Jaswant, Jinnah, and the Ghosts of Partition

I hardly understand why such hullabaloo over India-Pak partition and what the leaders of that time did or undid to make their contributions in the ugly cause. Since Jaswant Singh’s book on Jinnah was released, the whole newspaper is flooded with the issue. And the most surprising thing is that Jaswant Singh wrote the book, BJP expelled him, Gujarat banned the book, and who is celebrating among all this - the Pakistanis. What irony!

Saare ke saare politicians sathiyaan gayein hain. One of the symptoms of old age, I guess. Every day we have somebody or the other coming out of the closet and jumping into give their unsolicited opinion. Kuch kaam dhanda to hai nahi batiyaane ke alawa.

Can’t we leave the past and do something to make our future better? Why are we still grappling with the ghosts of partition? It’s high time we bury our hatchets. Both Pakistanis and Indians should respect their shared past and learn to look at the British era as a fight for freedom in which both Muslims and Hindus participated with equal determination and a shared idea of independence. It’s tragic that politicians still try to rub our wounds of separation, indulge in blame game, and create unnecessary tension between the two communities when we are trying to heal them and move forward. Partition was a necessity that arose because of lack of trust between the two communities. There is no point in discussing who was on the right side and who was on the wrong side. Partition was a shared responsibility; unfortunately it was mishandled by all the stakeholders. And that led to much heart-burns. But it’s time to build bridges, be more sensitive to each other’s feelings, and increase our trustworthiness. That would be the solution to all the problems.

The younger generation doesn’t want to delve into what was the two nation theory or who is credited with dividing the borders. I am sure there would have been strong reasons for partition. Besides, we would rather be more interested in knowing good things about each other – culture, music, education, lifestyle. We have so much in common. Saare Jahaan se Achcha was penned by Allamah Iqbal - the national poet of Pakistan. We speak a common language – Hindustani. We have similar tastes. We share our history. And today's generation - both from Pakistan and India - wants a peaceful coexistence. It’s time our politicians dropped the old baggage and moved forward in sync with the new generation.

Bakwaas Blogger

Bombay - It’s been more than a year for me in this city. And the journey – though small – has been eventful. I’ve come to love this city – to the extent that when I go home to Delhi – I start missing Bombay. Though living alone in a city like Bombay has its own hazards. For one, my lifestyle has gone for a toss. My life here can be described, at best, as erratic.
And my room? Well..it’s a little untidy and cluttered. Toothbrush lying on the laptop, shoes on the kitchen shelf, books on the pillow, bottles – mind you, water bottles – kept on the window. And ya clothes – some on the chair and some on the door. In short, the whole scene is chaotic once you enter my room.
So yesterday, I decided to clean up all the mess. While setting my books in order, something caught my eye. It was stuffed in a corner – like an unwanted, abandoned, forlorn spirit.
It had dust all over it, and it was decaying. It was a diary. A diary, which was once dear to me until I forgot it existed. The edges had become pale yellow. The colour of the pages was a bungled mix of brown, yellow, and grey. Intertwined with black spots. They look rather like symptoms of skin disease. There was a pen stuck in between the pages. My hands trembled when I picked it up. It’s been almost a year since I last used that pen – a Reynolds. I was sad but then realized may be it’s their fate. May be I don’t need them anymore or may be there’s nothing left to write. I kept the diary and the Reynolds on the bed and continued cleaning and rearranging the books again.

Cleaned all the books. Will rearrange them tomorrow. Ek din mein ek kaam bahot hai. Ufff..enough for today! Feeling tired, I fell on the bed. And then…

“Aaaaocchhh!!!”

What was that? Who said that? Startled, I looked around..Did I hear someone say that? I must be hallucinating..Itna kaam karne ke baad aisa hi hota hai.

“Aaaaouchhh!! Gaawd..save meee..”

Again the strange, loud voice. Something’s wrong. Mere kaan to nahi baj rahe??

“You fatso, look here…down…kaminey, motu..You’re sitting on meeee…”

Me: Where?

Startled, I stood up to see I was sitting on my diary and the pen.

Reynolds: Haaaiii, maar dala re..You bloody fatso. Ek mai hi mila tha baithne ke liye. Can’t you see me? Aah..mar gaya re. Kamar todd di kaminey ne.

Me: (Looking wide-eyed at the pen.): Wh..wh…what? Is this you? Are you talking?

Reynolds: Yess! This is me, the pen.

Me: Seriously..God, this seems straight out of Harry Potter. The pen can talk …the pen can talk..Woof!

