt.. :)
Take care ma'am..
MacWyn with the capital W..
Ha ha… That was a real yucky meaning..
I next went on google and typed blen.. Got a lot of acronyms & meanings some of which are listed below:
BLEN- Bobbin Lace European Network
(Hmmm… Not bad.. Lace looks good on clothes.)
BLEN- Bilingualism & Literacies Education Network which is a non-profit, forward looking, dedicated, education forum with an interest in language education and literacy in the widest sense.
(Yup, nice organization.. Anyone wanna make a donation?)
Blen Blen Blen
Artist: Machito
Ha ha… That was a real yucky meaning..
I next went on google and typed blen.. Got a lot of acronyms & meanings some of which are listed below:
BLEN- Bobbin Lace European Network
(Hmmm… Not bad.. Lace looks good on clothes.)
BLEN- Bilingualism & Literacies Education Network which is a non-profit, forward looking, dedicated, education forum with an interest in language education and literacy in the widest sense.
(Yup, nice organization.. Anyone wanna make a donation?)
Blen Blen Blen
Artist: Machito
Type: Compilation
Styles: Cuban Jazz, Mambo, Afro-Cuban Jazz
Blen Blen Blen is a greatest-hits compilation of sorts from Machito, one of the primary leaders in the Cubop movement but largely ignored since his prime in the later Latin revivals. The arrangements are tight, with a punchy brass section taking shots throughout in the style embraced as Afro-Cuban jazz soon after. Machito and co-leader Mario Bauza lead the Afro-Cubans on a tour de force through number after number of high-energy Cuban jazz and more straightforward bits of son here and there.
(Aha! Music Album with my pet name.. Famous huh?)
Blen Corn- Wheat mixed with rye, hence blended corn.
(That’s food for thought)
blen·ny (blĕn'ē) n., pl. -nies.
Any of several widely distributed, chiefly marine fishes that are primarily of the families Blenniidae and Clinidae and have small, elongated, often scaleless bodies.
[Latin blennius, a kind of sea fish, from Greek blennos, slime, blenny.]
A genus of small (4- to 6-inch-long) freshwater and saltwater fish characterized by its lack of scales; instead, its body is covered by a mucous membrane. The blenny has a mild, white, flavorful flesh and is best served fried.
(FRIED????? Help!!!!)
The noun blenny has one meaning: small usually scaleless fishes with comb-like teeth living about rocky shores; territorial and hole-dwelling
Styles: Cuban Jazz, Mambo, Afro-Cuban Jazz
Blen Blen Blen is a greatest-hits compilation of sorts from Machito, one of the primary leaders in the Cubop movement but largely ignored since his prime in the later Latin revivals. The arrangements are tight, with a punchy brass section taking shots throughout in the style embraced as Afro-Cuban jazz soon after. Machito and co-leader Mario Bauza lead the Afro-Cubans on a tour de force through number after number of high-energy Cuban jazz and more straightforward bits of son here and there.
(Aha! Music Album with my pet name.. Famous huh?)
Blen Corn- Wheat mixed with rye, hence blended corn.
(That’s food for thought)
blen·ny (blĕn'ē) n., pl. -nies.
Any of several widely distributed, chiefly marine fishes that are primarily of the families Blenniidae and Clinidae and have small, elongated, often scaleless bodies.
[Latin blennius, a kind of sea fish, from Greek blennos, slime, blenny.]
A genus of small (4- to 6-inch-long) freshwater and saltwater fish characterized by its lack of scales; instead, its body is covered by a mucous membrane. The blenny has a mild, white, flavorful flesh and is best served fried.
(FRIED????? Help!!!!)
The noun blenny has one meaning: small usually scaleless fishes with comb-like teeth living about rocky shores; territorial and hole-dwelling
Synonym: combtooth blenny
Eeeeeehhhhh… scary… sounds like a monster..
Anyway, I’ve saved the best for the last...
Eeeeeehhhhh… scary… sounds like a monster..
Anyway, I’ve saved the best for the last...
This is an excerpt from the book 'Metaphors of Mind: Conceptions of the Nature of Intelligence' By Robert J. Sternberg
Sternberg and Powell (1983 a) have presented a theory of verbal comprehension ability based on learning from context. The theory has 3 parts: contextual cues, mediating variables, and component processes of verbal learning. Context cues are hints contained in a passage that facilitate (or, in theory and sometime sin practice, impede) deciphering the meaning of an unknown word.
