Workplace of a new Kind.

It was a lazy November Saturday when around 15 of us from the SupportCentral Team decided to loosen up and spend some time together outside the office. 8am (pretty early for us in the general shift!) saw a few of us desperately waking the rest up to reach Destination Malad on time. Food was picked up from the canteen and carried over to ensure we never missed out on that.


We rode autos to reach Marve Jetty, to catch the steamer that would transport us to our Final Destination - Manori Beach. We missed the steamer by a minute and thought what better way to spend the delay time than with a game of beach volley! After a quick game to get us on our feet, we sailed over to Manori to Domonica's resort, where we had a room booked to dump all our belongings and rest our souls after the trip.

The minute we set foot on Manori we felt like we'd crossed boundaries and walked into a totally new world, untouched by the modern rat race and unaware of the mad city rush. Tall coconut trees lined the mud roads, and fish dried on road ends; koli women caught up with their whining children while their men toiled tough with the fish. It seemed worth every minute.



In the resort, we started out by winding down and danced our mid day to whacky numbers from the latest movies blasting out. The Ronaldos and Ronaldinhos were compromised in the football game that followed. The day also saw us walking around aimlessly in the lovely resort, some more dancing and playing the weirdest games any one could conjure up. The best part was us lying soaking wet in the beach, cooling the heat off. Some of us relived those lost childhood days, playing 'Shop', 'Four Squares' and the likes.

Never before had food tasted that fine, for we were exhausted after all the dancing and playing. We served ourselves enough to last the day through. There was a second round of games and a lazy walk on the beach post lunch. As the sun slowly found home near the end of scope, our minds relaxed with the silent lashes of the sea, thoughts wandering somewhere near the horizon.



All through this, time flashed by and we failed to realize it till it was time to leave. We retraced, back to reality, with an enriched mind and a rejuvenated body, ready to take on everyday life with a stronger zeal.

I wonder what the world is coming to..

My mind sat awestruck watching the tv. This should not have happened. It was meant to be an opportunity for the leaders to lend a hand of help. Those who lost the replaceables in the floods were supposed to get some refund at this event.

What was left was a melange of anguish and death. Around 42 people, most in their young teens, with blood rushing through their uneasy vessels, capable of changing the world into something; lost all of it. C'mon they died for heavens' sake. Has death become such a meagre thing for us mortals? With the fear of failure running havoc in their minds, these young bloods beat the time and place and all such alterables to earn death. They knew nothing of what proceeded. For there was tears shed, dreams shattered, cries wept, promises made, Politics ensued.

For what did the much-to-be blamed government do about it? nothing more than statements to appease god-knows-who..And to back them in their dirty exploits is the press...While channels on one's side showed family members weeping their hearts out and proclaiming in front of camera that it was the stinking government and the police to blame; there was the other side of the coin, with similar bereaving family members blaming their own kids for having rushed.

Is that all the value of human life.? That you can resort to politics at such junctures to stay safe of blame.? Why cant the Indian mass realise that it is high time they stopped playing second fiddle to the ruling party and the oppositions and to the media and whoever; and thought for themselves what they really wanted and felt. It is a democracy for hell and what is happening now is that with freedom of press exploited, so is the common man.. And the common man fails to understand this.
Grow up..! Now..!

Then there was the second shock of its kind. A girl is raped and murdered, i choose to say slaughtered to death, in Bangalore. The IT hub of India. Where is sanity now.? Have we reached a time where a woman cant work at her will, worry about timings and safety.? For the animal responsible was a man of duty,the one she saw even before her boss. Is technology catching up or are we moving back in time..? Oh !Technology is sure catching up; for circulation on the net were the pics of this kid after she met her dirty fate. Huh..!

