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Have been in an uncharacteristic right royal funk of late. Maybe its my poor subjugated creative soul crying out for an outlet, or maybe it's just that I happen to be an idiot magnet.
Whatever the case may be, I apologize for not posting for so long.......but give me a few more days while I straighten some people.....erm..things ;) out, and I'll be on the blogging wagon again.
Thanks for putting up with me!!
Arrghh!! The next sorry excuse for a human being who asks me this question is going to get smacked upside their head(s).
Some evil force of nature deigned that I would remain indoors due to the heavy rains for a week (which seems like a month). I decided to get out of my underground lair and step out into the sunshine here in Bombay.
And every.where.I.went there were people asking me "What are you doing here??". Not random people ofcourse(coz that would be weird, in addition to being silly), but people I know.
At the museum and the art gallery, at the movies and at restaurants......that's what people say when they randomly bump into you.
What would you expect me to do in a restaurant/theatre/art gallery??? Scout the place on behalf of terrorists outfits?? Smash the place with a bat demanding they change all the signs BACK to "Bombay"???
Argh people!!!!
How bout you learn some NEW opening lines?? Like, "Oh how nice to see you here!" or "Its so nice you're here, let's catch up" or even "Oh so you're here......are you done stealing my boyfriend??"....lol
*Sigh* , but it's not meant to be. Let's start a brigade. The anti "Hi! What are you doing here?"(HWAYDH) brigade and swear that the next person who says that will get the icy stare of death!!! :P
So , what are you doing here ?
Today's papers were filled with news of the couple from Bhayander (Bombay) who moved the court, so that they could abort their 24 week old foetus. They are doing this, since abortion after 20 weeks is illegal in India, and the baby had some sort of heart blockage/cardiac problem.
So basically, the pro-life/pro-choice war that has been raging in the USA and other countries for years has finally touched Indian shores.
As a woman, I am firmly in the pro-choice camp. Irrespective of the fact that it is my body, and therefore mine to do whatever suits me (whether it is keeping the baby or not), no courts can decide whether I am in a position to be a fit mother, emotionally or financially. It's amazing how the pro-life brigade is only bothered about whether the baby is born or not, and is in no way concerned about the quality of life of the baby or the family.
Kudos to the couple to decided against going into some clinic in a dark alley, and having the courage to go the legal way, even though this might wreck irreparable damage on their image, not to mention the psyche of the child once she is old enough to realise that she wasn't wanted.
Unfortunately, the courts in their infinite knowledge decided that they know what is better for us than we do and decided not to let them go ahead with the abortion.This verdict may effectively have either forced them into penury, forced them into having a child and then giving it up for adoption or forcing a child to grow up with absolutely no quality of life.
In a country where the population problem is threating our progress, I think this is a very very stupid move. Instead of it being a landmark verdict, where the abortion cut-off was raised to 24 weeks, they have basically given a subliminal nod to the populace to go ahead and keep trying.
And we all know, this is the last thing we need. This is one area in which I wish we DON'T over-take China.
The saffron brigade has done it again, Monday's Economic Times reported that the Sena has managed to rope in food-giant McDonalds to sponsor a convention of prospective 'Shiv Vadapav' vendors in Mumbai.
Before you jump the gun let me state that I have nothing against the corporatization of this city's much beloved carbohydrate-bomb, Jumbo King got there first remember? All I'm asking is would the vada pav taste less delicious without the 'Shiv' prefix? I mean common! You've already renamed the airport, railway station, and museum, can't we at least refrain from unleashing politics on to the poor man's stomach. ET describes it 'the culinary dimensions of politics'
Sure George Wittet the man who designed Gateway of India, the Prince of Wales Museum, the Indian Institute of Science and Ballard Estate must've rolled in his grave when Wittet Street in Fort was renamed as Walchand Hirachand Marg. But hell he had no right to argue for starters he was dead, and secondly and more importantly he was a Britisher. But what did the Vada Pav do to deserve its fate. I'm sure a Happy Meal comprising Shiv waran Bhath and Shiv kokum Kadi are in the pipeline.
I'm not an elitist anti- Marathi which I'm sure ill be accused of by the end of this article all I'm saying is; pause, before you obliterate the history of this city.
The situation is so bad that I recently spotted an irate tourist at Pydhonie junction jumping over his copy of Lonely Planet. When a street overflowing with locals can't help you find an address it sure is a "lonely planet". I'm surprised the editors of this travel magazine haven't initiated a lawsuit for its losses running into billions thanks to BMC's naam Karan bug. If you think only streets, junctions, and chowks that are renamed then you're wrong, the good ol' footpath hasn't been spared either. The footpath opposite Wilson College at Chowpaty is called Khote footpath.
Rumor has it, running out of things to rename the BMC is considering initiating a proposal to name the street lamps of this city. Don't be surprised if you spot a lamp post with the name Shri Ujaala Marg or something.
Thankfully the people of this city have trouble catching up with the times, do you ever hear people say that they're going for a stroll on Netaji Subhash Bose Road (Marine Drive)? Since when did rechristening roads, becomes a benchmark of patriotism?
