Boribunder

Its really surprising, the number of times you will see this building in movies, and yet, never even give a second glance as you pass by it. I will not say anything more.....just sit back and take in the wonderful craftsmanship of the British era.....simply put, BOMBAY at its best.

Zoom into the second image and you will find the seal of the erstwhile Great Indian Peninsular Railway, now known as Central Railway.

The Garden of Knowledge

Found this article on Chetan's blog. Do go through it...it's worth a read.

Random Questions

Very often, for no reason whatsoever, my mind is full of questions. Thought I will put down a few of them here for......well.....for no particular reason!!!! ;-)

• Why must I follow all the rules while driving, when all the other drivers on the road are authorised to break the rules whenever they want to?
• Why must I set an example for all my cousins? No one set an example for me!!!
• Why must I be called to work every Saturday?
• How can I get into a good insti without moving my ass?
• Why cant Schumi win every race?
• Why cant S get into Aerospace inspite of getting an AIR of 206?
• Why must I always remain fat inspite of eating very little?
• Why cant I compose poetry effortlessly like S?
• Why cant R and SB make up their minds about their respective futures?
• Why must my M800 move so slowly?
• Why cant a Merc be cheaper?
• Why cant an automobile company consider me for a job?
• Why must my job make me hate it?

Well.....the list continues..........................

My first vehicle shall CERTAINLY be an SUV

Had to go to Borivali yesterday for a birthday party. So, what was the problem? Quadrupling work on the track resulted in cancellation of trains and, consequently, there was a lot of traffic on the road, even on the WE highway. Result? Tempers running high and driving becoming erratic.

Let's just say that I tried to cut off a Qualis driver who tried to squeeze me out of my lane, which resulted in (Ahem!!!) a dent. Its so bloody UNFAIR!!! My next car has to be a big SUV (or maybe, a BEST bus!!!!) :-D

Sterling - A silent sentinel to an era gone by

Just 2 days ago, I read the shocking piece of news in the papers. Sterling theatre was closing down to make way for a multiplex!!! How?? Why??? #$@#%!!!!

It seems like ages ago when I walked into that large foyer, holding my parents' hands, eager to watch 'Dennis the Menace'. My first reaction upon entering was, "Ooooooohhh!!!!'. The auditorium was as small as the foyer was big. A really nice and cozy place where you never got the whistling and jeering crowd.

Over the years, I grew to love every aspect of Sterling. From the polite guards at the entrance to the bright and inviting snacks counter. From the pristine condition of the seats to the sparkling clean toilets. The smell of the delicious caramel popcorn, inviting as ever. The twin seats at the back where couples used to park themselves for a movie of a different kind. The grudge I used to bear against the ushers for letting me out through the rear exit, causing me to walk round the bldg to my car. Everything was .... well ..... just perfect!!!!

I once used to brag to all my mates that I could enjoy all the benefits of the multiplexes that they went to, for a fraction of a price!!! And then, suddenly, came this devastating piece of news.
Yesterday night, as I was returning from New Excelsior, I passed by Sterling. The renovation work had already begun. That once white and inviting lobby was now a dull grey, violated by machines of all kinds!!! The whole building had a mournful air about it, as it stood, patiently bearing the changes that were being now forced upon it. As a tear trickled down my cheek at this sight, I reluctantly tore my eyes away from the building onto the road ahead. After all, I had to drive home....

36 China Town - A Review

Went for the movie today, after office, just to enjoy myself. I must say I was not thrilled, but it was paisa vasool.

An interesting narrative style is adopted by M/s Abbas and Mustan which involves the clever replaying of the story so that the entire point can be grasped properly. The only problem?? The director duo loses sight of the basic point they had tried to ingrain into the viewers' minds. Is it the detail, is it the characters involved?? One never knows as the focus shifts, a tad confusingly, from one to the other. However, there is enough of the usual masala in the film to keep it going without boring the audience.