To join in the list of things that got me writing this post was Mission Majnu...Inappropriately titled after the man who lived for love and martyred for love, this mission has nothing to do in the vicinity. On the negative, it was a drive, a clean-up drive they called it, undertaken by the police in Meerut to rid the beautiful gardens of love birds. Huh..! A process of maintaining the sanctity of the country i read. What resulted was women in uniform catching hold of innocent citizens and treating them like whores driven out of their asylum. The camera saw youngsters, most possibly good friends, or siblings or even married partners, beaten up to embarrassment, merely for them using their private time in a public place..! Democracy, I remember, is one of the main features of the Indian constitution. All this reminds me is of the crude images of torture that floated around the time US invaded Iraq, or the gruesome taliban.

I wonder what the world is coming to..!

A well deserved break..

I had been waitin for this break for long. 5 days away from the moan of the CPU; away from the tap of the neighbours keypad; away from the constant fear of a imaginary bug; away from the prospective bad tempered clients my seniors had warned me of; away from the artificial me.

Not that something dreaded had happened in the last few months in this much talked about industry; yet i feel i have lost me in the whole rat run. So this break was all the more wanted for the welfare of this soul within me. And God bless dad and harini who got this whole thing together.

A trip to Goa left my mouth watering; tough call though. So there we set out on Saturday mid afternoon on our journey to heaven and back. First point of touch down was Mahabaleshwar. But my thoughts went racing the minute i realised that it took us close to two solid hours to get out of the dull groan and hush of the city they call mumbai. I realised the wide spread of the mondane city life that has left most of us wanting for some fresh air. When we finally did get out I had to thank the stars; for every moment was worth it.

We touched base on heaven at close to sunset and the chill getting down our nerves was a fresh welcome. It reminded me loads of days spent in Kodai when in college. Those were times and i was getting them back for once. Had a little trouble switching from one hotel to another , till we finally found our abode; a duplex in the heart of the town; at the life of the market place. Perfect.!

After a quick shower we went for a walk; getting lost amidst the crouwd that had managed to gather itself in the market. Bouy! the head count was awesome, with people in all age groups flocking the petty shops and with a common intention of living the them they would normally not be back home. College kids buying junk jewelery, fresh honey moon couples sharing quiet secretive laughs and walking hand in hand, kids scrouting ahead of their parents looking for their best buy. It was a show of myriad colours, sounds and sights.


Personally i was caught by the sheer overflow of emotions in that small area. A long stretch of pathway trampled by people with worries of their own, troubles of their own, traumas to worry about; yet walking that way like they were the kings and princesses.

We did our part of shopping for things we would not have thought of owning otherwise. Shoes, sweaters, junk, artefacts, nuts and weird fruits; we got them all. Got into bed, tired and filled with anticipations for the day ahead. And it turned out to be worth the wait, with our guide for the day being a perfect sport. He took us to this lake with three rivers confluencing at one point. The ferry ride to the cave temple on one of the islands was a great trip. So was the water scooter ride; what if the guy sitting behind me held all controls? The feel of the cool lake wind blowing on my face was worth every strain. For starters, these guys have a knack of taking ya midway and demanding more money for an extended ride. Remember what drives ya and decide accordingly. We decided to shell the extra crap out for the ride to the edge of the lake, and i felt it was worth it(the one who earned it obviously thought it was a waste. What say?) But the young bloods had a rocking time.

Then there was the trip to the temple; with the origin of 5 rivers. Man it was awesome. Reminds me of the rich cultural heritage our country has; despite the pitfalls at every corner that every proud indian very readily points out.

The second day in the cool hillstation was our trip out. On our way out though we did the first plateau of my life. Panchgani Table top was worth every kick we got in the horse ride, every morsel of breakfast we had missed to be there. At first sight, the deccan had given the impression of an immigrant, dull and lost in hunger; hunger for the greenery of our good old western ghats that i was so accustomed to. But after that walk in Panchgani, I seemed to have developed a respect for these massive structures; living through rain and storm, unaffected by the cruelities of time.

They had to be respected for sure. The horse ride across the breadth of the plateau gave something that no new travel invention could have given. The honesty and innocence in the whole experience caught me the most.