An example of the use of some of these cues in textual analysis might help concretize this descriptive framework. Consider the sentence, “At dawn, the blen arose on the horizon and shone brightly.” This sentence contains several external contextual cues that could facilitate one’s inferring that blen probably means sun.
“At dawn” provides a temporal cue describing when the rising of the blen occurred. “arose” provides a functional descriptive cue, describing an action that a blen could perform; “on the horizon”, provides a spatial cue describing when the arising of the blen took place. “shone” provides another functional descriptive cue, describing a sound action a blen could do; finally “brightly” provides a stative descriptive cue, describing a property (brightness) of the shining of the blen. With all of these different cues, it is no wonder most people would find it very easy to figure out that the neologism blen is a synonym for the familiar word sun.
I’ll vote for this one.. as its my all time favourite.. (especially when compared to slimy & scaleless creatures!!)
An example of the use of some of these cues in textual analysis might help concretize this descriptive framework. Consider the sentence, “At dawn, the blen arose on the horizon and shone brightly.” This sentence contains several external contextual cues that could facilitate one’s inferring that blen probably means sun.
“At dawn” provides a temporal cue describing when the rising of the blen occurred. “arose” provides a functional descriptive cue, describing an action that a blen could perform; “on the horizon”, provides a spatial cue describing when the arising of the blen took place. “shone” provides another functional descriptive cue, describing a sound action a blen could do; finally “brightly” provides a stative descriptive cue, describing a property (brightness) of the shining of the blen. With all of these different cues, it is no wonder most people would find it very easy to figure out that the neologism blen is a synonym for the familiar word sun.
I’ll vote for this one.. as its my all time favourite.. (especially when compared to slimy & scaleless creatures!!)
Yup, I wholeheartedly support your theory Mr. Sternberg & Mr. Powell.
I still haven’t found a concrete meaning for Blenure and so, I’m looking forward to your suggestions/comments on the meaning of my name..
Sunday, June 03, 2007
In Gujju Land- Surat
Pics (clockwise): Diamond Market, Surat Highway,
Tapi River
My company is an HRO so my job profile includes traveling to places as and when we have to conduct workshops, consultation projects, etc. So, I thought why not post about my travel to places on my blog..
This May I went twice to “Gujju Land” Surat to be precise as we had to conduct an in house training for a Fortune 500 company out there. The first trip was just for 3 days so there’s nothing much to pen down (or type).. But my recent trip was for 11 days (24th May to 3rd June, 2007) so I can type a detailed entry in my blog. Here goes..
We went to Mumbai via Cool Cab on the express highway and every time I travel via this route I fall in love with it. The route is truly amazing. The roads are very well maintained and since we left on a Thursday afternoon, the roads were relatively free from traffic and we managed to reach Mumbai in a record two and a half hours.
Once in Mumbai Central we boarded the August Kranti Rajdhani Express which is a super fast express train and it took around three and a half hours to reach Surat. Since we were supposed to stay in the Company’s guest house which is located on the Surat Hazira highway, it was a 45 minutes drive from the Railway Station. The roads are very broad and traffic is well disciplined but there are a few bumps here and there and thanks to the occasional bump I managed to stay awake till we reached the guest house.
Now, a wee bit about Surat..
Surat is a port city in the Indian state of Gujarat and administrative headquarters of the Surat District. It is the second largest city in Gujarat and ninth largest in India. Surat is now India’s second cleanest city. Sometime back, Surat was ranked the No.1 city in India to earn, invest and live.
Surat has the highest number of flyovers in Gujarat. In fact most of the times I was highly amazed by our driver who would go in a zig zag fashion in and out of flyovers. But thanks to the flyovers time is greatly reduced whilst traveling.
Since Gujarat has a lot of industries, there are seldom any power cuts. This is a huge relief as the summer heat can be very irritating. (It was 42 degrees HOT but thanks to being in the AC all the time I did not feel the heat at all).
The city is largely recognized for its textile and diamond businesses. Three-quarters of the world's diamonds are cut and polished in Surat, thus it has been called the "Diamond capital of the world". So, one thing I was really looking forward during my stay there was to go shopping.