I believe that every time you rename something, you willfully chip away it's history, disrespect it heroes and their contribution to make this city what it is. Apart from the ethical and practical dilemmas about renaming anything and everything, isn't it odd that Mumbai -this glorious city has only one hero? What? Did you say JRD Tata? Nonsense! Like the tooth-fairy and unicorn he was a mythical creature made up by some ageing Parsi to tell his grandchildren at bedtime.
Before you jump the gun let me state that I have nothing against the corporatization of this city's much beloved carbohydrate-bomb, Jumbo King got there first remember? All I'm asking is would the vada pav taste less delicious without the 'Shiv' prefix? I mean common! You've already renamed the airport, railway station, and museum, can't we at least refrain from unleashing politics on to the poor man's stomach. ET describes it 'the culinary dimensions of politics'
Sure George Wittet the man who designed Gateway of India, the Prince of Wales Museum, the Indian Institute of Science and Ballard Estate must've rolled in his grave when Wittet Street in Fort was renamed as Walchand Hirachand Marg. But hell he had no right to argue for starters he was dead, and secondly and more importantly he was a Britisher. But what did the Vada Pav do to deserve its fate. I'm sure a Happy Meal comprising Shiv waran Bhath and Shiv kokum Kadi are in the pipeline.
I'm not an elitist anti- Marathi which I'm sure ill be accused of by the end of this article all I'm saying is; pause, before you obliterate the history of this city.
The situation is so bad that I recently spotted an irate tourist at Pydhonie junction jumping over his copy of Lonely Planet. When a street overflowing with locals can't help you find an address it sure is a "lonely planet". I'm surprised the editors of this travel magazine haven't initiated a lawsuit for its losses running into billions thanks to BMC's naam Karan bug. If you think only streets, junctions, and chowks that are renamed then you're wrong, the good ol' footpath hasn't been spared either. The footpath opposite Wilson College at Chowpaty is called Khote footpath.
Rumor has it, running out of things to rename the BMC is considering initiating a proposal to name the street lamps of this city. Don't be surprised if you spot a lamp post with the name Shri Ujaala Marg or something.
Thankfully the people of this city have trouble catching up with the times, do you ever hear people say that they're going for a stroll on Netaji Subhash Bose Road (Marine Drive)? Since when did rechristening roads, becomes a benchmark of patriotism?
I believe that every time you rename something, you willfully chip away it's history, disrespect it heroes and their contribution to make this city what it is. Apart from the ethical and practical dilemmas about renaming anything and everything, isn't it odd that Mumbai -this glorious city has only one hero? What? Did you say JRD Tata? Nonsense! Like the tooth-fairy and unicorn he was a mythical creature made up by some ageing Parsi to tell his grandchildren at bedtime.
I consider myself to be a fairly level headed person (except on full moon nights). I didn't think that I could be celebrity struck, but I was out celebrating Friendship Day with Shamim and we came across Manav Gohil and his wife Shweta.
Now granted he doesn't have your quintessential chocolate boy looks (I dont like that sort anyway, Shahid Kapoor being the brand ambassador of that "sort"). But he's got dimples, is tall and has a face to die for! What's not to love?? :). He also looks like a "thinker" so thats just the cherry on the cake!
We circled him four times with our arms laden with random stuff (because we were too lazy/short-sighted to get a trolley and we ended up buying armloads of stuff!). I have honestly never stared drooling and slack-awed at another human being (being an expert in the art of "checking out" without appearing to be checking out!) and they almost called in house-keeping to scrape our jaws (and our drool) off the floor. I am now officially one step closer to marrying him.
On a side (and completely bias free) note, I'm happy to report that his wife has horrible skin and has done this weird and terrible dye job on her hair, which aimed for red but fell short and landed smack dab in maroon. Wheee!!! :) Ok bitchiness over!!
Sigh! I heart Manav Gohil.
Pic from here
Today is Friendship Day (Happy Friendship Day Y'all!) and once again I realise how truly blessed I am, to have the people that I have in my life.
After years of moochers and hypocrites, back-stabbers and fair-weather friends, my current posse is nothing short of manna from heaven!
I used to think I have a lot of friends, but now I realise I just have a few, the rest are acquaintences at best. But the ones that I do consider friends are the ones who I will give my life for and vice versa (hopefully). We've had our ups and downs, our fights and periods of ignoring each others existence (don't ask, long story), but we've managed to pull through and emerged stronger.
My friends add zing to my life and tell me things no other human would dare (at peril of their own lives lol). I feel wealthy in the knowledge that these guys have got my back. And most importantly, they not only put up with my madness, but also complement it. I can be my crazy, moody, talkative, bawdy, zany, muti-faceted self!! So thank you, you know who you are, and you mean more to me than you will ever realise!! :)
Ever noticed how anybody or rather anything can turn in to a celebrity? Yup the latest to join the boob-tube infamy is the monsoon in Mumbai. Never before have you seen hours of news -coverage dedicated to reporting the errant ways of the monsoon In my opinion only Britney Spears can match up to the dysfunctional and inexplicable behavior of the rains in Mumbai.
