On Our Wedding Days...

This one is for my gang...It may not make sense to others...but still... These days my group is expanding. Some have already got married and some are about to get married. So compiling some thoughts and ideas about how each one of us would act on his/her wedding day...
Every shaadi related discussion has to start with Venky...That's the rule you see.

Venky...post shaadi..khana khate waqt.."amazing khana yaar...--- worth hai bey...seriously yaar"
Viju...in between vidhis...stops panditji and asks..." tumhi kuthe rahta? Dombivalila? are waah :) mi pan dombivalila rahto..." panditji n viju continue talking on Dombivali leaving the bride confused...n if the bride is also from Dombivali tab to shaadi ka vidhi raha bajume...
Akshay...in between vidhis..with his stylish cam clicks pics of bride...pandit and everyone.. relieving photographer from his duties...
Kau...vidhis going on n suddenly ppl find out that groom is missing...dhundanke baad pata chalta hai the groom is on terrace enjoying beautiful scenic view and totally engrossed in thinking...
Nadu...vidhis going on...groom is there and everything else is missing :D post shaadi khana khate waqt bride ko gulabjam khilane ki baari aayegi tab nadu pehle ek khud khayega..ek use khila dega, fir uske haath se ek khayega and bolega "Uncle...2 gulabjam aur chaiye..."
Mani...in between vidhis...trying hard to keep a smiling face and thinking...kitna time chalega ye sab???
Chatu...fullll enthu...almost hopping in feras with joy...n bichme hi moonwalk bhi kar lega
Arun...sab acche bacchoke tarah vidhi follow karega...bride ko green lantern ka ring dega...and in between vidhis mails ko reply bhi karega "...'Sent from my BlackBerry' likhke...
Ram...will be in casuals..straight from the football ground and post shaadi lunch me will be seen eating all by himself than offering a bite to reks...
Amol...panditji tells him to do something and pande does it wrong way...instantly he realizes the mistake and bites his tounge....turns to bride n says.."OMG..bhari tadpa re mai..."
Neeta...all 7 feras in a time period of 3.5 feras...fast forward me
Suman...shaadi ke bich me panditji mantra bol rahe hai and jaise hi camera dikha suman mantra chhodke camera me dekhke smile kar rahi hai...
Shalu...shaadi ke baad ka khana...sab log khana khatm karke uthne ke liye ready n shalu fir bhi dheere dheere khana khatm kar rahi hai...
Ami...vidhi ke bich me..phone pe.."...haa kya? kya pakaya?? accha sun mai tujhe baad me call karti hu..meri na shaadi ho rahi hai abhi..."
Dips...while taking feras...somebody cracks a joke...may be on the lines of "..wo virus ko bahar nikal (3 idiots)..." and dhadaaaaamm...dips haste haste nich baith gayee in between feras...
Reks...reks spots one of us clicking picks and says..." areyy sunn...kisiko cam de de na..aur tu bhi aa ja pic me.." she may actually tell this to the photographer as well :)
Averil...father asking averil.." Do u take ___ as your lawfully wedded husband?" and averil taking her time while playing with her strands....thinking..thinking..n still thinking...until the guy shows all symptoms of nervous attack...
Saru...panditji asking her to repeat some mantras after him and she saying.."nahi nahi...mi evadhech mhananar..." and then keeping quite...
And in the end its me...in between vidhis..panditji tries to wind up the procedure by skipping some vidhis...n I give a nasty look to the pandit indicating "..u better complete all the vidhis...varna..."

25 Things I keep in my mind…

Every year this time around I indulge myself in memories. I can’t term it as introspection as such. Because it’s not about analyzing my deeds but I spend some time in recollecting some good as well as some not so good memories. And every year outcomes or I should say flow of outcome surprises me. Memories, things associated with them are almost same. But every year my point of view about them changes. And I keep learning something new out of them. I take forward those things as carried forward balance and try to amortize loss making propositions. (Blame it on the finance manager in me) Here I am trying to put forward 25 such things in no particular order. Why 25? Well… you can say I like that number :D

1. Use words carefully… they do wonders if used properly. And they can cost you big if you neglect their power.
2. Respect your professors… even if you don’t understand what your professor is teaching, don’t think that the professor doesn’t know how to teach. Patient listening of what he is trying to say will fetch you something or other.
3. Be on time… I know it doesn’t fit into our famous concept of Indian Standard Time. But it’s something which pleases the person you are meeting. One who respects time is respected by time.
4. Happiness and sorrows cannot be compared... Only because they cannot be measured. So there is nothing like “‘I am happier than you.” Or “My worries are more than yours” etc.
5. Understand your parents’ point of view… parents are protective about us. Try to slip in their shoes to understand why.
6. Keep quite when you lose temper… that saves you from hurting people around you by your words.
7. If something really bad is happening then stay assured that something really good is in making.
8. Sincere efforts can move the heaviest rock...There is nothing in this world which cannot be conquered with the help of sincere efforts.
9. Keep updating yourself with the things happening around you. It helps you in staying connected with the world.
10. Value every relationship in life...May it be personal or professional.
11. Don’t expect anything from friends and family... Unfulfilled expectations add bitterness to the relation.
12. Cherish the taste of food you eat. Feel it before you eat it. The fragrance you smell, the color you see and the taste you savor make the dish ever so special and leaves you satisfied after eating.
13. Ego and self-esteem are two different things... Ego hurts others and Self-esteem protects you from getting hurt by others.
14. Go an extra mile when you want to do something for your loved ones... That shows your level of affection towards them.
15. Know your audience...Not only while doing a presentation but also while sharing your thoughts and emotions.
16. Admire the beauty of nature... It makes you understand the depth of beauty in simplicity.
17. When you feel like giving up start working double harder...That’s what I have learnt from my IT professor. It helped a lot in every tough situation.
18. Know when to stop...Sometimes letting go is the necessity of an hour.
19. Never break anybody’s trust...It’s a kind of offense which can never be forgiven or forgotten.
20. Don’t judge people especially if you yourself don’t like to get judged.
21. Value your ethics... Stick to them even when giving up them seems an attractive option. It helps you standing tall when everything else falls apart.
22. No two people are same... So things which are applicable to one person may not suit the other person at all.
23. Listen to your friends in their down times... Even if you can’t help them in any other way, this can still be a great help.
24. Try to be perfect in everything in you do. But don’t get obsessed with the idea of perfection.
25. In company of friends don’t think about staying alone. And while you are alone don’t think that I should have got my friends with me now. Live more in every moment.