We did go shopping one evening to a place which is called the Bombay Textile Market. This place is really huge and I guess roughly there will be around more than 100-150 shops out there.
One thing I was warned about was that Surat although being world famous as an exporter of textiles, its mostly synthetic textiles which are exported. The Textile Market proved this point as most of the salwaar kameez and saris were synthetic stuff. I don’t really like synthetics and worse still I hate shiny chamkili type of clothes so I did not enter any of these shops. But there were a few shops wherein I spotted some nice bed sheets and so purchased some for my mom. I also got some shirt pieces for my dad so shopping in Surat proved to be shopping for my parents..
Believe me the prices are really rock bottom when you compare the same with places like Mumbai and Goa (roughly 1/2 to 1/4th the price) so I felt very content with the fact that I struck some really good deals shopping there.
Whilst walking through the Textile Market a sari on display in one of the shops caught my eyes.. It was in my favourite colour black (My mom hates me wearing black and I’ve tried for ages telling her black commands a powerful fashion statement. But she still doesn’t agree to this..) and had a lot of intricate work done on it. Since most of the other shop keepers were calling out prices like Rs. 500 to Rs. 1,000 for saris on display, I assumed that it would be around that price range. But when I asked the shop attendant for the price, he said it’s a little above Rs. 20,000/- I was shocked and said ta ta to him [and the sari.. he he.. ;) ] but then I guess the sari was worth that price as it was really very beautiful. One thought which crossed my mind while I was walking away from that shop & sari was that one could only guess what would be the (addition to the) cost of that sari if it were to be exported!!!
Surat is located on the banks of the river Tapi and we spent two of our evenings at the river side which was really very refreshing.
Surat is also known throughout India for its unique Surti cuisine. I got to savour some special and unique dishes of Surat which included Locho, Surti Undhiyu, Rasawala Khaman, Surti Kheer, Cold coco and Surti Ghari.
A major thought at the back of my mind which kept bugging me was that everyone had warned me that Gujarati food is very sweet & rich. In short full of calories! :( But contrary to popular belief, Surti cuisine is not as sweet as the stereotypical Gujarati food, but rather quite on the spicier side. Although its not as spicy as Maharashtrian food.. So, I had a really nice time eating food out there with a firm resolution that I’ll go on a strict diet when I return to Pune. Before you roll your eyes please note that I haven’t broken this resolution..
Overall it was a very splendid trip and I really had a lot of fun. Till I go ‘tap tap tap’ typing my next post ta ta…
This May I went twice to “Gujju Land” Surat to be precise as we had to conduct an in house training for a Fortune 500 company out there. The first trip was just for 3 days so there’s nothing much to pen down (or type).. But my recent trip was for 11 days (24th May to 3rd June, 2007) so I can type a detailed entry in my blog. Here goes..
We went to Mumbai via Cool Cab on the express highway and every time I travel via this route I fall in love with it. The route is truly amazing. The roads are very well maintained and since we left on a Thursday afternoon, the roads were relatively free from traffic and we managed to reach Mumbai in a record two and a half hours.
Once in Mumbai Central we boarded the August Kranti Rajdhani Express which is a super fast express train and it took around three and a half hours to reach Surat. Since we were supposed to stay in the Company’s guest house which is located on the Surat Hazira highway, it was a 45 minutes drive from the Railway Station. The roads are very broad and traffic is well disciplined but there are a few bumps here and there and thanks to the occasional bump I managed to stay awake till we reached the guest house.
Now, a wee bit about Surat..
Surat is a port city in the Indian state of Gujarat and administrative headquarters of the Surat District. It is the second largest city in Gujarat and ninth largest in India. Surat is now India’s second cleanest city. Sometime back, Surat was ranked the No.1 city in India to earn, invest and live.
Surat has the highest number of flyovers in Gujarat. In fact most of the times I was highly amazed by our driver who would go in a zig zag fashion in and out of flyovers. But thanks to the flyovers time is greatly reduced whilst traveling.
Since Gujarat has a lot of industries, there are seldom any power cuts. This is a huge relief as the summer heat can be very irritating. (It was 42 degrees HOT but thanks to being in the AC all the time I did not feel the heat at all).
The city is largely recognized for its textile and diamond businesses. Three-quarters of the world's diamonds are cut and polished in Surat, thus it has been called the "Diamond capital of the world". So, one thing I was really looking forward during my stay there was to go shopping.