After promising this city an early and normal monsoon with a few spells of rain in June, the monsoon did a Houdini act, disappearing for nearly two whole months; almost single handedly hurtling the inflation rate to the 12% mark. Sure crude oil prices was made the fall-guy but it was the fear of a drought that sky – rocketed all other prices. Just when you had given up all hope and actually refrained from switching channels while watching Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, the skies opened up and hell it rained! And rained, and rained and rained, yes incessant rainfall for four days.
Which brings us back to where I started this article, news coverage of the monsoon in Mumbai Absolutely unbelievable? Flip through the dozen odd news channels and you'll spot a 20 something female, standing in knee –deep water on the streets reporting about the rainfall. Of course you'll have a super or ads where news channels show clippings of their reporter with her hair plastered to her head getting drenched in the rain, and say "we do whatever it takes, to bring you the whole truth" Umm really? Because common-sense would dictate that all they had to do was to hand the poor thing an umbrella or maybe a raincoat, seriously none of us would've grudged her for being an elite journalism grad from JNU had she stood with an umbrella. While the journalist yells her lungs out how water levels are rising dangerously and entering the homes of slum-dwellers all of sudden you'll have some guy show up behind her and wave gleefully to the camera as his friends try surfing on someone's makeshift roof that's just been blown away by the wind. (You gotta love this city J )
Then there's the BREAKING NEWS phenomenon, let me tell you something, every millimeter increase in rainfall reported by the MET is not breaking news!!! The only thing that's 'breaking news' is if you tell me, Milan subway is not water –logged, rail services aren't disrupted, and traffic hasn't come to a grinding halt, that BMC is actually prepared for the rains. But hey maybe they are on to something big here, instead of upgrading our British legacy drainage system or clearing up the Mithi river all those funds are directed towards purchasing boats. The truth be told, these guys are visionaries, I did some research and found out that holiday-resort owners in Hrishikesh and Dandeli fear that they may loose business as Mumbai may become the next destination for river-rafting and canoeing during June to September, The latest buzz is that the second season of Khatron ke Khiladi (Indian Fear Factor) is being shot outside Andheri station, if you can make it back home without falling into an open manhole then you da man!!!
Ever wondered how all the technology in the world falls short at protecting you from getting drenched? If you can hold an umbrella without it overturning at Marine Drive, Nariman Point or Worli sea face during heavy rains I'll give you a thousand bucks period. All this talk of rain, jogged my memory back to my college days where we studied this chapter in Hindi literature about some guy who wrote a 2000 word essay on the predicament of the different ways of holding an umbrella. By the end of it I had only one suggestion to offer the guy, 'shove it!' (If anyone remembers either the name or the author please do write in)
Of course not all is bad, the rains bring much needed relief to this city, washing away dirt, grime and its sins all at one go. The water supply of the city depends on the rains and honestly it is best time to be in the city. Nothing can be more exhilarating than finding out your office is shut and that you have an off or reaching school only to be told at the gate that you should return home. But rather than enjoying my cup of coffee or roasted corn at marine drive I find myself flinging my remote at my Tata Sky set top box which looses transmission at the slightest hint of a drizzle, you see when visibility is only 50 meters its hard to spot the silver lining.
The black and yellow taxis of Bombay have become an institution by themselves. The battered Padminis are the life-lines of the city (after the trains ofcourse).
The taxis are a part of the character of the city much like the Big Red buses of London, and more often than not reveal the quirky personalities of the taxi owners/drivers. With incense, gaudy plastic flowers, mis-spelled names/sayings and the ever present "Horn OK Please/Keep safe distance", the Padminis of Bombay are tiny fiefdoms that are mute victims to their owners garish tastes.
However, the Padmini is is under threat. With TATA introducing the Nano, everyone and their uncle is beating their chests demanding that all Fiat taxis (like the ones in the pics) be traded in for the Nano. Apparently, this constitutes progress!
On the plus side, it will be cheaper and more fuel efficient, but on the other hand it will result into an unnecessary expense for the people who rely on taxis for their living and who hardly eke out a living already.If it ain't broke don't fix it, kwim?
More than the expense however, is the fact that we will be trading in a huge chunk of what makes this city special for something shiny and generic. Tourists come here to see something different, to see something they don't get to see in their own countries, not to see their countries replicated on a smaller and shoddier scale. I hope this is not the last we see of the Padminis.Let's "Keep Safe Distance" from senseless "progress".
Pictures taken from here
VT (Victoria Terminus) usually didn't figure in our bunking plans, unless we were headed to Sterling (a movie theatre) or McD's which is in the area.
But if you really take the time out and look around, VT (which has since been renamed CST) has some of the most beautiful neo-classical architecture and monuments in Bombay. Here are a few shots of the area. 
Photos courtesy Ben Salins.Ben Salins is a professional globe trotter and an amateur photographer. To learn more about VT go here
Well, as the title says, this is the second part of the "Beautiful Bombay: My city through a lens" photo exhibition. Courtesy KR.