Its over…

Its over…and I can do nothing. I don’t want it to end. Not like this. It started just few days back and now its over. This has never happened before. And I am clueless, puzzled, not ready to do anything new and God knows what… The only question in my mind…WHY?

Last few days were indeed some of the best days of my life. I didn’t expect them to be like that. (And whatever u get without expecting, gives u immense amount of joy. The same happened with me.) I remember the days just before it started. I had no time to think. The momentum was only increasing. All analytical engines of brains were working day and night. So much so that I forgot there is some emotional side of me also. Everything around me was logical. And then the momentum went off. I started enjoying the illogical things. My analytical engines were still working but in their own style (In no hurry). I was actually being pampered. Now that I’m looking back at those 7 days, I remember each and every moment. Moments which I would want to last for a long time…those musical notes…those cool breezes and hot sips of coffee…those nights full of dreams…those days when I was treated with my favorite food, books…those moments when my heart was overriding my brains…

And now that it has ended like this, all I can see is a fresh start. I have to move on. So what if I won’t be able to sleep peacefully anymore? So what if I won’t feel like eating on time? So what if my brains will overshadow my heart? I have to keep these emotions aside and start working…with a whole new perspective. What I am going to do, I still don’t know. But I’ll find it out very soon.

Yes…Its over… My 7 days long vacation is over. And I'm going back to my college :-)

Rickshaw

Any weekday morning…
Time: 8.00- 9.30 am
Place: outside my colony…

Scene: 10-12 office going people, getting late for office… standing away from each other at different strategic places (nakas)… desperately waiting for an auto… one auto comes…
everybody: “ rickshaw…auto”
autowala goes wrrrummm…
ppl waiting for auto: “ye rickshaw wale bhi na…ek time pe milta nahi…ab mera train chhut jayega.."
people start walking towards station which is 3-4 km away…in hope of getting a bus or rick or a lift…
I am also one of these frustrated people. Suddenly from nowhere a rick comes..I manage to get hold of it…
I ask “station?” …Reply “nahi”…again I ask “cidco?” reply “nahi”…”kopri? (Station east)” reply “nahi”… with frustrated yet very cold face I ask in my normal voice “ to bhaisaab aap kaha jayenge? Mujhe batao , mai bich me kahi utar jaungi.jarurat to hum logoko hai.. aap to bahut upkar kar rahe hai hume aapki ki rickshaw me bithake…” dunno how, but feeling bit ashamed of this reality he agrees to drop me near station. I thank god for making that rickshaw-wala to stop near me and for making me to keep cool…

Everyday same thing happens at various places in thane with some changes here and there. Anytime, any moment you ask them for a place and most of them will straight away reject your request. I think one should keep the actual place on 2nd rank in their list n should ask abt any random place first. Because probability of rejection is 0.95.

Rickshaw…the inseparable part of my life. Staying at a place outside the city for past 11 years has made me to depend upon these ricks n rickshaw-walas. In my bro’s words “thanyatil rickshaw chalak-malak sanghatanechi mi aajanm sabhasad aahe” (lifetime member of rick union)

In this span of 11 years I have came across thousands of auto-drivers…everyone is different from another. Of course I don’t remember each one of them by face. But somehow if I sit in one rick more than once, then I do realize that I have traveled using this rick before. Though I don’t search for any special things in rick, but usually a photo, a saying, a different shaped mirror catches my attention. I remember, I used to go to ram maruti road for tution when I was in 9th std…that time I managed to get a particular auto 2-3 times in a single week…that auto driver never talked with me..then I forgot abt that person… after that almost 6 yrs later, one morning I got the same auto.. I cudnt recognize that driver… when I was getting down, he asked me “ tai aata ram maruti roadla nahi jaat ? aadhi tumhi tithe classla jaychat na?” I was so surprised to know that the auto driver recognised me after 6 long years…I said “ ho. Tevha class la jayche.aata engineering karate.” He said “ chhan.khup mothya vha.” N then he disappeared in the traffic. I tried every bit to capture his face in my memory. N then told myself , next time I’ll meet the same person, I guess he’ll only ask me “tai engineering jhale ka?”

Now that I’m writing abt these ppl, so many things r coming in my mind. Had some very good experiences with them n some very bad too. sometimes had debates on rick rates, sometimes had discussions on various topics ranging from rains, municipality, politics to reservations, riots…some kept mum, some talked a lot…some were honest, some were cheaters…having both the parents working in RTO, I used to rattofy all the tariffs, n used to fight for every single extra rupee the driver used to demand…so many memories I have… but have to restrict myself. Else I can go on and on.. this topic as I said, is an inseparable part of my life…