Poetries

I wrote this poem, influenced by the life of an accquaintance of mine suffering from Diabetes.

A Diabetics Despair

People gobbling those pastries
And Feasting on jalebis
Ahhh!!! Envy and Despair merge
When you suppress that urge

You reach home all drained out
Only to find your spouse
Baking cakes, Sweet Smell of which
Is enough for you to arouse

But then the excitement dampens
When something disheartening happens
“You forgot to take your dose !!”
She yells and you end up morose

A disdainful life, you wonder
Feels like you lost your thunder
Your thoughts full of Custard
But end up eating Mustard

You engage yourself for a while
Losing that youthful smile
A sinking feeling whispers
You still have to cover a thousand miles.

******************--------------------****************

This is an attempt to put in words my own experiences in the Local Trains of Mumbai. Ironically, Our trains carry more that five times their capacity and still they say India is not efficient. Just kiddin………

The Virar Local

Your eyes depicting impatience
Reading the tabloid with reluctance
But thoughts are immersed elsewhere
The Meetings started, and you are nowhere

You curse, you damn, you fret
And Dream of a private jet
But then you hear the sound
Of the local on which you are bound

A thousand feet step forward
Making space to leap inward
You wrestle your way through them
Ahh!!! Their grudges you may stem

You’re glad that you won a seat
Of the numerous contenders you could beat
Elderly and the weak paid penalty
The seat by the window assumed royalty

For a moment you felt delight
To have a seat until you alight
But the journey turned rather gross,
Somebody stood with his rear to your nose

You get accustomed to the stink
On thy neighbors shoulder, you sink
And enjoy the deepest slumber
Which infects your fellow members

The journey ends with a long break
A kind soul helps you to awake
Alighting, you hasten your pace in dismay
Only to be back in the grind another day

****************--------------*******************

The Downpour. - An Ode to 26th July 2005 - The day Mumbai's heartbeat stopped

Look here “Ma”, the tyres are under water
Shouted Pratik at the top of his voice
As we stood watching, Heavens turned rioter,
Didn’t spare anything, be it Maruti or Rolls Royce

The privileged stood dry in their lair
While the rest were drenched and bewildered
Wading in deep puddles of despair
Their shanties – not less than murdered

Frantic calls of desperate womenfolk
Their offspring stranded in temples of learning,
Nobody cared for the hapless livestock
A watery grave – their lives were a turning

Back in the house, as we played Scrabble
There were some brave outside fighting for life
Public Transport was a mess – he wouldn’t dabble
Struggling Pedestrians were a sight that was rife

The morning after saw a mixed bag of emotions
Students rejoiced with a BANDH announcement
Assessing their losses, Fathers got loose motions
A Bollywood script – churning joy with resentment

Walk down the street was an unforgettable sight
Death and Destruction after the merciless barrage
Forces of Nature reacted with all their might
Lively streets metamorphosed in a GARAGE

It left me wondering “ I was lucky to be alive”
Almighty above, for me, had a soft corner
Survival was something, I didn’t have to strive
My due respects to the inconsolable mourner

*************---------------***********************

If Life was a software

Working on my computer,
Sometimes it made me think,
If life was a software,
It would never stink

Imagine if u had a choice
To SELECT ALL happiest moments
COPY and PASTE it in the present
To put an end to your laments

Precious times with loved ones
If only you could INSERT
In BLANK DOCUMENTS of Life,
which seemed Inert

FORMAT those bland moments
With FONTS of beauty
And FILL it with Color
With a THEME full of gaiety

If HELP was at hand
At all those difficult instances
And TOOLS were always available
To bridge those distances

Imagine if you could UNDO
a terrible mistake
And REDO those shots,
Which were good at first-take

If Life was OLD VERSION
You could easily UPGRADE
If prompted for payment
A CRACK had it swayed

But sometimes I wonder
If untouched, life is better
Cos, a BLUE SCREEN could end it
And apologize for the ERROR

*******--------************

Glimpses of Kalaghoda 2009..

8th Feb 2009, ...Kalaghoda 2009 kindled the literary passion in me

Apart from the amazing installations and glitterati, Kalaghoda 2009 was an enlightening experience.

Attended a workshop on Pulp Fiction writers from all over india and was amazed at the literary & creative diversity being portrayed in their novels.

There was a presentation on cover designs of these novels by a group involved in translating and promoting indian regional pulp fiction writers in english. Right from the likes of Pattukottai Prabhakar to Surendra Pathak (revered gods of pulp fiction in south and north respectively) we were enlightened on their writing styles and content imagery. From frightening gothic images to nubile nymphets...the cover pages expressed varied thought dynamics.