This city is mean and dirty, and corrupt and over-crowded, but I still love it with all my heart. I may be crazy, but I still have hope.
Hope of a better tomorrow, hope of reinstating the innocent inclusiveness, the spirit of ascendancy and especially the hope that no matter where you come from or where you are going, no matter who you are or who you are related to, you will always have a place in Bombay.
Notwithstanding the accusations of the city being inhuman, sometimes you see such a show of no-strings-attached humanity and generosity,an outpouring of kindness and concern for a fellow human being, it is enough to move even the hardest of hearts and convert the staunchest of cynics.
And so I stay on, like many others. Bombay is home to millionaires, to the middle class and people who live on intermittent glimpses and scraps of kindness and humanity. Bombay is beautiful not because of her art deco buildings, or her museums or art galleries. Bombay is beautiful because of her inclusiveness, her cosmopolitan attitude and her ability to inspire and uplift.
The poverty here is undeniable, inexcusable and jarringly inhuman, a lot of people have to live on the fringes of society. But they have something that no one can take away from them...... HOPE.....the raw emotion of being able to beat the odds, or even break even ...makes people stay. And the longer you stay, the harder you fall for the city.Beautiful Bombay. The city of dreams. Pictures taken from here
It's been a wonderfully, splendidly lazy Sunday. The rains have been an absolute blessing, and the temperature has fallen.I don't feel like I'm going to melt anymore!
This is the view from my living room window. (No, I don't live in a forest. And yes, I live in the suburbs...I don't think there are more than 5 trees in entire downtown Bombay!! lol)
That's the time that the BMC has given to all the commercial and non-commercial entities in the state to change their signboards to Marathi (Devnagri script).
This is not only a futile exercise because it results in extra cost and extra work, but also significantly decreases Bombay's appeal as a cosmopolitan city. I swear, with these people it's one step forward, two steps back!!
Oh and in other news, after the bombings in Bangalore the day before yesterday and in Ahmedabad yesterday, the outfit that is claiming responsibility has sent an email saying that Bombay is next. The only surprising thing about that is the fact that Bombay wasn't their first choice. Apparently our popularity as "the" place to bomb in India has decreased :P. Maybe with a name like "Bomb"ay, we were sending out some sort of subliminal message. Well, now Bombay is "Mum"bai, but the state of the roads are reducing the chances of a successful pregnancy. So what do we change it to now? Coz apparently changing the names of cities/roads/localities is the governments idea of a panacea for all that ails Bombay (and India actually)
It's been raining non-stop for almost 3 days now and it's made me criminally lazy :P. All I do all day long is look out the window and drink masala tea. I'm too lazy to write, so I'll just post pictures today. These pictures were taken by KR, the photo journalist. This collection is titled "Beautiful Bombay". If it makes it to a gallery, remember you saw them here first! Thanks for the shots KR. :)
This is the David Sassoon Library located in the heart of the city, at Kala Ghoda. Read more about it here
Kala Ghoda square
This is a shot of Marine Drive. It is uncharacteristically uncrowded (ooh pretty alliteration!! :) ) I think this pic shows off the Bombay skyline beautifully.
This is a picture of the Reserve Bank of India, which is India's central bank. The structure on the left is the old building and the structure on the right is the new one. It was under construction when this was shot, hence the sack-cloth covering the side.
I couldn't believe it until I saw it. There are actually some birds LEFT in Bombay. How cool is that.
Remember a few weeks ago, I spoke about how terrible the roads are in Mumbai?? Well, there is a very sad update. Someone from the medical fraternity carried out a survey and apparently the sharp increase in spontaneous involuntary abortions in the city is due to the bad state of the roads!! :O :(
The roads are in such a bad state that it is harmful to the foetus and other people are now complaining of bad-road-related ailments like spondylitis and back-ache.Nothing more to say, it's too depressing, so I'll just leave you with some pictures. Remember that these pictures haven't been doctored and are the ACTUAL roads in various parts of Mumbai.
The Maharashtra State Government just declared that due to the power crisis, they are resorting to load shedding. So the whole of Maharashtra will not have electricity for 40 (yes, FORTY!!) hours a week! If this continues, we will see a massive outflow of foreign investment, since other places like China or the Phillipines offer the same cost advantage with MUCH better business continuity infrastructure. That sucks big time. :(
We seem to be regressing to the time where the whole of India ran by the light of a kerosene lamp. And with the price of fuel, I don't think we could afford even that!! So maybe now we will all have to go to bed at sunset (like they do in the villages).
And to think that the Opposition is actually against setting up civilian nuclear power stations to alleviate the electricity crisis that India is going through. Maybe they aren't really opposing it, maybe they are just opposing the fact that this didn't come through when they were in power and they can't take credit for it. Hmmm......I maybe on to something eh?
It's been raining non-stop here for the fast couple of days after a disturbingly dry couple of weeks in July. Rain makes me all nostalgic (unless I have to travel, then I just get swicked out). For the past five years, rain compulsarily meant bunking lectures and going for a walk at Marine Drive sans umbrellas or wind-cheaters.
