So much to say...

So much to say....

My new year resolution of posting minimum posts on face book has changed things for me. Its help me do different things in life. I have started trying my hands on cooking, reading and playing pc games at times (still gives pleasure to me). But more importantly it has changed me as a person. The extremism that these social networking was inculcating in me has probably come down. This was the main reason for the reduced posts.  But then over last few weeks I was feeling I need to take my thoughts out on topics about which I did generally on the Face Book.

So what are those topics I have divided in this blog in four parts
Cricket, Movies, Elections and General.


Cricket

Last time I posted on Facebook India was struggling and that has not changed. What I find is its a team with talent but no aggression. Its a team with that is under performing and mostly disappointing their talent more than anything.

Is there anything that can be changed ?

Perhaps Coach as most starting with Sunny said. I say possibly have a better search for good bowlers and groom them. Have an exclusive bowling coach. A Srinath or then why not a Mcgrath. BCCI can afford the best. For general discipline to get in a Dravid can do wonders...hopefully the selection panel would think on this....

Movies

Last time I posted on Facebook we were seeing some big movies to do well. For instance Gunday or then Gulaab Gang. Both bombed for good. What worked was non conventional cinema. I happened to watch only one movie but it was the best I seen in a very long time. Fandry...just awesome...its a slap on the face of society that includes me. If you saw Fandry and you did not feel the slap on your face you are probably insensitive to the problems.

Election

Aah the big one. Kejriwal was set to do wonders the last time I posted on Facebook. But it was too end in an anti climax. My two cents for every political party and to the people who are generally seen debating over the internet.

Be loyal to India, to your ideology, be loyal to the vision, not to a Modi, Rahul or Arvind, or a Mamta or Jaya... This is not their problem, this is a problem in them. We worship these leaders like GOD.  I see people more upset when they see some one comment against their favorite leader. But how many of us get upset when the driver from a car opens his windshield and spits on the road. How many of us gets upset when we see a shop keeper asking to forget about the receipts so he can save taxes,

Rather why are we not upset with ourselves for not able to stick to these principles. Believe me no GOD is going to save this country. Its only we and we alone together can do it.

Whom should I vote then ? Vote anybody and have good reasons for it. Keep the reasons to yourself. You are not required to defend them in public that serves no good. Influence people to follow the laws, to keep our city clean, to help each other. Stop wasting time in canvasing for parties our your favorite leader. They have man power and money to do it themselves.

What should parties do ?
Stop playing hatred politics. This message mainly for AAP whom I truly think can do these changes. WHY ? Because they are new, the clay is still wet. They can shape it more easily. AAP is trying to work on a plan to have a larger impact on the 2014 election. But lets look beyond May 16. AAP can come with a structure. Assign one person for every lok sabha constituency. Every assembly ward, every small section. Have a structure, of people who work for the citizens. They help them solve their problems over the years. Make these faces known to general public. So when the next election comes instead of telling what wrong others did you stand up and tell what right you are doing all these years. AND THAT IS ALTERNATIVE POLITICS...

General

Generally I feel  we need to all get more social than on social network. I did a trek, went out on small trips. I sit with my family more often like before. When I get up in the morning I am not thinking why my posts don't have likes or have them been read or not. I am not arguing or differing on sites with people.

I am using internet as a slave than let it master me.... try this out...keep yourself out of facebook, whatsapp for a while..walk out to the street see that newspaper boy, see that bus conductor...observe the ticket checker...they all are posting some thing and they all are real...stop creating an Avatar on the facebook (like this is the guy who supports this party, this cricketer, this kind of life etc) and be flexible. At times be yourself...at times be just opposite of what you can ever be...even if you cannot paint take a brush and just rubs some lines. Even if you cannot sing, just say any song close to your heart...and when you are about to sleep don't see what was the last post on facebook...open a dairy and list down what good you did today, how you made some one else happy...

Where to start from ?

....it is the most difficult question, but a question that needs an answer. 2014 election is coming and is coming soon.

No this blog is not to advertise about any party my personal views about any party is not something I would like to highlight here.



go to any news site, any news paper any blogs it seems the whole battle it between the political parties the candidates proposed by them. But honestly the battle is between us. No it is not between ideologies.

Government needs to provide the facilities that the citizens deserve. They have a job to do. We have a job to elect the right people to do the job. Yeah none of the above is a new button added but every time
you press that button it means you have lost trust in all the candidates.

This blog is for all of those who wants to press the none of the above button. You have still a few months ahead. Request to not just wake up from sleep and go to the booth and press that button. That won't help anyone and that least cannot make you any proud citizen.