To add up to the innocence was the great breakfast we had in the cave restaurant; amidst all the red rocks and the trailing monkeys. That bread omlette could let many other five star breakfasts for the run. We were also blessed by the mongoose(another first in the list of firsts!) and the man of hope in the world of mentally impaireds. Our adventure halted next at the paragliding terrain where a bunch of foreigners gave a ride off the cliff to the heavy hearted. Was very tempted to shell those extra bucks for a rush of adrenaline, but better sense eventually prevailed. Those guys must be having a ride of their lives. I will do it one day. I know i will.
Our trip down the hill, to other locations, was as expected a sad journey, of me wishing I dint have to ever go back.

But it is this love for far off things that keeps us going back right?
So does it for me and I keep going.

Then and Now !

My memory fails me in this regard, but I know we've been together for long; as long as I can remember actually. It started of as a fascination as I had someone to play with. A lot bigger than those stuffed toys and the effects it gave out as a response to teasers were pretty realistic. Then moved on to someone I could bully around. Take all my bashes and still keep quiet.

Later came times when there was the enemy; competing for the same attention of the Gods. Life was peaceful till this moment then. All actions were closely watched and any reaction from any of the Gods deeply analysed for nobody should usurp my place close them right. This was not going well. A pink dress to them meant I had to get it too. But the enemy was getting stronger and bolder; bold enough to speak up and against.

This lead to times of physical anguish; where battles were fought to sort issues up. Blows exchanged hurt both parties and served the purpose of splitting lives up. No amount of intervention could clean the chits in this regard. Ofcourse when external enemies attacked we were one; for we knew we needed eachother's valor to save the day. But it went on.

Till one of us grew out of it and parted. Needs sent me distance apart and it somehow helped the two grow up. Conversations flown over miles sent out peace messages; messages of oneness. These merged into times were we together saw the real world; the one we knew nought of. We quielty amongst us realised that the enemy was far beyond the two of us and a lot of unity was needed to get us through. Thats exactly what we put in.

Minutes were spent discussing strategies for the downfall of the foes; hours in close union. Even in times when the Gods had to be opposed there was solace in one another; for our wavelengths matched closer than before. And thus years passed by.


Today as I watch her get off the escalator and walk towards us waiting, I remember our journey called life. The times we've spent together and away , that have in some way taught us more than one. And I am happy I have a sister to share the good and the bad till date. Thanks to the Gods.!

Winter of 99 !

My comfortable sleep was pushed back to hell by the unsettling shriek of the alarm. Minutes before D-minute, that weird unease from the body clock had told me that my time in bliss was up. I had begun to hate myself that very nanosecond. This shrill throwing me out of my world was only making matters worse. I hated myself for ever agreeing to such a preposterous task.

5 am in the winter of 99 in Bangalore was a dreaded time. Time when not even cockroaches cared to get out of their safe holds and put up with the shiver. But there I was, or rather had to be, my track pants on and shoes all tied; walking across the locality for my daily dose of mental torture.

I wonder which world had given birth to such a creature; my aerobic instructor. A woman so obsessed with looking good that she had managed to incur all my wrath. I somehow seem to blame her for not living my last teens to the fullest. As she counted our moves aloud with unwanted passion and drive, I wondered why I was putting myself through this. I liked myself. I loved myself infact. What if the ones around me hated the overweight fat ass I had grown to be.. I loved myself. So i couldnt take this outsider telling me what to do and what not to. She sure got all my wrath. Every count was a pain. Every minute was a torture. Every day was a punishment.

I gave up the day the ones around me realised nothing could happen of me. Oh that pain that plucked the innocence out of the prime age. Pushing people to be what they are not. Given a choice I am sure all of us would want to splurge on that mouth watering chocolate truffle; If only..!
Five years down , I walk to the gym on a winter 10'o clock. I burn adrenaline for two solid hours. Not an instructor to push my butt; no obsessive women to watch my back. Just me and my drive to find a better me.

I still love the way I am . But I'd love to be better. Thats all.!