I'm sure we must've looked retarded.....three 21-year olds soaked to the bone, hair plastered to their skulls, jumping in every puddle to make a splash, but we didn't care and we had a blast!! We used to even wave at random people sitting in the bus (most of whom, I'm happy to report, smiled and waved back!!Maybe Bombay-ites aren't so jaded after all :P)
After one particular episode, we were so soaked, you could practically wring rain-water from our bones :P :P LOL.
I miss those footloose and fancy free days, sigh. Life got complicated after that and that's the image I hold on to when I'm feeling blue. I wanted to share some pictures of Marine Drive with you, which were taken from the Hilton Towers by Punit. Read more about Marine Drive here
Remember a few days ago I spoke about how we have no social skills to speak of?? Well, I was having dinner at the Bamboo Garden (Mmmm......Thai foooood). A nice family friendly place, excellent food, good prices etc.
Family friendly you say?? I think not. I can ALMOST forgive the waiter for scratching his ear and then looking at what he found in there.
But I cannot forgive a 50-plus "decent" looking man, who took out his....well.....his male plumbing and jacked off under the table across from us. All this before the appetizers.
Ewww!! Get a room. Thankfully the management threw him out faster than we could complain. He actually walked out with his stuff hanging out!! :O :O :O The Bamboo Garden indeed!
Fifth marriage to a second husband. Rebirths. Personality altering plastic surgery. Extreme "sacrifices" in the name of family. Sigh, don't even get me started on the glycerine :P
I know that the "K serials" genre has a wide audience, but that is all.that.is.showing.all.the.time. I see no light humour like "Friends" in Hindi serials or intelligent humour like "Frasier". Hell, I'd even lower my standards and settle for a teen drama like The O.C (without the anorexic with an attitude).
But No!! All that's showing is cry, cry, cry. The more the protagonist cries the higher the TRPs :O. Television is an escape from reality. It's very disturbing when people are subjecting themselves, en masse, to crying for utterly foolish situations which have no basis in reality. Maybe the writers of these shows are the ones who need a personality transplant :P
If I really want a taste of dysfunctional, I'd switch off the telly and go spend time with my family. As they say, my family puts the "fun" in dys"fun"ctional!! My life has an awesome cast of characters, but unfortunately not one of them knows the plot. But I assure you, its a helluva lot more interesting and a hellava lot less tragic than the current bunch of Hindi serials.
The Taj Mahal Hotel is located in Colaba, opposite the Gateway of India. Built by Jehangir Tata, this magnificient hotel costed Rs. 4.2 crore to build (which will now fetch you a smallish 650 sq ft one bedroom apartment in the same area!). This picture was taken from a ferry to Alibaug (a small holiday island off the coast of Bombay)
In the days of the Raj, the Watson Hotel (for those of you who know it, is now the crumbling Esplanade Mansion) was the swankiest, ritziest place in town. It was the first place to screen a movie in India, and it had a sign out front that said "Indians and Dogs not Allowed". This prompted Mr. Tata to not only build a hotel which blew the Watson out of the water, but also allowed people of all races.
He apparently said that he didn't want to stoop down to the level of the British and wanted to use it as an opportunity to teach them some manners. The front of the hotel is actually the back, which was a deliberate snub on the part of Mr. Tata since he wanted to signify that he was turning his back on the royalty which arrived from Britain through the Gateway of India. (Read more about it here. Pictures courtesy Punit Joshi, check out his blog)
My mother was horrified beyond words that the UPA government won the Trust Vote. On the verge of tears actually. After the speaker announced that the "ayes" had won, my mother turned to me and said" Oh dear so that means that all of the people in the villages will die now??"
Huh?
On further prodding it came to light that she thought the current government wanted to buy nuclear power from USA (or new-cu-lar power according to Bushy George) so that they could ELECTROCUTE the villages of India :O :O
No mamma, not electrocute, ELECTRIFY!! Sheesh Woman! Seriously. I think someday I might die because of my mom......Die laughing that is...:P :D
I have no idea what it stands for. Just saw it on the news.
Apparently they (BJD, BSP, Communist party etc) plan to have a nationwide bandh (and we know how violent and economically destructive those can be). They tout themselves as being better than the UPA and the NDA put together. If they succeed Mayawati will be the next PM. 'Nuff said.
These people are like children. If the trust vote does not go their way, they will use brute force to get what they want. The future looks perilous again. I'm going back to my underground lair. Don't bother coming for me unless the Congress is firmly back on track.
Somehow, I will have to get through all of these political/economic upheavals. Maybe the image of Somnath Chatterjee (the speaker of the house) picking his noise while parliament was in session will cheer me up/gross me out :P :P hahahahah..........yeah there it is.........heheheeh
Someone I was talking to yesterday expressed surprise over my more than apparent excitement/apprehension/absolute tension over the political drama yesterday. When I thought about it, I realised they were right!! I am not a political person, but yesterday I was looking on at the proceedings through a purely economic perspective.