The highlight of the day was the screenwriting workshop conducted by none other than Anuvab Pal and Manish Acharya (of "Loins of Punjab" and "The President is Coming" fame). The participants consisted of bankers, techies, advertising professionals etc all united by a common literary passion. The mentors provided food for thought through interactive discussions on scriptwriting citing spontaneous demonstrative acts from the audience. By the end of the session, we had our own group of budding scriptwriters who have decided to meet every alternate weekend to discuss & learn. If you are "our types" please consider an open invitation to join - http://groups.google.com/group/littybug

5th November 2008, ...All hail Obama..!!

"The black guy who CHANGED America"...would be how Obama like himself to be immortalized in history texts...

I caught his first public address, post being elected president, in Chicago today on TV. Hadnt seen so many "whites" cheering for a black guy ever since Micheal Jackson last performed. A Harvard Law Grad, i hope he brings some desperately needed Law and Order in the current crisis facing the American economy.

So..cheers to Obama & hope to see a new world order in the reckoning..

28th Sept 2008, ...this scene moves me to tears..again & again

I saw this scene from the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" for the 3rd time since the movie released and it never fails to moist my eyes...

Cant imagine the plight of the homeless salesman Chris Gardener (amazingly portrayed by Will Smith) & his son, forced to spend the night at a subway restroom. The heart rending scene begins when Chris talks his son out in spending the night at the restroom and covers his ears when there are people knocking the doors in the middle of the night. The apparent helplessness displayed in Chris's tears is enough to drive even the most apathetic person to sympathy.

View the scene here:

20th Sept 2008, ...A book about Business, Cricket and Religion

Enter into the lives of Govind, Ishaan and Omi - 3 cricket crazy friends from Ahmedabad. This engrossing story which starts off with a suicide attempt note, is set in the dark chapters of Gujrats recent past.

Through his characters, Chetan has personified events like the bhuj earthquake, godhra carnage and the india - australia test series (in 2000). Chetan has been successful in making you empathize with the lead protagonist and ponder on the issues dealt with in the novel.

Overall, an interesting read.

15th Sept 2008, ...Lehman Ko Le Liya, Merrill ko kha liya, AIG line mein hai...

Best of Luck to all my friends who are working with any of these cos directly/indirectly...

Am awaiting who's next...They say Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are also trying to save their asses.

There is this interesting "simple" diagram explaining the Subprime Crisis in the US (the cause for the current financial meltdown). You can find it here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Subprime_diagram.png

If any of you guys understand it, please explain me....Gosh, why do these Americans make things so difficult to understand? No wonder, they couldnt figure out this financial crisis approaching...:)

3rd Sept 2008, ...Zindagi mein kuch compromises to karne padte hain, sabhi karte hain...

This statement from Farhan Akhtar aka Aditya from "Rock On" keeps ringing in my ears, ever since i saw the most awaited movie of the season...

There are thousands of people across the world who would identify with the common dilemma facing the lead protagonist....."Are we really doing what we like doing the most?"

Lack of Support, Financial Issues, Family, Responsibilities, Fear of Failure etc etc ...deprive us of listening to our heart and living our dreams. The more "material" we get, the more we shy away from joys of life. Very few people in the world make a living doing what they like doing the most....

The movie approaches these issues beautifully and inspires us to never give up on dreams & old relationships.

So, Rock On my friend.....Zindagi Milegi naa Dobara...

14th Aug 2008, ...Wats the craziest thing you've done lately..?

There are some movies which you just watch for fun...and unexpectedly they leave you pondering on certain questions on life?

"The Girl Next Door" is one such movie. On the face of it, its another teen comedy.....with its own share of raunchy humor and college gags.
But...I could identify with the protagonist - Emile Hirsch in certain sequences. The movie revolves around an interesting romance of a nerdy college grad & Elisha Cuthbert (she is beauty personified). But thats not the part I am identifying with...:)
There is a scene in which his girlfriend asks him "So whats the craziest thing you've done lately?" and he doesnt have any answer to it (Hes lived a plain nerdy uninteresting life so far). He does have an answer by the end of the movie though...and thats whats the fun part.

By the end of the movie, i realized Its great to have friends who make you try different things, however wild they are...you should give it a shot atleast once...and remove all inhibitions.

Trust me...being from a fairly conservative background, i have had my share of reluctance.. and believe me its not good. It makes you more of a closed persona in the long run...

So..go ahead..ask yourself "Whats the craziest thing you've done lately?"..& if u dont have an answer...you did better have one soon.

Here is a beautiful song from the Movie Soundtrack (2004 release..catch it on DVD)

6th July 2008, ...Moved by the movie "The Bucket List"

Have you wondered if you were told that you have only 6 months left to live, how would you like to spend it?......