Reynolds – Stop staring at me. Why did you sit on me? You lousy hippopotamus. Aah..my bones are still twisted.

Me: Hellloo!! Dare you call me hippo. I’ll break your bones once again.

Reynolds: Hunh..Such thankless people. Remember, you used this diary and me to write all your blogs. For a year, we were your favourites. And then, last September, you forgot me…

Diary corrected, “He forgot ME too.”

Reynolds: Ok ok. And, then one fine day, you forgot US and dumped us in the heap of your books.

Me: Yeah..yeah..so? It’s my life. It’s my choice. Mera mann nahi kiya likhne ka..isliye.

Diary: It’s your life? It’s your choice? How cheap. You used us. Did you hear Reynolds? Did you hear this chap?

Diary starts sobbing profusely at my nonchalance.

Reynolds: Excuse me. You abandoned us not because you didn’t want to write any more, but because you got involved with someone else…that ugly camera.

“That’s not true.” I protested.

Reynolds interrupts. “That’s true Mr. Lier. We can see your coveted camera on the table. We hear you have picked up photography.

Meanwhile, the Diary still sobbing. At times, it did make noises below the pen, but mostly it lay in hopeless and sullen silence.

Me: (Red-faced and caught red-handed): Okay- okay. I accept. I kind of got attracted to this camera. Its curvaceous body, stylish looks, beautiful viewfinder, sleek and smooth LCD, its round-shaped, crystal clear lenses…did make me go weak in my knees. After all, who won’t. The first time I saw it, I fell in love with her and since then, I am on a shooting spree. And…

Reynolds: Enough! We’ve heard!

The sobbings of the Diary convert into cries. Louder and louder.

Reynolds, looking at the Diary in exasperation: Can’t you stop your rona-dhona for a moment, Mr. Diary?

Afraid, the Diary tries to swallow her cries.

Reynolds, turning to me: Yes. Mr. Blogger-turned-Photographer! So I was talking to you. Are you never going to use us again? Have you left your first love..blogging, for good?

Me, straight-faced: Ahem!! Umm…Well, I don’t really know. I think I have a writer’s block. Every time I try to write something, my thoughts get blocked midway. Jo main sochta hoon wo likh nahi paata.

Reynolds, in rajnikant eshtyle: Jo tumm sochtha ai..wo ota nai ai, aur jo ota ai wo sochne lagtha ai. Tumhara kya oyenga ji..

Me, perplexed, scratching my head: Jo hum sochta hai woh hota nahi hai..jo hota hai woh sochta nahi hai.. Ye kya re..sab gadbad jeee..Tum kya boltha hai jeee?

The Diary laughs sheepishly at the tongue-twister.

Me, looking angrily at the Diary: Why are you laughing like monkeys?

Reynolds: Abey dhakkan! Main tere ko bolta hai ki tu likhna to shuru kar..tabhi to jo sochta hai woh likhega. And still I have half of the ink lying unused in my wind pipe. So use me to write your blogs. I am itching to get scribbled.

Me: Okay baba..But what do I write…Dimaag kaam nahi kar rela hai

Diary: Abey Gogo..likh nahi to aankhen nikal ke gottiyan khelunga..

Me: Okay okay Mr. Teja..likhta hoon...But what to write?

Reynolds: Kuch bhi likh de…Shuru shuru mein kuch bhi bakwaas likh de..At least meri exercise to ho jayegi. Pade-pade jung lag gaya hai.

Me: Bakwaas..bakwaas..bakwaas…bas! Khush! :))

Award Season

Wondering what this screenshot is doing here? Well..this is the reason why I have been away from the blogging world for such a long time. Some days back my company got insane and decided to block access to the Internet to the employees noting primarily that some people read blogs during work hours. So, now when I open a web page, this page loads faster than the google home page. As if eager to tell me “beta bahot blog padha karte the na, company ki bandwidth ki watt laga rakhi hai. Ab bhugto.”

So mere pyaare bloggers, now that you know the reason for my inconspicuous absence from the blogger’s park, please forgive me.

While my company decided to block my access to the Internet in recognition to my devotion to blogging, somebody in the blogger’s world decided to award me the coveted "I love your blog" citation. When I got to know I have got this award, I rubbed me eyes twice. Sneha has chosen me for the coveted prize? I didn’t know if somebody liked my blog too. I felt like a kiterunner who caught hold of the coveted kite that was swaying right and left in the sky and slowly but surely tumbling down the earth and was being chased by several others. It's the joy you get when you get hold of the kite and run away with it brandishing your prize.