Though India is being lauded for its growth and is the new "it" place, in all honesty our ascendancy has just begun. We have a long way to go........a looooooong way. We are about 75 years behind the West in terms of economics and infrastructure and about 200 years behind them in civic consiousness and social skills. Its nothing to be ashamed about, but you can't use the British Raj as an excuse for being counted among the Third World forever. There comes a time when you not only have to pick up the pieces and move on, but aim to walk shoulder to shoulder.
With the UPA and the current leadership... we have a chance. With leaders like Dr. Manmohan Singh and Chidambaram, Sonia Gandhi and Kapil Sibal, we have at the helm leaders with conviction and integrity and a razor sharp mind to boot. They use this mind to electrify villages, boost commerce etc and not scheme and plot and hurl the country into a civil war (which almost happened after the Babri Masjid tragedy).
On a side note, I am a new convert to the "I love Laloo Prasad" fanclub. Yes he is an uneducated boor, who interrupts reporters to spit out his paan. Yes, he is a conman and has cheated the country out of millions and has hair growing out of his years. (Wait where was I going with this). Oh yeah!! His speech yesterday, was hands down, the funniest, wittiest, most sardonic hard-hitting piece of oratory I have heard in a long time!!! Bravo! He used the "meethi churi" approach, he cut his opponents to size and was sweet at the same time. I also like Rahul Gandhi's and Chidambarams speech and only wish the PM was given the opportunity to speak. Ah!!! I CANNOT stop raving over what happened yesterday.
And considering this is MY blog and I have all the freedom to do as I wish, I do not plan to stop raving about it anytime soon. :P :P So there!!
......and all's right with the world (Well, all's right with India atleast as of 8.30 pm IST last night)
For those of you who have been living under a rock, there was a hostile move to topple the government and there was a trust vote in the Lower Parliament. The NDA (which consists of the BJP, RSS, Shiv Sena etc etc) tried to topple the current UPA government lead by Dr. Manmohan Singh (Congress). And they failed miserably **said with unabashed glee!**.
The scene played out like a movie with accusations of abductions and bribery, heckling, defections, of surreptitious back-stabbing and thinly veiled put downs and I felt like I was part of history by watching it! This decision is an epoch in the future of India. Long live Congress!!!
Will tell you why later.....
......or so they say. Then how come all I want to do right now is crawl into a hole and die??
Got an awful bout of food poisoning. And the irony is that I probably got it from a batch of apples I ate the other day. Poison apples and no step-mother in sight....what is up with the world these days??
Anyway, will post once I'm back on my feet (and not running to and fro, back and forth, to and fro if you know what I mean :P). Got a load of interesting stuff to tell ya!!
Till then!
I got my exam results today (Banking Masters) and I'm over the moon. Well, sort of, kind of.....I got waaaay more than I expected, but waaaaay less than I wanted, so.....:P. Sigh, being smart is so awesome!!! In yo face sucker!!! And the kicker is I didn't have to work hard at all. Now, if only I could sail through all the areas of my life with such ease LOL!! Time for a dinner reservation at China Garden! :D
On a side note, what's up with the crazy college cut-offs in Bombay? 93% in NM College, 90% in HR College (the college where I did my bachelors from). Friends of mine who scored freakishly well on their CET (State MBA entrance exams) are only getting admissions in B Grade colleges. What is up with the world when even scoring a 90 isn't enough??? I blame reservations!!
After reserving seats for OBC,SC,ST,ABC and XYZ, there are almost NO seats left for students who are counting on a seat based on merit. The cut-offs for the reserved category is sometimes as low as 45% when the open category is 90%!!
I shudder to think of the mental disparity that will arise in classrooms across the country. A move that was made to remove any lingering discrimination will only exacerbate the situation and divide the country further by fostering feelings of resentment towards the people who have got in on a quota.
How strange it is that more foreign students are coming to India to study, but in a few years Indian students will not get admissions due to a combination of high cut-offs and reservations and will have to go abroad.
Sigh. Sometimes I feel like the world is spinning out of control. I need some ice-cream. :(
I couldn't let the veg vs. non-veg debate die down without this absolute gem from a close friend of mine. I know I'm posting without express permission but I know I can wheedle her into it. So here goes. It's a little dark and twisty, so pay close attention.
REASONS WHY BEING A NON-VEGETARIAN IS GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT:
- Plants take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen.
-Animals take in oxygen and give out carbon dioxide.
- Animals eat plants.
-So by eating animals, we are not only ensuring a higher supply of oxygen, but are also conserving plants. In addition, we are conserving grains (which chickens and stuff eat) for human consumption.
So There!!
Brilliant isn't it.
It's true. Real Girls Like Meat.
And now apparently, I'm being an environmentally conscious one also :P
India's nuclear stations are running at 50% capacity and if/when the nuke deal comes through, we will have the advantage of non-combat "nu-cu-lar" power.
The main objection raised by the left (which is now more of the opposition than the ally) is that this will hurt India's relationship with China. While getting red in the face denouncing the proposed nuke deal, Mr Karat gives no cogent reasons and is basically like a stubborn child who wants what he wants without logic or reason.