No...I aint trying to freak you out....but the movie "The Bucket List" has some pointers on the situation. You would like to read a quick synopsis of the movie here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bucket_List

If somebody's baritone enjoys an equivalent status in Hollywood when compared to the likes of "Big B" in Bollywood, then it has to be Morgan Freeman. That guy just forces you to think, to ponder about things you havent given a serious thought earlier.

I am starting to make my bucket list...even though luckily, i am not in the same boat as these guys were in the movie.

Here is a beautiful song sung by John Mayer as a soundtrack for this movie

24th April, 2008: 3 days of Bliss in Mumbai..

If you are a Mumbaiite and travel by your own vehicle, you would probably understand what I am trying to say.

Yeah!!..the autorickshaw strike is a boon in disguise....for 3 days, Mumbai would be free of 70% of its traffic problems..:)

I was ecstatic when i found that at 9:15 am the usually crammed Andheri Kurla road was surprisingly empty....
And for once, i reached lokhandwala within 15 minutes from home...(which normally takes atleast 45 minutes)

So..comrades....enjoy this new found freedom on the road..till it lasts..

12th April, 2008: Swinging to "Tengo La Camisa Negra"

I first heard this song 2 months back in my spanish class. Cant get out of my head since then.

I was exploring youtube today to my hearts content and chanced upon its energy filled video. The song is beautifully sung by Juanes and makes u wanna jive to its beats.Interestingly the song has a very sad meaning, but is a rage at discotheques. You can get the english translation of the lyrics here :http://www.allthelyrics.com/forum/topic-juanes_tengo_la_camisa_negra_translated_into_english/
You have to hear it to believe it. I am offering you a sneak preview here

Check it out..:)

22nd March, 2008: 3rd Visit to Amby Valley..:)

This place personifies luxury. Right from the time you enter its pearly gates, the overwhelming statue of "Bharatmata" greets you (see pic). It marks the beginning of something you have never seen in India before....After that, everything you experience delights your senses. The lavish reception, the bridge, the man-made lakes, the enchanting gardens, balmy mountain breeze, its own version of "banaras ghat", the envious chalets, the "biggest" gym i have ever seen...etc...

You have to see it to believe it. I am offering you a glimpse of paradise through some pics here. Check it out..:)

17th Feb, 2008: An exhibit thats food for creative thought...

On a cousins invitation, I visited an exhibit of fine arts conducted by Rachana Sansad's Students at their campus.

Must say, i was totally overawed by the creative intellect showcased in their projects. There were mindblowing Print AD's, storyboards, TVC's, illustrations etc for brands like Heinz, Zipouch, CRY etc...Some of them i have put up in my album..take a peek

I was surprised to find that these creative geniuses didnt have a proper placement program at the end of their final year. Well...always keen on giving advice, i suggested their team to form a portfolio of their work, visit some advtsg agencies, invite them to campus and set the ball rolling.

It was really sad to see such high quality creative work going unnoticed. I hope these guys get their dues for hardwork.

Cheers

15th Feb, 2008: ACT! by SAGE. Salespeople swear by it. Not at it...:)

The number one contact management solution in the world. Log on to http://www.act.com/ for more details.

Yeah..you guessed it right.. .it is a blatant product promotion drive goin on here.

If you are:

- in sales or managing a business depending on a lot of customer contacts

- you have long sales cycles and

- you wanna know your sales team productivity in real time.....

then you should'nt think twice. Go ahead, buy this app.

I am involved in sales for this amazing product. I have personally seen productivity levels of sales teams rise ten fold after using this application. You will get a real time view of all your customer contacts, leads, activities, contact history and sales team performance in a single dashboard.

If you wanna know more about the product then you know whom to call....:)

Cheers

13th Februaury 2008: Increase in Mobile Penetration is leading to increase in Employee Attrition rates.

There's a good friend of mine who has just recently switched jobs. Not that he was unhappy with his previous job, but the offer he got was too good to refuse. The culprit (which made him change his job) was his cellphone.

Ever since he graduated from B-School and started work, he had been inundated with Interview calls on his cellphone. Even after removing his resume from job portals, he used to get calls. One such call got him an offer which was too good to to be true (in terms of both - profile and remuneration). He was barely 6 months old in the industry and is already working in his 3rd company.

I just happened to ask my bro...(who is quite elder to me) ...Did he get frequent calls by headhunters when he started off? The reply was a strict no...cos there were not many mobile connections back then to reach to the candidate. The headhunters had to pass messages through family/friends etc and hoped that it got to the right ears.

There are other factors too...like internet, job portals etc who are responsible for increase in attrition rates...but none of them would be as successful if it was not for the "Mobile Phone".

Cheers