Certain things just CLICK...

Shutter blinked. The sun was too hot. But he had to do this. Now. Another 15 minutes and the moment will be lost forever. Flash was gasping anyways. The fingers stretched and cracked. They had been cradling him for a long time. The shutter blinked again. He could see something in the distance. Blur. He wanted to move in closer and get a better look. But Strap hindered. He always had. Never let him move around freely. He had to crane and look. He stared hard at the object. Luckily it stood still. The fingers slowly shifted focus. Moved away from the body and played with the neck. The smooth, soft skin on the neck felt cold. Shutter blinked. The head was a little heavy, especially with Flash sitting atop. The fingers moved slowly to the button. With bones cracking, the button gave way. It was a celebratory moment. Almost as if he had come alive. But the joy was short-lived. With the press of a button, everything was over. He smiled. The object was finally his. Etched forever in memory. No wonder, certain things just CLICK!

When you ponder on the pondering...

Once upon a time…

I’ve always wondered why do all stories start like that. Is it that it was an auspicious time for good things to start? Or was it just a random phrase coined by someone, who was going through a rough patch and just to cheer himself up, he said, "Let’s put this story back in the time when it was hunky dory..." It's almost as if Once upon a time, when the world was rosy, when the birds sang and the sun was shining bright, that was the time we should have lived.

What if stories started out with a slight twist. What if the classics did not have a 'Once upon a time' or for that matter even a 'happily ever after', would that have stopped us from reading them.

If Cinderella would not have been set in a 'once upon a time', would she be anything else but Cinderella? Would little Red Riding Hood, be eaten by the wolf had it not been 'once upon a time'?

Probably these stories would have started different and ended on a different note all together. Maybe there would not have been a happily ever after, if it would not have been for the 'once upon a time'.

I had a Thought!

I had a thought,

now it's gone.

It seemed to be content,

or probably something i just dreamt!

This rhyme was created not to rhyme,

but to tell you about the thought that mimed.

He mocked, He laughed, He protested,

Said, "use me useless, or i'll be detested!"

I never knew a thought could talk back like that,

never thought it would dictate terms like that,

Desperate to be used, someway or the other,

he popped up in front of me again.

Holding a billboard that said, 'I'm more than useless!',

It was a line he copied, i guessed,

Desperate, he kept jumping up and down,

Until he caught my attention,

It was too much, and i had to send him into detention!

Today when i wish to get him back,

He mocks, He laughs, He protests,

Says u sent me into detention,

and now you want my attention!

It's too late, it's too dark,

Go home...and maybe some other day we'll meet!

if Chess be the game of life, Play On!!!!!

Sometimes you just don’t understand why certain things happen the way they happen. It’s like the universe is conspiring against you. Your every move is being marked by someone up there. It’s like you’re a pawn, and the One in the heaven’s above is playing a game of chess.

He’ll move you around. Sometimes 2 blocks, at times one. Take you back to where you started from. Take you way ahead of where you would want to be. And then you’d have to smile and say, “Thank you God, for our daily bread!”

But given a second thought, just a thought. (After all, the poor little pawn eventually has to play according to the master plan) But given a thought, what if the pawn could talk back. Maybe give a little tip, a little POA of his own? Every single time, the One picks up the pawn to play a move, the pawn is looking up to the almighty, eyes brimming with hope, a head bursting with ideas of his own, and then the One places the little pawn right where he wants it or the Pawn doesn't want to be. Right in the line of fire.

And then the evil laughter. The mutterings of an evil plan under construction, plotting and scheming. And the Pawn, smiles and says, 'C'est la vie!'

Majhi Mumbai Post 5

Language.

The dictionary would probably define it as a verbal form of communication, associated to various places and regions.

So how does one define the language they speak? Based on topography? What about people who live on borders? Or for that matter what about people living in 'no man's land?' Do they even speak to each other?

Language as the primitive man would know it, was a simple tool to communicate his basic needs. "ME HUNGRY! NEED FOOD NOW!" or "ME HORNY! WANT TO DO YOU NOW!"

Why make such a ruckus out of simple words used simply to communicate simple feelings?

You probably must be wondering, why are we reading a write-up on language and not on Mumbai?

Well that's because, i feel there is a certain need to tell the people of this city, that no matter what you speak, or what colour your tounge is, if you love a place, you belong. Mumbai, no matter who it is, accepts one and all her own. But it is the people who need to get the equation right. However, like all things fair and equal, and the basic fact that 'taali ek haath se nahi bajti', one needs to understand that even though the city has accepted them, they need to respect it back, If you can't speak the local language, atleast do not condemn it. It is not lowly to speak your native tounge. Infact at times it's cool!