Ok time for evaluation:
- China attacked us once and won't hesitate to do it again
- They are in cohoots with Pakistan and openly supply them with arms to use against us
-They are encroaching on our land and now claim that Arunachal Pradesh belongs to them
-They sell us lead laden (oohh pretty alliteration) toys and poison our children
- They threaten us if we speak up again the heartless way they treat the tibetans.
-They are copying Bangalore and Hyderabad and in their own words say that they want to copy the IT parks, excel and then push us out of the picture.
Awesome isn't it. With friends like these who needs enemies. And here I was thinking the Left was working towards the common GOOD of the people. Well, in a way they are. But it's the people in China they are bothered about, not India. Anyone willing to sponsor a one-way ticket to China for Mr KaLat??
Now that I'm on the topic of eating habits, I think this is the right time and place for me to vent my vexations on the condescending lot that call themselves "vegetarians" (Note: I don't hate all vegetarians, just the condescending ones :P :P).
Where in the world has it been conclusively proven that vegetarians are smarter/more spiritual/greater human beings than us lowly non-vegetarians. How come they get to look down on us when WE are the ones higher up on the food chain. I'd prefer to be a tigeress over a cud chewing cow anyday. When there is a famine, who do you think will die first?? bah!!
I swear the next time I come across this species I'm going to say," sheeeeee VEGETABLES??? *insert barf noises*" and then launch myself into a lengthy diatribe about the advantages of eating non-veg food. Sheesh!! Or better yet say that since chickens are vegetarians and I eat chicken, I am also vegetarians. That should throw their grass fed brains for a loop. (My I'm feeling particularly vindictive today, aren't I?)
Give me the hypocrites who don't even eat garlic in their own homes and eat chicken in mine anyday! :P And just fyi, you can't say that you're a vegetarian and still eat egg. Ijit!
.....that's approximately how much I ate over my birthday weekend. (How conveniently I hid my emotional eating under the garb of festivity).
Anyway, I was getting sick of eating the same animals over and over again, so I thought I'd throw my metabolism for a loop and go veg for a whole day (Monday 7th July).
The day started off with a vegetarian omlette (crazy right??). Well this is basically flour (which pretends to be an egg and fails miserably) mixed with your usual onions, tomatoes etc. And let me just say that it is the mostest dry-est thing in the world I have ever eaten. Like chewing on cardboard. Seriously!!
But I kept the faith and blundered on. Lunch was at "Rajdhani" which is supposed to be this hip veggie place where you get gujju/rajasthani food. In light of my sketchy past with gujju food and gujjus in particular I should have steered clear of this place, but I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment. Overpriced, contrived, bland to the point of being a criminal offense, overcrowded.....did I mention overpriced???Bah! Never going there again....
But dinner was good. My first excellent vegetarian meal. Wait.....Veg Ramen Noodles counts as a vegetarian meal right???
I'm not normal. I may even be a bit loopy. Or so I've been told by a disconcertingly large amount of people. And all these brick bats have been piled upon lil ol me coz of a stupid birthday.
OK, I'll admit it;
I, Bombay Diva, hereby officially state, that I hate birthdays in general and I hate MY birthday with a vengence.
I don’t know if it’s the smarmy joes who crawl out of the woodwork once a year and then insist on a party, or the attention I get or the sugar high, but the 6th of July is my least favourite day of the year (31st of December comes a close second).
Now don’t get me wrong, I’d be miffed if the people I loved didn’t acknowledge the day, but seriously, is it really necessary to make such a huge hullabaloo out of the whole shindig?? I mean, let’s back up a little and evaluate here. We’re celebrating being a year older or in other terms, being a year closer to the grave. Yeah. Right. Woo Hoo. Partay!! :P :P
I think this year my cousins really threw me for a loop, one forgot to call (Boo!But she's the south end of a north bound mule anyhoo), one called the next day, one called and I couldn’t answer (long story), one called my friend and asked her to pass on the message to me coz we aren’t officially talking (even longer story). I think I may know why I’m this loopy. GENES!!!
Even though I may seem like a disappearing act most of the time, I assure you that I'm mentally stable (most of the time). But rejoice all ye readers of my blog (yes all 4 of you lol), because the Bombay Diva is alive and well and raring to go.
Well, actually there was nothing "wrong" with me in the first place except for the fact that I was sucked into the swirling vortex of my self-induced depression. Yes, I know, my life is all sunshine and daffodils, and lollipops and unicorns, but I guess if you look hard enough you'll always find things to be melancholy about and the dismal state of the stock markets isn't helping either.
For those of you not in the loop, I was accosted by my 22nd birthday on the 6th of July. I say accosted because I don't enjoy birthdays and on the 1st of july every year, I'm on panic mode.(This merits a whole post).
But suffice to say, I'm back and I expect all 4 of you to read my posts regularly (ok ok I lied, only 3 people read my blog..........if you count me too :P :P :P)
Under my Umberella-ella-ella-eh-eh-eh!!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008 | Labels: Just for laughs, political rantsSo after the flash floods last year (or was it the year before last), the BMC started sending out sms-es to the citizens, to warn them of the possibility of floods.