But hey..Shena, thanks a ton buddy! That recognition kind of motivates me to continue writing more. And yeah, for sure I’ll follow the rules that this chain of love has.

And here goes rule no. 1: The winner can put the logo on their blog.
For sure I have done that..why would not I :))

Rule no. 2: Link the person you received your award from

Oh..i followed this rule without saying..Done this so much earlier :))

Rule no. 3: Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
Rule no. 4: Put links of those blogs on yours.
Rule no. 5: Leave a message on the blogs you’ve nominated.

This sure is a nice way to tell my favorite bloggers how much I love to read their blogs. So here goes the roll of honour...

Abhinav: I think this guy should charge entertainment tax from his readers. He is such a funny guy. He can make you laugh like hell. His sense of humour is awesome and infectious. Hats off to Abhinav!!

Priya Aiyer: If I remember clearly, she is the first blogger I found. And she is so creative. Very different from the usual. And writes really good.

Adeic: She is one blogger who writes amazingly good. Very emotional, she is passionately in love with LOVE. I think she can give tough competition to Nicholas Sparks if she were to write a romantic novel.

The Mask: Mr. Mask can weave cool stories and without even blinking. I really admire the way he writes. And enjoy the pleasant surprises he brings into his stories.

Sneha: Even though you have been already awarded by Harshita, I guess you won’t mind if I also do the same for you. Coz I think you write pretty cool! And I love to come back again and again on your blog.

Sayesha: Sayesha on the Rocks simply rocks!! Bartender bhai is absolutely hilarious. And can make you roll over the floor laughing with her posts. Visit her bar and you are sure to go talli over her. Talli..main talli..main talli ho gayi..oops ho gaya :-))

Sunshine: She speaks her mind even when the subject doesn't require so. :)) Just kidding...I just want to say that she is one of the bloggers who presents a fresh perspective to any subject that she writes on. Sunshine is one of my fav bloggers.

Compulsive Confessor: I got addicted to her blog when one of my friends, Daljeet, recommended it to me. Miss compulsive confessor is a pretty famous blogger and has recently released her first novel called "You are Here". Though I am yet to read it, I can safely bet it would be as good as any of her blogposts. I am just itching to get hold of the book.

If I Knew...

If I knew it would be the last time
that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
And call you back for one more...

If I knew it would be the last time
I could spare an extra minute
to stop and say 'I love you',
Instead of assuming you would KNOW I do...

...just in case...
...today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you
And I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone
Young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
You get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
You'll surely regret the day.

That you didn't take that extra time
for a smile, a hug, or a kiss,
And you were too busy to grant someone,
What turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
and whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
And that you'll always hold them dear.

Take time to say
'I'm sorry', 'Please forgive me', 'Thank you' or 'It's ok',
And if tomorrow never comes,
You'll have no regrets about today.

(In memory of 9/11 victims; Source: Sacred Space, Times of India)

Yesterday, I came across these lines and it made me think twice about the dear ones with whom I have not talked to in a long time. I have hurt quite a few people who once used to be very good friends. One such friend is still naraaz with me. A misunderstanding occurred between us. She thinks I should not have done what I did. And then she didn't reply when I tried to contact her. And this made me feel bad. So I decided never to call her back. Din't even reply to her when she wished me on my b'day. I just want to let her know - if she is reading this - that what I did, was in pure innocence. I had no inkling that it could hurt you. If I KNEW..you won't like what I did, I would not have done so. And I am really sorry if it hurt your feelings. I just wish you all the happiness in the world. And hope to talk to you again.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9…..9wa mahina

A few days back, while I was moving out of my room, a little hurried, I slipped on the stairs of third floor in my apartment and landed right in front of our neighbouring aunty, who was coming upstairs. She immediately came running forward, trying to pick me up and gave what she is best at giving, advice, of course: “Beta, aaj kal zara sambhal ke chalaa karo.”
Me: “Thank u, aunty. Per aaj kal hi kyon…aaj kal kuch special hai kya”
Aunty: Arre September ka mahina hai na..9wa mahina hai..isliye…giving a sheepish smile.
Me: After a minute of scratching my head on what she meant. Ooeee…maa!! Ji ..main khayal rakhungi..oops!! i mean rakhunga..munne ko kahin chhot na lag jaye ;)

And this is not all…a few days back a friend SMSed me:
Jara sambhal ke chalna,
Jyada bhari cheez nahi uthana,
Apna khayal rakhna,
Khana thik se khana,
Kyunki 9 wa mahina chalu huva hai na..
:)