Of the performances, Paresh Rawal and Johnny Lever make a strictly passable attempt to keep the audience smiling. It may look funny during your first viewing, but mind you, it will become more and more unbearable as you repeatedly watch it. Payal Rohatgi seems to have been placed in the film, simply to draw the wolf-whistlers. Kareena has a role which is only slightly better than Payal's. In fact, it sometimes becomes painfully embarrassing to watch her move awkwardly while beau Shahid glides around in the dance sequences. Kinda reminiscent of Hrithik and Kareena in K3G!!! Shahid does a good job as a young dude in search of quick money. His acting seems to be earnest, but I suppose, he will have to take on better roles if he has to earn critical acclaim. Isha Koppikar is pretty subdued in her brief cameo, but ends up looking extremely gorgeous. But, the real hero is Akshaye Khanna. As the police inspector, he breathes life into a role that few others could have taken on with the same effect. Like Abhishek Bachchan, he is one actor who excels in each performance. Kudos to you, Akshaye.

So, guys, go for the movie and enjoy yourselves. You may be expecting a murder mystery, you will probably find yourself watching a pseudo-Govinda flick, only that this one's slightly better (and that's saying a lot!!!!).


PS : Himessss....plz STOP singing!!!!

Now, if only they operated these buses on the regular routes......Sigh!!!!

Random musings from a holiday

Was absent from Bombay for a whole week. Had managed to wrestle a whole week's leave from my PL. My holiday destination?? Good ol' Pune and Mahabaleshwar. The icing?? T'was gonna be a driving holiday!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Do top up ur brake oil before leaving on a long distance drive. A sinking brake pedal and a hysterical Mom, both on the expressway, have taught me that!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------
The Pune - Mahabaleshwar road is damn good. Had visited it during Sem VII, when it was under construction. Damn good job!!! T'was a breeze driving on it. (Pic on top)

--------------------------------------------------------------------
NEVER go for your honeymoon to Mahabaleshwar. The locals seem to leer at the newlyweds. And the damn place is too FULL of them!!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Do try driving on the Pasarni Ghat from Wai to Panchgani. Lovely smooth road, lots of twists and turns. Nice workout for your cornering abilities. I could only max around 90 clicks in a M800.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Avoid visiting Pune in summer!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------
If you do visit Pune, remember to go to George's restaurant, on East Street in the Cantonment Area, and have the Chicken Rotisserie there. Its heavenly!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------
I LOVE strawberries!!! Wimbledon, take a backseat!!!!

A week ago, duty in office called for making 300+ transactions, each of which requires the user to click on OK. Now, who said that big fat books were a waste of time???

Progress or regress???

Read recently in the papers that more quotas may be introduced in the IITs and IIMs soon. The man behind all this? The great (HA!!) Arjun Singh!!! The excuse being provided is that it is a constitutional provision which is being followed. The point of this exercise? The "progress" of the "backward" castes in society at large.

56 years ago, when the constitution was created, the makers had put in a clause for introducing a reservation for the "backward" castes. This was because they were, indeed, oppressed by the "upper" castes. They had to do many menial jobs simply because they were refused the opportunity to progress. The constitutional reservations gave them the much needed chance to prove themselves at every level. It made them believe in themselves that they were also capable of doing all those things which had, hitherto, been the bastion of the privileged classes. This had been exactly what the makers of the constitution had in mind. But, a clause was also put in that the reservations could be repealed after 50 years. However, in 2000, our elected representatives chose to extend these reservations by another 10 years!!