Then what to do ? Yes where to start from.

1. Find if you are registered voter. your journey to press the none of the above button might even end before it starts if you are not registered,
2. Yes, I am register, now meet the local representative of each party, hold on what ?

Sharp Turn

..................this cell phone, amazingly unscratched and this purse." the police said. He had no expression on his face. Sakharam picked up the plastic bag and walked away. He called for a cab. He was accompanied by his childhood friend Santosh. Both got into the cab. Santosh slowly opened the bag and switched on the cell phone. Santosh started traversing through different sections and landed into the video gallery. Sakharam watched what Santosh was doing. In between he gave directions to the cab driver. Sakharam looked out for an overtaking truck. It was carrying hens, he held his hand on his nose as the truck was exhaling a bad smell. Suddenly he heard some noises, he looked towards Santosh it was from the cell phone. A video was playing. The video showed a boy in his early 20s. He was smoking cigar. The boy smiled every time he looked at the camera and then exhaled out smoke making various shapes from it. 

                     Sakharam's cell phone started ringing, Santosh paused the video on the cell phone he was holding. "Hello, yes sister, no he is alright.....I am going...yes I talked with him... you don't worry...no...you don't have to come...I will bring him to you..." Santosh looked at Sakharam in astonishment. Sakharam touced the cell phone button to resume the video. The boy in the video said "Janardan is my name, smoking is my game...." the boy inserted 10 cigars at one time into his mouth and he then lit all them" Santosh and Sakharam watched closely, they could hear people clapping around. The video got over, the cab took a sharp turn making Santosh almost fall over Sakharam.

                     "Sir..50Rs.." Santosh paid the money and both men got out of the cab. They walked towards the newly built building. There were not many people, but Sakharam and Santosh had to put some efforts making there way, to go to the first floor. The woman across the table said "What is the name?" Sakharam was wiping the sweat off his forehead. Santosh replied "Janardan..." The woman started looking into the book. After a few seconds she looked up towards an anxious Sakharam and Santosh. She said pointing towards a table "Please sit there, I will call you.." They followed the instructions. Santosh pulled the cellphone out and played another video. 

                     Sakharam looked towards video and then again towards the counter to see if the woman calls them. In the new video Janardan was swimming in a well. His friend was shooting from out side the well. Janardan's head was the only thing visible from the water. It was a deep well. Just then one of his friend jumped from the wall of the well. "Hello.." the woman cried, Sakharam walked to the counter. "This is Nandu.." A boy was standing next to the woman. He yawned and showed his blackened teeth. Sakharam looked towards Nandu. "Nandu please take him with you..", the woman said. Sakharam followed Nandu. Santosh ran towards them to catch up. Nandu looked at  Santosh and said "Sir, one is enough." A disappointed Santosh sat back on the same bench. He started another video.

                     This time Janardan was seen standing on a train bogie. Some one was shooting him as he stood on the bogie and smoked. The train started to move, but Janardan smoked calmly. He then threw the cigar down." Nandu had taken Sakharam inside now. Sakharam was rubbing his palms to generate heat. Nandu opened another door and pointed towards something.

                      Santosh looked closely in the video, Janardan was now running on top of the bogie he was jumping from one bogie of the train to the other. His friends cheered. Suddenly he fell down, out of fear his friends screamed. The cell phone slipped down into darkness. The only noise that could be heard after that was of the train.......Sakharam screamed and ran out of the mortuary, he was almost paralyzed after seeing the dead body of Janardan in pieces..........

A journey to find her.....................10

 Arun saw a person making tea at a corner. He looked at Kimaya and asked "Tea?" She smiled and agreed. Both walked to the tea vendor and ordered 2 half cup tea. Arun only looked at her as she slowly sipped the hot tea. Kimaya said "Life cannot be predicted, a few weeks back we met when I was still a dependent woman at the mercy of my parents, and now when I meet you, I am probably reborn as a new person" Arun interrupted her and said "Aren't you worried that your parents be tensed about you leaving the house this way?" Her eyes got moist and she said "Maa....I don't miss anyone else..." Arun felt bad seeing her in pain.

                              He looked at his watch he had another 10 mins. They walked to the station the train had just arrived. Arun and Kimaya sat on the same chair which Arun was on some time back. Arun ran behind Kimaya and in that spur of moment he left his diary on the seat. Kimaya had the diary in her hand now and was reading it. Arun could not stop her as she went through every page and tears dropping on to the diary. She looked with her wet eyes towards Arun and said "Is this your diary?" Arun wanted to react, but he was shocked. Kimaya's voice had changed, it was more manly. She repeated "is this your diary?" in the same manly tone. Then she kept one hand on his shoulder and shook him.