And yesterday, while I was chatting with a friend from Delhi, this is how the chat went on…
1:07 PM shruti: hi Krishna
hru?
1:08 PM me: hi shruti!
am fine. :)
how abt u?
shruti: i am good too
1:09 PM so where are u these days?
me: here in mumbai
shruti: how long have u been there now?
:D
1:11 PM me: 9wa mahina chal raha hai..
;)
shruti: hahaha
so when are u delivering ;)
1:12 PM i mean when is the due date?
for the final delivery??
1:14 PM me: bas kabhi bhi..
shruti: arre wah...
do share the outcome with me..whenever it happens
1:15 PM me: yeah...yeah..khushkhabri zaldi hi sunne ko milegi

So here I am. It’s been 9 months since my postal address changed. If not exactly a roller coster ride, these nine months - living independently in a city as strange and surreal as Bombay, for a guy who has never been away from his family all through his life - have been adventurous enough.

Living with a roommate, I have learnt the importance of compatibility between two people if they plan to live together for life. Compromising on a few things, ignoring things you dislike about your partner, listening to all his bakwaas, and giving him a shoulder to cry on when a girl - jis per uska dil aaya tha - tells him that she thought of him merely as a caring brother. And then I think what will happen when I marry? Am I going to get someone who thinks on the same wavelength as I do, who will be as caring as I am, who will be smart, determined, understanding, good-humoured, and mature enough to handle life’s difficulties when things are not going our way? After all, I have to live with that person all my life. And it would be difficult for us to live happily, if our thinking doesn’t match. I mean, I am not asking for a perfect match, but someone who, even with all her imperfections, is good enough to make me exclaim sometimes “You are perfect for me. If God gave me a wish, I would wish you all my life.”
And that is why I think a mix of Shahana Goswami’s character, Debbie and Prachi Desai’s character, Saakshi in Rock On would be perfect for me.

Btw, I recently saw Rock On and loved every bit of it. If you haven’t yet seen it. Just do it!! Nike style :)) The best thing about the movie is that it ends on a feel-good note and leaves me humming “Hai ye waqt ka ishaara, har lamha pukara..yun hi dekhta hai kya tu, zindagi milegi na dubaara…Rock On!!”
Btw, I am yet to find a reason why the movie’s title contains two exclamation marks. If you know, do tell me.

Before logging off…just wanna say to all my blogger friends “Ye tumhari meri baatein hamesha yun hi chalti rahein..ye hamari mulaakatein hamesha yun hi chalti rahein…beete yun hi apne saare din raat…baaton se nikalti rahe nai baat…phir wahi baatein leke blog koi hum likhein..”
:))

Still the One!

For the last two days, whoever sees me tells me I am looking extra-happy. “What’s the reason dude?,” people ask me. But those who know the reason are prompt to congratulate me. Roger has won the U.S. Open. It was pretty uncharacteristic way for Roger to celebrate his win. Roger fell to his knees and then rolled onto his back, overwhelmed with the moment. He screamed his heart out before rising and saluting the crowd for their support. And this tells us how important this win was for Roger. "It definitely feels great. This is a very special moment in my career. To take this one home is incredible. It means the world to me," Roger said.

And to think of it, most people had started writing obituaries of his career..said his reign is over. It pained a lot to hear those comments. But I believed in you. And thanks so much for vindicating me. Now your detractors can Rest In Peace.

How quick we are to predict a star’s fall. Some people proclaimed that this is his worst performance and he will never be able to win another grand slam. Just because the guy had reached finals of two grand slams, semifinals in one, and won doubles gold in Olympics. How lackluster! How ordinary! Well..other players would be just happy enough to end the year with such performance. Look what Andy Murray said about his performance. "I had a great tournament," Murray said. "Came up against, in my opinion, the greatest player to ever play the game. I got the best of him the last two times we played. He definitely set the record straight."

Sure, at the start of the season, Roger was suffering from mononucleosis, still he reached semifinals of the Australian Open. He was uncharacteristically outplayed by Nadal in French open and lost the epic match on Wimbledon’s centre court by a mere 2 points, the kind of matches he usually comes out winning.

For almost five years, he has dominated the game with his velvety strokeplay and charismatic forehand. His artistry is just unmatched. Unlike Nadal’s muscular-style power play, Roger moves his racquet like a painter’s brush on a canvas. And each stroke is a chef d’ouvre in the making. He does things with the racquet that leaves people gasping for breath. He moves around the court with an omnipresent, superhuman-like quality. And the best thing is he is as graceful off the court as competent as on the court.