We did go shopping one evening to a place which is called the Bombay Textile Market. This place is really huge and I guess roughly there will be around more than 100-150 shops out there.
One thing I was warned about was that Surat although being world famous as an exporter of textiles, its mostly synthetic textiles which are exported. The Textile Market proved this point as most of the salwaar kameez and saris were synthetic stuff. I don’t really like synthetics and worse still I hate shiny chamkili type of clothes so I did not enter any of these shops. But there were a few shops wherein I spotted some nice bed sheets and so purchased some for my mom. I also got some shirt pieces for my dad so shopping in Surat proved to be shopping for my parents..
Believe me the prices are really rock bottom when you compare the same with places like Mumbai and Goa (roughly 1/2 to 1/4th the price) so I felt very content with the fact that I struck some really good deals shopping there.
Whilst walking through the Textile Market a sari on display in one of the shops caught my eyes.. It was in my favourite colour black (My mom hates me wearing black and I’ve tried for ages telling her black commands a powerful fashion statement. But she still doesn’t agree to this..) and had a lot of intricate work done on it. Since most of the other shop keepers were calling out prices like Rs. 500 to Rs. 1,000 for saris on display, I assumed that it would be around that price range. But when I asked the shop attendant for the price, he said it’s a little above Rs. 20,000/- I was shocked and said ta ta to him [and the sari.. he he.. ;) ] but then I guess the sari was worth that price as it was really very beautiful. One thought which crossed my mind while I was walking away from that shop & sari was that one could only guess what would be the (addition to the) cost of that sari if it were to be exported!!!
Surat is located on the banks of the river Tapi and we spent two of our evenings at the river side which was really very refreshing.
Surat is also known throughout India for its unique Surti cuisine. I got to savour some special and unique dishes of Surat which included Locho, Surti Undhiyu, Rasawala Khaman, Surti Kheer, Cold coco and Surti Ghari.
A major thought at the back of my mind which kept bugging me was that everyone had warned me that Gujarati food is very sweet & rich. In short full of calories! :( But contrary to popular belief, Surti cuisine is not as sweet as the stereotypical Gujarati food, but rather quite on the spicier side. Although its not as spicy as Maharashtrian food.. So, I had a really nice time eating food out there with a firm resolution that I’ll go on a strict diet when I return to Pune. Before you roll your eyes please note that I haven’t broken this resolution..
Overall it was a very splendid trip and I really had a lot of fun. Till I go ‘tap tap tap’ typing my next post ta ta…
Monday, March 12, 2007
Most FAQ
For those who aren’t computer geeks and don’t understand what FAQ stands for or means, lemme tell you, FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Question. In my case, right from the time I’ve been small, I’ve always been faced with the question, “What does your name mean?” And I’ve always answered that “I don’t know” or “What’s in a name?” :)Anyway, I do intend conducting a small research on my name but till the results are tabulated/formulated/evaluated let’s proceed to the next most FAQ that I’m confronted with now-a-days which is, “When are you getting married?” Believe me, this question has been asked to me so many times that I’m very much habituated to this question and have fairly well rehearsed my answer which is a simple, “I don’t know”…
The other day I was leafing through the 14th February edition of Femina and came across an article titled ‘Love Actually’ by Diana Kotwal. It was really a very impressive article on women and I’m pasting an excerpt of the same which is very much the answer I would like to give all those people who ask me the Q: “When are u getting married???”
….Women want to Believe
We’re not going to settle for less. Not going to rush into hurried nuptials. And we’re certainly not going to pressurize men who don’t want to be with us. As for the assortment of aunts who circle us like vultures at every family wedding, bring it on. You don’t scare us. Despite all your efforts, we’re going to stand our ground.
The thing is buried deep within our cynical hearts is faith. We know he’s out there. Please, there’s no hurry, we’re equipped with the patience of a water buffalo.
When our time comes, we believe it’s going to be worth waiting for. We’ll find our imperfect, real, passionate, attentive equal.
Bottom line, women are highly complex, intelligent and multidimensional creatures.
We want men who are highly complex, intelligent and multidimensional creatures.