But, hasn't the scenario changed now?? Don't we see more equality in society, at least in terms of caste?? Today, to be very frank with you, I wouldn't be aware of what the word "Dalit" meant if it were not for these reservations. Its high time the people who sit in Parliament sit up and take notice that these reservations have long outlived their intended use. Today, they are more of an excuse for the students belonging to these "backward" classes to relax and dawdle on their efforts to get into prestigious institutions like the IITs and IIMs. And even assuming that the situation is grim for them in the rural areas, these reservations should certainly not be offered to them above the 10+2 level. For, it is these students, who will have secured admissions via the myriad concessions offered to them at the schooling level. This means that they have been given ample opportunity to overcome the social difficulties that they may have faced. And they still want reservations at the Undergraduate and Post-graduate level?? This is ridiculous!!! The people who sincerely believe that this is necessary should try and understand that this will seriously undermine the students' ability to perform at their optimum level in the international field. For, today, when India is on the verge of emerging as a major power, the same yardstick will be applied for judging all of us, backward class or not!!! In the face of such a scenario, we must concentrate on making the members of the "backward" classes consciously lose the impression that they belong to an underprivileged community. We are all Indians and let us remain so!!!

And as for the reservations, let us get rid of them once and for all, at least from the undergraduate level onwards. Instead, keep some seats for the economically backward students. And as regards the lack of opportunities excuse put forth in defence of these reservations, I feel that the people who are truly talented do not need such headline-grabbing gestures to succeed. A close friend I know is a living example of what I just said!!! CB, take a bow!!!

Took this pic in the lift in office. Seems like even the makers of warning signs take it for granted that Indians are used to overcrowding!!!

The Long Arm of the Law!!!

I had taken this pic around a month ago when I had waited outside Mac (VT). It seems the policeman had stopped this cabbie, when he suddenly decided to make a run for it, little realising that the smart "Mama" was holding his license. Here we see the cabbie torn between the option of running away or facing the irate cop. Nevertheless to say, he backed up and meekly faced impending doom!!!

(Apologies are due for the pic quality.....t'was taken from my car which was parked quite a distance away)

Being Cyrus - A Review

Saif Ali Khan in an English movie?? I had heard of Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia et al doing the odd English film, but Saif?? Now this was new. This curiosity took me to Sterling to watch Being Cyrus. What did I think? Read on.

Right from the beginning, it strikes you that this film is different from the rest of the pack. There is no grand entry of the hero, hardly any background score and no flashy credits. In fact, the credits are almost "Hollywoodesque" in nature. So, you now sit down to watch the movie, a packet of the famed caramel popcorn in hand.

We are slowly introduced to the Sethna family, spread out over Bombay and Panchgani. Slowly, we come to grips with the eccentricity of each member of the family - the dreamy elder son, his frustrated wife, the dominant younger son, his beautiful and, sadly, bullied wife, and the patriarch who is now forced to live the life of a recluse by his younger son. Adajania draws you in further and further into the plot while, at moments, giving us glimpses into Cyrus' troubled past. The story is well told through the eyes of Cyrus, who, helpfully, adds his own take on the various members of the Sethna family. The ending of the movie is also well-constructed with the suspense being maintained right till the very end. The narrative does tend to get disjointed at times, but it only adds to the suspense.

Performance-wise, everyone in the movie is good. Naseeruddin Shah, as the dreamy Parsi simpleton does a very good job. But then, we have now come to expect that from him, haven't we? Dimple Kapadia as the mentally and sexually frustrated wife, again turns in a brilliant performance. Boman Irani is the perfect cranky Bawa, one you may expect to find anywhere in Bombay. His performance is so eerily convincing that you just HATE him. Simone Singh, as his meek and demure wife who likes to secretly enjoy in her husband's absence is also the right choice for the role. But, the movie belongs to Saif. Everything he does is simply perfect. Just the right glint of menace for a fleeting moment before he is all charm again. He just seems to be unable to do anything wrong at the moment. I hope he continues in this vein for a long time to come. For, in him, we have one of India's finest actors, one who can show that you needn't be a hunk of beef to make a point. Saif, take a bow!!!

Urban India has grown up. No longer are the people content to just sit back and watch a certain actor (Cough!!! Cough!!!) wear loud clothes and amuse (sic!!!!) them with his antics. They want the real stuff. And they want it dished out to them as it is. No garnishing, no embellishments.