                               Arun was awake. He saw the diary in the man's hand, he was shaking him. Arun had slept on the chair while looking towards the ceiling. Arun  looked around and he was still in a semi awaken state. He got up, picked up his bag and pulled the diary from the man's hand. He then walked to a lonely wash basin and washed his face. Just then he heard the train making its way to the station from darkness.

                               Arun got into his berth. As the train was about to leave, he heard some one getting in the train. There was some chaos at the doors. He looked out and saw a girl with an elderly woman walking towards his berth. Arun smiled at both the woman. They placed their bags and sat across his seat. "These coolies, I tell you... the girl said looking at Arun and other fellow passengers..." Arun looked away outside the window. He slept resting his head over the window. 

                               When he got up it was early morning. He had slept a lot more than he had expected. "You slept a lot son....must be tired.." the elder woman said. "We will reach Delhi in some time..." Her daughter got back to the seat, and then the woman walked away. The girl smiled at Arun and said "You write well, I am sorry I saw this diary and although one should not read other's diary I was not feeling sleepy so I....I am sorry...very sorry.." Arun was still trying to make sense of what was happening around. "You read the diary...." The girl showed a guilty face and said "Yes, I did..." Arun adjusted himself on the seat, his leg was asleep being in one position. He then asked the girl "What do you think of the story?" The girl smiled now and said "Its incomplete...." Arun yawned and said "How do you think it should complete?" The girl said "I don't know...but both Arun and Kimaya should have met...." Arun then asked what is your name "My name is Lalita." Arun got up and walked to the washroom.  When he walked back both Lalita and her mother were packing their bags. "Do you live in Delhi?" Arun answered "yes, I am a professor in Delhi University"

                                Lalita's mother looked at him and said "Lalita has got a job in Delhi so we are now going to live there. I lost my husband at an early age and that made me get out of the house and work. Lalita now works and takes care of me" Both women looked at each other and smiled.At the Delhi station Arun bid farewell to the two women. Arun then slowly walked towards the rickshaw near the Delhi station that would take him back home. While he walked he wondered what the journey was about. Was it about finding a girl? Was it finding himself?" The characters he met from the old watch man  outside the hostel. The hostel warden, Kimaya's mother, the rickshaw drivers that though poor had a unique happiness on their faces. The man who neighbored the author. All of them were in front of him. And the last was an image of Lalita and her mother. Two women who were forced to work in the man's world out of no choice. Kimaya was some where but Arun had decided to not find her any more..........she was a dream....and dreams are to be forgotten. 

                                Vijay was well dressed and so was his wife. They got out of the  car, which Vijay had recently bought with two garlands in their hand. They climbed the stairs and walked into a small room. The lawyer was sitting on his chair. To the lawyer's left was Lalita and her mother while to his right was Arun smiling. Arun and Lalita were going to have a register marriage. After the small meeting in the train they bumped into each other a lot more. Arun started to visit their small house in Delhi. Lalita was an understanding woman, Arun thought, he deiced to marry her. The mother and daughter would live with him in his house.

                                 Vijay and his wife were happy for Arun. After a few months of the marriage, once Arun was reading a news paper. A certain girl has started a business in Nagpur with a group of rural woman. Her name was Kimayal. For a while Arun thought, just then Lalita got out of the kitchen and saw Arun in thoughts. She saw the newspaper and picked it to read the news. She looked at Arun squinting her eyes. Arun smiled and took her hand. He then said "My journey to find her got over with you.....and i love you......" Lalita only smiled in return.....................................

A journey to find her...............9

 .............so after all his assumptions had gone wrong, Arun sat on the Howrah station. A needless and fruitless journey to Calcutta had come to an end. As he sat on the station for the train that would take him to Delhi he wished he could forget everything that had happened. But then he thought he rather record this unfinished stupid journey he had been on. He took out a diary and started noting down everything that happened from the time he met Kimaya.

                     His train to Delhi was another 2 hours away. But he did not want to go to any other place. The visit to the jail was useless too. First the authorities did not allow him to meet the author. But later when they did the author showed no interest in his questions. She took Arun to be a reporter whom she did not wish to give any interview.

                     Arun was still positive that Kimaya took the bold step to leave her house because the author's writing was thought provoking for a woman of Kimaya's thinking. And then the author mentions clearly at the end of her book, asking woman to visit her so she can guide them to an independent life. Arun had taken a chance and had failed. After an hour when he had wrote the last part of his journey he kept the diary besides on the seat and rested his head on the chair. He looked up and he could see an unclean ceiling of the station. A fan that was rotating at a very slow speed. He closed his eyes for a while and he saw her again. Kimaya sitting across the seat. Her voice, her eyes and her departure from the train, all the scenes were fresh. 