Go home, Prince Charming, we’ve got a real man to find.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Coloured @ Holi
A country like India has a lot of cultural diversity and there are festivals marked nearly everyday or every second day. Being in Goa, most of the festivals for me were marked on my school calendar in the list of holidays, which meant a day@ home watching TV, sleeping, going to the beach, cleaning my room, etc. As such, I never came close to actually witnessing the rituals and traditions.
Living in Pune has given me an insight into a lot of Indian festivals. And one such festival is Holi. Very similar in nature to the Carnival in Goa, where everyone lets their hair down and enjoys to the fullest, this festival is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm especially by North Indians.
Most of the residential societies in Pune have programs scheduled for Holi. On the eve of Holi, or Holika Dahan the lighting of a bonfire takes place. The day is also popularly called 'Chhoti Holi' or 'Small Holi'. The bigger event – i.e. playing with colour takes place on the next 'big' day.
Holika Dahan is an extremely popular tradition and is celebrated with fervour all across the country and is symbolic of triumph of good over evil. There are numerous legends associated with this ancient tradition and since each of my friends had a different story, I finally gave up as :-( it is difficult to pin-point as to when actually the tradition started. Once the bon fire is lit and the puja performed, a few of the women started singing songs whilst others danced around the fire.
This year Holi came on a Sunday & it sure was a change to see people on the roads early in the morning playing with colour. The festival of colours is extremely popular amongst children. They eagerly wait for a prey with a bucket full of coloured water, an ever ready water jet- popularly called a ‘pichkari’ and loads of colour packets to give vent to their mischievous nature. Rather, the festival is not confined to any age group for old, young and kids everybody turns as naughty as the other on Holi. Playing with colour continues till every inch of all participants is totally coloured and the person becomes virtually unrecognizable.
In most residential colonies, people move out in groups, called ‘tolis’ visiting one house from the other, sparing nobody and forcefully colouring the shy ones whilst exchanging greetings.
Bollywood too has captured the various moods and shades of Holi through a large number of songs produced over the years. Some of these songs like Holi ke din & Rang Barse…have gained immense popularity due to their success in capturing the spirit of the festival. Impressive picturisation, apt choreography and a touch of folk element has also played a major role in generating mass appeal for these songs. From streets to by lanes to the Holi parties @ water parks, these numbers are played on loud speakers and people have fun dancing to their tunes.
Imagine after a game of Holi your skin begins to glow and your hair gets an added bounce or luster... Most people cannot imagine this scenario as for a large majority of people it is nearly a nightmarish experience to get rid of the colours and to get their initial skin type back. Taking note of the look of dismay on my face, an old lady told me that in the olden days, ancient India was fully aware of the benefits of the fragrant natural colours for our skin and health and also of their therapeutic value. The ingredients of ‘Gulal’ were purposely chosen for their emollient qualities.
But this Holi one thing is for sure, given the fact that Viman Nagar faces a huge water problem, the tanker contractors must have minted a lot of money as people surely had to have a very long bath!!! ;-)
Living in Pune has given me an insight into a lot of Indian festivals. And one such festival is Holi. Very similar in nature to the Carnival in Goa, where everyone lets their hair down and enjoys to the fullest, this festival is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm especially by North Indians.
Most of the residential societies in Pune have programs scheduled for Holi. On the eve of Holi, or Holika Dahan the lighting of a bonfire takes place. The day is also popularly called 'Chhoti Holi' or 'Small Holi'. The bigger event – i.e. playing with colour takes place on the next 'big' day.
Holika Dahan is an extremely popular tradition and is celebrated with fervour all across the country and is symbolic of triumph of good over evil. There are numerous legends associated with this ancient tradition and since each of my friends had a different story, I finally gave up as :-( it is difficult to pin-point as to when actually the tradition started. Once the bon fire is lit and the puja performed, a few of the women started singing songs whilst others danced around the fire.
This year Holi came on a Sunday & it sure was a change to see people on the roads early in the morning playing with colour. The festival of colours is extremely popular amongst children. They eagerly wait for a prey with a bucket full of coloured water, an ever ready water jet- popularly called a ‘pichkari’ and loads of colour packets to give vent to their mischievous nature. Rather, the festival is not confined to any age group for old, young and kids everybody turns as naughty as the other on Holi. Playing with colour continues till every inch of all participants is totally coloured and the person becomes virtually unrecognizable.