Make an effort. It always pays off. So the next time you visit anyone in Mumbai, don't forget to ask, "KASA KAI MUMBAI?!!"

Majhi Mumbai Post 4

Every city has something of it's own. Something that truly defines the city. Like Kolkata has it's sandesh or rasgullas, Jaipur has it's HawaMahal, Delhi has it's brash abusive people, Chennai has it's idli-dosas...but what makes Mumbai special??

I know the obvious answer will be 'VadaPav' or even the Dabbawala! But i think it's a mix of everything. Mumbai, is a cosmopolitan city and no doubts about that. But what makes this city special is the interesting mix of everything. It's got a culture of it's own. It doesn't need a west, east north or south to borrow it's culture from. It s a hedonistic mix of all and the end result...i'm loving it!

The best part about living in a metro is that you are not bound by any religious sect or any other cultural norm. You're as free as free could ever be. You don't believe in something, that's your problem. If you do, well good for you! People don't bind you in shackles and ask you to do particular things, because if you don't some god or some 'parmatma' might get annoyed! It doesn't matter. What you do or what you don't depends on you. If you believe in something, and are more than sure about that, then there is nothing in the world that is going to stop you from doing it.

Ok now i'm digressing. But this is exactly what this city does to you. You start off with something and you end up someplace else. With only a certainty that even though your destination was different, the new one is guaranteed to be more enchanting. This is Mumbai. Nothing is less that SPECIAL!

Majhi Mumbai Post 3

So Mumbai has fabulous people, a great flower market, but that's not all that Mumbai is made of. When it comes to eating, i doubt any other city has as much diversity as this place does! Name it and ye shall EAT it! From Chinese, Lebanese, Japanese, Arabic, South Indian, Punjabi, Italian, Mexican, typical Maharashtrian to roadside chaat, dosawala ana, pav bhaji, mewad ice cream...this city lives to eat! What more no matter what time you hunger strikes, you shall be fed. I think hardly anyone will believe but there are certain restaurants or local street stalls that open only after mid-night! The workaholics or the night-sleep eaters who just can't get enough of the yummy meals that are served hot for absolute peanuts! The best part about eating at these local joints is that they don't burn a hole in your pocket, and second of all they are way tastier than the expensive, flashy, fake-rich-ambiance creating restaurants!! Another amazing fact about these places, they're always over-crowded! You'd go to such a place at 2 in the night expecting it be free and devoid of people, but surprise! It's overflowing with people from all over the city! At 2 in the night, people actually have the patience to stand in the line, just to savor the rich, heavily oiled/buttered delicacies probably cooked in a lowly kitchen that underscored on the food-inspectors rating! But nonetheless, it is a special place and people flock in to have a gala time!

So the next time you're in the city remember to stay hungry, because your stomach might get full, but your plate never will!

Majhi Mumbai Post 2

Mumbai at night is a different city all together. The lights, the sound of cars zooming past you, and the best of the lot, no traffic! Even the air has a certain new character about it. Even though the roads are as empty as empty could get in a city like Mumbai, there is a certain charm that holds you in its grip as you try to savor in the flavours of the night life.

The city that never sleeps, and believe you me, this statement absolutely holds weight. If this city has one thing to offer (of the many good things), it is the pure pleasure of being yourself in the dead of the night without feeling antsy about it.

As night befalls, one can see various creatures of the night come out to play. You have the regular party animals, the religious sect who walks to Siddhivinayak, the chaiwala anna, the cops, the drunks, the tuk-tuks, the workaholics, the lovers, the insomniacs, the daredevils...and a whole lot more! One thing that makes this city come alive at 3 in the morning, is the Dadar Flower market.

Truckloads of carnations, roses, marigold, jasmine...any flower under the sun, seems to make it to the legendary Dadar flower market. Located right across the station, the flower vendors get their scented luggage from far off places like Virar, Vasai or even as far as Dahanu. Just as one enters the stretch between Elphinstone and Matunga, one gets welcomed on a bed of roses, literally! For you have flowers strewn across the road making a blanket of petite scented loverlies! There is a certain joy in seeing these men hover around flowers like bees. One would be extra precious with something as delicate as a flower, but not these men and women. They treat it like any other vegetable, any other job. Afterall being a flower girl or a flower man is no pretty selling job.

This is one sight that makes up for all the tiredness, all the dullness that one may feel in the dead of the night. But come Dadar and there wafts a new scent in the air, making your headiness fly away, even if it lasts just for a few minutes!

Majhi Mumbai...Post 1

Mumbai...the city of dreams, a city that never sleeps...and a city where people understand 'humanity'!