                     Arun opened his eyes and got angry on himself for not able to get the girl out of his head. He looked at the other direction and in a distance he saw a blur image. Arun looked at the other direction and then looked back at the exit. He picked up the bag that he had placed near by and started running. Soon he was out of the station. He looked around and then started running towards the road, he was breathing heavily by the time he had crossed the road. He entered the building he had a few visited hours back and now raced to the same floor he had been too.

                     She was knocking the door but the door was locked. Arun almost out of breath said "She is not here...." Kimaya looked towards him. Kimaya quickly replied back "Where is she?" "She is arrested." Kimaya sat on the stairs. Arun sat next to her. "Why. What happened?" Kimaya asked. Arun said with a smile on his face "She took part in a protest against the government leading to riots with the police and..." Kimaya had an angry look "What is to smile in that?" Arun could not hide his happiness of meeting Kimaya, after all his assumptions were not all wrong. She got up and said "God...I need to meet her...." Kimaya started to walk downstairs.

                      Arun followed her. After following her for some time, he said loudly "You don't remember me..." Kimaya turned around with her eyes fixed on Arun. "You are the...O so sorry, didn't we meet....right...now I know...nice to meet you..." Arun moved ahead and said "Arun..." Kimaya walked away from him and said "Well! How come you are here?" Arun looked at her she was wearing a lemon green saree, her hair neatly tied, ""hello" Kimaya said. 

                       Arun smiled and then said "I was here for some work, and I wanted to meet the lady who wrote such an inspiring book, so I visited this building some hours back and found out that she is arrested and all..." Kimaya frowned hearing it and said "I know, its such a bad luck, but I have to meet her." Arun cut her in between and said "So what are you doing here Gayatri, you lived in Bombay right?" Kimaya said "Gayatri?" Arun replied "Isn't that your name?" Kimaya walked close to him and said "Did I say that last time, I am so sorry Arun....just did not want to give my real identity to a stranger..my real name is Kimaya...and I have just shifted to this city for work...I got a job a few days back...but I had to meet the woman who inspired me to take a step of getting out of the house and stay independent in this men's world...I actually ran away from my house a few weeks back...but this was after we met....had a fight with my Dad...took a decision...by God's grace..everything turned out to be well....." Arun acted surprised hearing Kimaya.

                       But what next? Arun thought, his train was another hour from now. Kimaya clapped to get Arun out of his thoughts. "Arun, I asked how long are you in the city.." Arun replied "...another 50 mins and then I take the train from the station..." Kimaya smiled and said "I think I will come back later in the week and hope I meet her then....ok...I also need to take a train......" Kimaya and Arun walked towards the station.............................

A journey to find her............8

 .............it was cloudy but humid. The train stopped and Arun was out on the Howrah station.He carried a small bag in one hand. A copy of the book that brought him to the city was peaking from his shirt pocket. Arun walked towards a rickshaw and asked the driver "Will you take me to this address?" He flashed the last page of the book. The driver smiled and said "May be you are new to this place. This place is right across the road." The reply brought a big smile on Arun's face.

                  He crossed the congested road. It was an old building. As he entered the building and started walking up the stair it made a squeaky voice. Arun wondered how a woman living in such a building can help other women. He knocked on the door, there was no answer. He knocked hard this time.

                  "Hello Sir!" Arun moved back after hearing the voice. But then he looked down at the door it was locked. Now he looked around to find the voice. It was a man wearing no shirt, just shorts. He was brushing his teeth with black charcoal. "Sir, madam is not here.." Arun smiled at the man. He walked towards him and said "Do you know when she will return? I have some important work."

                   The man spat out from the balcony. Arun did not like it and showed his unrest by tweaking his nose. "Sir, she is arrested.." "What?" Arun reacted and continued "But why?". The man took some water in his mouth and started to gargle. He then spat the water out and said "Sir, she is an author, may be you know but lately she had joined the communist. They were protesting against the government and its policies. The protest turned to riots between the police and the rioters. All of them were arrested. She was one of them. Brave woman, but I don't agree protesting against Indira, she is also a woman. Whom do you support?"

                    Arun started to walk away upset. While he walked down using the same stairs, the man screamed "Sir, she is arrested and imprisoned at the Alipore Jail." Arun felt bad, he should have thanked the man. He looked upwards and screamed back "Thank you.." The man waved his hand to bid farewell.