In most residential colonies, people move out in groups, called ‘tolis’ visiting one house from the other, sparing nobody and forcefully colouring the shy ones whilst exchanging greetings.
Bollywood too has captured the various moods and shades of Holi through a large number of songs produced over the years. Some of these songs like Holi ke din & Rang Barse…have gained immense popularity due to their success in capturing the spirit of the festival. Impressive picturisation, apt choreography and a touch of folk element has also played a major role in generating mass appeal for these songs. From streets to by lanes to the Holi parties @ water parks, these numbers are played on loud speakers and people have fun dancing to their tunes.
Imagine after a game of Holi your skin begins to glow and your hair gets an added bounce or luster... Most people cannot imagine this scenario as for a large majority of people it is nearly a nightmarish experience to get rid of the colours and to get their initial skin type back. Taking note of the look of dismay on my face, an old lady told me that in the olden days, ancient India was fully aware of the benefits of the fragrant natural colours for our skin and health and also of their therapeutic value. The ingredients of ‘Gulal’ were purposely chosen for their emollient qualities.
But this Holi one thing is for sure, given the fact that Viman Nagar faces a huge water problem, the tanker contractors must have minted a lot of money as people surely had to have a very long bath!!! ;-)
Monday, February 26, 2007
Shopping @ Weekends!!!
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Many of my weekends in Pune are spent shopping with my roommates, colleagues or friends.. So, I thought why not publish a post on shopping @ Pune!!
Shopping in Pune can be quite an experience! There is nothing you won't or cannot find here…you just have to have the eye for it! Or two eyes for that matter.. lol.. Pune with its blend of Indian and Western cultures is a paradise for all shoppers catering to each and every individual. Added to the fact that Pune is located close to Mumbai, which is the fashion capital of India, it sure has a lot to offer..
There have been a few instances wherein I have left my place around 11:30 am (after a very lazy I-don’t-wanna-get-out-of-bed stint) and gone shopping only to find the shops closing. Therefore, one thing I’ve learnt is to remember ‘the snooze time’ which is between 1.00 and 4.00 p.m., where the shopkeepers take their afternoon siesta! The best time to shop therefore is in the evenings as Pune sure has a very extreme climate, unlike Goa which is much more pleasant although the temperature keeps getting hotter..
M.G.Road, in Camp serves not only as a shoppers haven but also as a perfect place to window shop! Every Saturday & Sunday the whole road is closed to traffic and thrown open to people so that one can take full benefit of the same minus the traffic jams. MG Road on weekends is therefore called ‘Walk In Plaza’ and is an initiative by the authorities to help gear up business for the small shops and restaurants. There are a lot of shops wherein you’ll find huge banners with the magic word ‘SALE’!!! But before you let your purse strings loose remember not to get carried away by the simple 4 letter devilish word. The reason being once you’re a regular visitor on M.G. road, you’ll find that these banners are put up 365 days in a year!! ;-) Smart Marketing kaput..
There is also a Fashion Street in Camp which unlike the one in Mumbai is a small hadda of narrow bylanes within the area which go zig zag.. But it sure makes a very pleasant visit as one can browse for little trinkets which won't last more than a wear which makes it an interesting shopping experience by itself! Bursting at its seams on a crowded evening, you sure need to be able to develop a skill to move across the narrow kiosks :p Don’t look at me!! I don’t push..
Anyway, most of my shopping is confined to the shopping malls so I don’t really get attracted to these shops. The main shopping malls in Pune are Pune Central, Shoppers Stop, Pantaloons, West Side, Big Bazaar, KK Bazaar, etc etc to name a few.
These malls have everything from branded goods & designer outfits to cheaper alternatives (or clever duplicates for that matter). Shopping @ weekends has a disadvantage as all the malls are very crowded. But there is an advantage too; it also means you burn a lot of calories going to different floors and waiting in the ‘oh so big’ line at the cash counter.
Then of course there are a lot of eateries in and around the malls which means I can have my favourite flavour of ice-cream.. (Black Currant) before heading back to my room.
Oh and before I forget about the snaps I’ve posted with this post.. are both from Pune Central.
Anyway, with all the pros and cons of shopping in Pune, every shopping spree is a delight especially since there is a lot of choice and the price is lower when compared to shopping in Goa. Till next time byeeeee…
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