Every now and then we hear that people have forgotten the meaning of 'humanity'. More so, have erased the word out of their dictionary. If that is how you feel. Then you haven't experienced Mumbai. If there is any city in this country that can teach you how to live, it is this. There have been stories about people not really caring a damn, or just too busy to even care about anyone else apart from themselves. But people here, no matter how busy they are have this tiny corner in their heart that still cares about their family, their colleagues, their neighbors, their dabbawalas, their peons, their drivers, their bai's, their watchmen, their sabziwalas, and practically anyone who is a part of their universe. I think this city's DNA structure itself is modified that way. So anyone who walks into the space, with dreams aspirations or whatever it may be, automatically gets genetically changed to fit in with the city and it's way of living.

Why i say this is because i have witnessed it. While travelling in the train, the lifeline, the bloodline, the heart of this city, i was lucky to have actually seen such a sight. It was quite a simple gesture but, it made my faith in humanity stronger. There was an old lady who got in and there was no seat available. But this young girl got up and offered her seat to her. These two didn't share any relation, but just belong to the same race. It just made me wonder that if people are actually sensitive and caring and loving, why is it that they hide this self under blankets of bad ethics? Is it cool to be bad? or what is it exactly?

Whatever the case, to each his own. And as they say, slow and steady wins the race. So even if the start is slow, we can atleast hope the trend spreads through like wild fire and we get to live in a better, brighter world and not just dream and pray for one every time we go to bed!

My True Calling!!

So what is the true definition of the word OCCUPATION?

The oxford dictionary defines it as: 1. a job or profession

2.The action, state or period of occupying or being occupied by force!

I like the second definition better, ' being occupied by force!'. So how many of us actually have an 'occupation' we enjoy or are not being forced to follow. I'd say 1%. Ok chances are there maybe more, but a majority of us are either always cribbing or bad mouthing our so called 'jobs'. Why can't we ever try and do something that we truly love and that we fell is our true calling?

there maybe many reasons. One could be 'parents'.The heritage old reason. 'My parents wanted me to be an engineer/doctor/teacher!'. The past generation seems to have taken over the dream profession their frustrated parents ever dreamt of being. 'Well if i couldn't become a doctor so wha, i'm going to make my child one!'. Honestly, get over yourself, and let your child be.

It may seem that i myself suffer from the 'i-hate-my-job' syndrome, but no. I very much am in a profession which i thoroughly enjoy and look forward to every day. Well you see I'm a copywriter 9and a budding one at that too!) so in my profession, there is always a curiosity to look forward to, always an eagerness to do something new, something exciting something 'world-shattering !'. Well almost. What I just described is the dream job for any copywriter. But in the real world that we live in, well realities are sour! So to start off we have 'clients'. This species, i don't intend to inflict a wrong image of them by calling them species, but they truly deserve that! So, coming back to clients. They are the species that have evolved from the lowly trade of 'client servicing'. When they are a part of the agency, they slave. when they quit, they rule. Because then they get a chance to make the agency their slave and have some fun. To start off with, they give absurd timelines. Almost all their jobs are on fire, and lastly they feel their brand is the most powerful of all and hence, they own the creative.

Next in line is the agency. Not agency per se, but the people who work in it. Like your team. There will always be two sides to a coin, but certain people will try to be innovative and somehow try to make you realise that 'dude, you've been living in an illusion. the coin is one-sided!'. They will see to it that you start seeing the world from their eyes, all the time making a point to 'grow you into an individual creative mind'. (I really don't know if that made any sense!)

Anyhow, moving further. There are the higher creatives. the CDs, the Sr.CDs, the VPs, the ECDs and if your lucky, NCDs!! All this jargon, exists in real life. So don't get flabbergasted!

So coming to the point, i don't really know if copywriting is my forte, or is my true calling?! Well i certrainly enjoy writing, but i am still in a dilemma whether to continue in this profession or just go explore.

Just while thinking the other day, i felt a strong urge to just pack my bags, leave to anywhere and just ravel. Maybe become a travel journalist. Or maybe just a travel blogger. I would really love to write about places, people, FOOD, clothes, music, roads...anything for that matter. I don't know. But feel the urge.

So, to unravel the mysteries or just experiment for all you know, i'm going to blog about the city i live in. MUMBAI.

I know the city has been used, abused, battered and bruised, but honestly i feel every person has their own way of looking at things. Maybe mine are similar to a lot many, or maybe i just am following a trend, or whatever....but this is an urge that is definitely not going to be suppressed or undermined. It's a feeling and i'm going to make it good!

So...here it goes...'AN ODE TO THE CITY I HAVE COME TO LOVE....MAJHI MUMBAI!'