Director Homi Adajania doesn't disappoint in this respect. The fare that he doles out here is pretty grim. But, the moot point is that he manages to make an impact. And that, friends, should be enough for us to sit up and take him seriously as a filmmaker and not just another also ran!!!

Welcome to Bombay - The City of Dreams!!!

Took this pic at BKC just outside my office. Rather odd placement of the zebra crossing, isnt it?

Uhh....looks like chicken WILL get to cross the road after all!!!

Some things just dont change, do they?? (Pic Courtesy : Mid-Day)

Ho Hum!!!

Today, I logged onto blogger, hoping to upload a couple of good photos I had managed to click during the week. However, to my dismay, found that for some odd reason, Blogger was just refusing to upload my photos. God knows why!!! The browser would simply stop dead, just like that!!! So, I thought, let's write a post with words.

Phew!! There!! I made the decision. Now comes the hard part. What do I write about? Coz the problem is that my life has become so predictable, of late, that hardly anything of note occurs. I could write about how I fumed and fretted at my seniors' inability to understand what I was saying. I could write about how I went to office for another Saturday, while my friends sat at home and made merry. I could write about how good it felt to finally drive after spending a whole week staring at the stupid computer screen. Well.....I guess you get the drift.

But, is anything I mentioned worth blogging about? I guess I could say something about the book I am currently reading. Maximum City by Suketu Mehta. Yeah....good idea!!!

Well...the book somehow caught my attention at the Strand Book Exhibition. I suddenly caught sight of a book that boldly announced that it was about "Bombay". It looked like a fairly new publication and still, the cover dared to call the city Bombay. I thought to myself that any book which refers to "Bombay" is worth a second dekko. On an impulse, I bought it. When I started reading it yesterday, I wasn't disappointed. The author seems to take you through his life in Bombay. He tells you how he spent his childhood here, how he used to play at the Oval Maidan, go for walks with his fiancee at Marine Drive, have bhel with her at Chowpatty. Damn it, it all seems so eerily familiar!!! Of course, the only difference being, I am yet to find a girlfriend, let alone a fiancee!!! I have only finished a few pages, as of now, but the book seems to be good. I am hoping that the author's romance with Bombay continues.

As for me, I will probably be back with a review of "Being Cyrus" next weekend. Until then,

CIAO.

Yummy!!!

Autocar, March 2006 issue, on the Maserati Quattroporte.

"She is a gorgeous feast for the eyes, full of voluptuous curves. Pure automotive porn!!!"

I am already drooling!!!!

13 Years of Freedom

On this day, thirteen years ago, I was in school (I think it was the IVth standard). The time was around 4 pm and we were looking forward to the Games period, which was the last one scheduled for the day. Suddenly, the school buses arrived in a hurry and we were all whisked off in a hurry. No one was prepared to tell us what was going on, not the teachers, not the bus driver or cleaner. Finally, at home, the TV proved to be the informer. There had been a series of bomb blasts in the city..........

For many days after that, my parents continued to talk about the incident. About how grave it was and how the perpetrators of this heinous act should be brought to justice. At that time, the gravity of the situation never hit me. Today, when I look back at that time, I can only ask myself one question, "Why???" Why Bombay, why the innocent people? I have still not found an answer to this question.

However, there is one outcome of these blasts for which I am certainly thankful to the perpetrators. The bombs have only succeeded in weaving together the complicated fabric of Bombay even more tightly. Not only since, have people realised the futility of rising against each other, but they also actively dissuade others from indulging in the same mindlessness. In short, the spirit of Bombay lives on.

People often ask me where is this spirit visible. If you ask me, it was there in 1993 also. A friend of mine, NI, told me about a statistical hoarding. On 12th March, 1993, there were 12 bomb blasts in Bombay. On 13th March, 1993, office attendance was at 93%.

I rest my case.