                     Arun got out on the road and walked to the rickshaw. It was the same driver "Sir, you did not get what you needed?" Arun was happy to see the friendly nature of the driver. "Friend I need to go to  Alipore Jail. Do you know the way?" The driver now showed a concerned look. "That is really far about 13 miles. Take a bus. Arun followed as his new friend suggested. It was after another hour that he reached the jail.

                      Arun walked to the office out side the jail to take an appointment. While he walked he wondered about the amount of assumptions that he had made. His big assumption being that the girl has travelled to calcutta to meet this author. The second being the the author knows where Kimaya is. The third being that the author will speak to him about Kimaya, after all she ran away she might have asked to keep her identity secret. After knowing the author is in jail, Arun came to meet her again assuming that she will talk to him in the jail about a certain girl that he probably likes a lot. His intelligent brain had boycotted him long back he thought. But he continued to walk giving a deaf ear to his apprehensions...............

A journey to find her..................7

 ............Vijay was tired after the days work. He relaxed on the couch listening to the evening show on the radio. Some one knocked on the door. Vijay got up from his seat and walked to open the door. When he opened the door he saw a thin man, with fat glasses standing in front of him smiling. Vijay smiled back. "Yes, how can I help you?" Vijay asked. "I am Suresh, Arun and I met in Bombay a week back during the conference. I was to come to Delhi so he sent a letter with me for you, here it is....." Suresh handed the letter to Vijay. It was sealed in an envelope. Vijay was confused. He suddenly realized that he had not asked Suresh to come in. "Please come in, so we can talk in detail, I have been worried about Arun for the last few days"

                 Suresh frowned and said "Sorry, I cannot, I have to leave for a very important work, in fact I am already late. Arun had requested me to give this letter and since I promised him then...." Suresh left. Vijay got back to his seat. There was a sense of excitement and concern in his mind. He switched off the radio. There were a thousand thoughts running in his mind. Vijay pulled his glasses that he used for reading.

                 After five minutes into the letter there was another knock on the door.Vijay was upset this time since he did not want to leave the letter. He briskly walked to the door and opened it. It was his wife. She was carrying a bag full of vegetables. Vijay pulled it from her hand and kept it aside. He then pulled her hand and asked her to sit on the couch. "What?" his wife complained. "Remember I told you about Arun and that he had gone to Bombay to find a girl.." "Right I remember that..." Vijay's wife cut him off and said.

                 "Arun sent a letter through a friend of his, I was reading that, the girl actually gave him a fake name. But that is not the end, he later found out that the girl is missing.." "O! Then where is he now." Vijay's wife asked. Vijay said "Yes that is what I was about to read when you entered. "Please read loudly" Vijay started to read the letter loudly "...I was sitting at gateway wondering what I can do. I decided to leave for Delhi but something in me kept on saying that I should find out about the girl. The next day I visited her home." Vijay and his wife exchanged looks.

                 Vijay continued reading "She is from a rich family. But the people were not good with me. Her father was least interested in talking with me. Her brother asked me many questions but did not tell me why his sister left the house. I was not happy with the treatment but I still wanted to know why is she missing. Her father and brother left the house, asking the girl's mother to answer the rest of my questions. Her mother was a nice woman. She explained me everything. Some of the things I had already predicted, had come true. Basically the girl's father wanted her daughter to get married. But Kimaya, well that is her name as I found out in the newspaper wanted to work. Even in today's age its disheartening to see that parents don't encourage their daughters to work. The conflict in their thoughts led to a quarrel in the house and one day Kimaya left the house. Her mother cried as she told the story. But I was still clueless, I knew the reason as to why she left the house, when she did it, but where did she go? thats still a question mark....." Vijay turned the page to read further.

                  But then today when I walked into the local library I saw the same book that Kimaya was reading in the train. I read the entire book. It was truly inspiring and I am not surprised that Kimaya took such a step after reading the book. The last page of the book gave me the clue as to where she might be. The author of the book is a woman and she had mentioned that she would like to help woman who want to break the shackles of society and live independent life. I think Kimaya for sure would have gone to meet this author and this woman is probably my next clue. There is a chance that I might be wrong, but today I would not want to think that. I am leaving for Calcutta for that is where this author lives. Once I reach there I will send you a telegram. I hope you are in good health and so is my sister, your wife. Suresh is a good friend who was coming to Delhi so I quickly penned down everything and gave him this letter...."

                  Vijay kept the letter down. He placed both his hands on his head and said "he is gone mad.." his wife replied and said "...in love" Both simled.