But throughout this season, we have seen the human in this almost-superhuman being. He grimaced in pain when losing the Wimbledon final, saw himself lose without even putting a fight to Nadal in French Open, couldn’t fulfill his dream of winning an Olympic gold in singles, and then lost his no. 1 ranking in August this year. It was as much frustrating for his fans as for him. His fans could feel his vulnerability. But in U.S. Open, he showed his brutal, ruthless side. He screamed at each point won and was excited as hell when he won the title. It was exciting to witness Federer being challenged. Searching for answers to questions that were raised on his ability. And it was as much fun to see him regain his lost pride.

Roger now has shown that he can turn things around as quickly as he switches from forehand to backhand to create a winner. And he has clearly indicated that he will not rest on 13 titles. He is going to break Pete’s record. With Nadal, Novak, and Murray closing in on him and threatening his invincibility, it’s a great time for Tennis and the game’s lovers are gonna enjoy the rivalry to the hilt.

Like on every other thing, Roger has an opinion on this one too "One thing is for sure. I'm not going to stop at 13."

The grass is still greener on Roger’s side.

Roger, you are Still the One! :))

This is Mumbai my dear, but don't fear; Just cheer, come to Mumbai every year!

Close to 7 months and I am still exploring Mumbai. The city has made me more observant of my surroundings. Initially, when I came here, I found fault in everything that belonged to Mumbai...its constant, unrelenting humid weather...the crowded places...the narrow, teetering-tattering roads. Everywhere I saw, I could find negativity. But the perspective is changing, slowly, but surely. I have began to start liking the city.

It's a unique city, unlike others. I am totally awed by the number of people residing. It's maddening. Mumbai is crowded to extreme. It's the most densely populated city in the world and in some parts of Mumbai, especially the western and central Mumbai, almost a million people are jostling for space in a square kilometre area. The city resembles like an insect colony. There is no personal space for an individual in Mumbai. The moment you come out of your 2-room flat - the only space that you can call personal in the whole of Mumbai - you just can't avoid getting touched here and there. there are a million people touching you, brushing past you, rubbing shoulder to shoulder, legs to legs, hands to hands, and bums to bums in local trains. There are so many people on the roads, on railway station, in local trains, in buses, even in the lift - the swarm of crowd is intimidating, to say the least. This is a city where you can reach your destination riding a cycle earlier than a car. Car makers in bbay never advertise the 160- or 180-km ph speeds that their car can reach. Because the speed is of no use here on Bbay's roads. So while you can admire the plush interiors of your newly bought Merc or BMW, it will not take you to your office on time. It is no better than a Maruti 800, which is crawling adjacent to you in the huge traffic on narrow roads, which look like a galli in your mohalla. Buying a car is a sin in Bbay..and the bigger sin is driving one. So even if you can afford one, drop the idea. Better travel in a local.

Talking of locals, Mumbai local ka 'suffer' bhi chakha hai maine. I find the crowd at Dadar station very intimidating. This is one station in the whole of Mumbai, where getting into and off the train is close to a life changing experience.

When you walk on the platform, you must be careful. Always keep your eyes straight. The moment you look sideways, you will get bumped into someone coming in front of you. And you are highly prone to such accidents if a pretty girl is passing just beside you and decide to have glimpse of her, admire her beauty. The crowd punishes you for bird watching. Someone might trample over your foot, bump hard his shoulders onto yours. And you will be just left cursing them under your breath. So people never indulge in extracurricular activities of your eyes when on Dadar station.

Riding here is not for weaklings. You need a heart of steel and the body too, coz you hv to be prepared to get bruised and battered once you take the ride. There are such a huge swarm of commuters around you, if you are not used to it, you get a heart-attack. Deluged in a torrent of people, the damned commuter just flows with the crowd. During peak hours in Mumbai, 15 pairs of legs vie for a 1 sq. metre space inside the locals. A carriage made for 200 people carries more than 600 commuters at one go. I just find it strange how locals have become a lifeline for people here who are used to riding on their tows, hanging from the doors. And I wonder how would they react, if something like Delhi metro is started here. One thing is for sure, logon ko train ke gates per latakne ka mauka nahi milega, coz in metros gates close automatically naa.

Taking a cue from an e-mail forward:
This is Mumbai my dear, but don't fear,
just cheer, come to Mumbai every year!