The funniest part of all this is that so far, every time I have got the message of impending doom, the weather has been all sunshine and blue skies!!! Lol.
It's come to a point where if you get an sms from the Municipal Commissioner about a flood threat, you can safely go outside without an umbrella (ella ella! eh eh eh! zomg, I'm so sick of this song and I hate Rihanna!!!)
Somehow, I'm not surprised!! :) Go BMC! (No seriously BMC, go away, far far away)
Update: As of right now (1st July 2008, IST 12.33pm), Bombay is wading in ankle/knee deep waters. Trains are not running, collosal traffic jams on all the major junctions, schools are shut. No BMC msg/bulletin though. :P Why am I not surprised???
I'm a copywriter by day and a copywriter by night, but I only suffer from foot-in-mouth every alternate Sunday. So while I'm mentally preparing a list of future apologies for gems that will leave my tongue during the course of the following week, I indulge in one of my favorite activities noticing the fliers and ads pasted on the compartment walls of the trains in the city.
Yeah trains!, it's a real treat to read those ads, If you don't catch me eavesdropping on someone else's conversation, struggling to read the newspaper in the hands of the person sitting next to me, pretending to send an sms on my cell, or wondering which of the women in the compartment need a facial hair intervention, you'll find me looking heaven words to the ceiling of the compartment. Yes I do get the stares for doing that, but then my flaming red naxalite jhola(bag) catches their eye and diverts the attention.
These wonderfully worded and illustrated ads are proof that Indians are entrepreneurs like no others. If there is a problem there will be a dozen odd clinics to fix it. And we are not talking about the mundane Gout, or the embarrassing hernia, we're talking real problems here. Dr. Mane's (no I'm not making this up) clinic will help you grow taller, so that you can stop blaming your parents and move on with your life.
Of course there are those who've been around since I was considered a half ticket, like the Kaya Sex clinic, there used to be this one sketched ad where a man who wore a black underwear could not fight gravity. I wonder why no mahila mandal samiti ever objected to that ad considering it was right in your face when you were pressed against the compartment wall during rush hour.
Leaving those aside you have Tortoise mosquito repellent, advertising faithfully over the years, maybe they should start putting one under the seat to prove the effectiveness of their product.
Then are those ads that try and lure job seekers and college kids, Earn Rs. 10,000 a month call Rahul at 98something number. somebody ought to tell Rahul that if you can pay your employees 10k a month maybe you can increase your ad-spend and graduate from a hand written photo- copied flier ??? I mean is that to much to ask!
But the truly classic ads, the ones which should force Cannes festival to start a separate category of awards for ingenuity - the English training institutes. It's no secret that we suffer from the colonial hangover and love the Queen's language, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to speak the language fluently. It's just that these institutes with their wonderful ads leave me in splits. So while travelling on the harbor line you will comes across a florescent flier that screams "learn British spoken English, learn hi-fi English within a month, or full payback, highly qualified teachers (who I'm praying did not proof read this ad) But you've got to give them credit, at least there were no spelling mistakes.
Before you accuse me of being an Anglicized racist, until there are LCD television sets installed in each compartment that show NDTV imagine's Mahabharat 24X7 I will continue to look heavenwards and spot the not……
(Article and Pictures Courtesy: KR, Edited by Bombay Diva)
For the out of towners, the BMC is the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, which collects taxes and uses it to provide infrastructure and other stuff for the general betterment of Bombay (the latter part of its job description is highly debated and rarely fulfilled).
Of late though, since the BMC refuses to clear garbage and just lets it rot, the citizens have taken it upon themselves to clean up the place (hey don't flame us, its a self-preservation tactic). The BMC has instituted "awards" for the cleanest society/locality.
Let's back up a bit and recap:
- I pay the BMC money to keep the city clean and provide basic services
- The BMC doesn't do its job
- The citizens are forced to do the job
- They use a fraction of the money to "reward" the citizens
- We still pay the money!!!
Does this seem a little off to you???
If we as a city pay taxes which constitute more than the rest of the country put together, the least we can expect is garbage free streets and roads that don't look like the surface of the moon. It's time we raised our expectations and make sure the BMC gets paid only for the work it does.
People in Bombay are lateral thinkers and it shows in their driving. They don't seem to understand that if they follow certain rules, it might seem inconvenient at the moment, but it is all in the interest of getting everyone forward and onward. Setting aside the noxious level of pollution and the crappy roads, getting from point A to point B in Bombay is becoming a Darwinian undertaking.
First of all the road seems to be filled with idiots who insist on driving 3 inches away from my rear bumper and 3 inches from my front bumper, all the while blaring some God forsaken Himesh Reshamiyya song (which just has one word repeated over and over as nauseum) and acting like their Maruti 800 is a Jag or such other. Trust me chumps, you're not impressing ANYONE!!!
Don't even get me started on the guys who drive trucks, who feel the need to assert their masculinity by driving like a**holes
Indians are known to take their wedding and their funerals, their festivals and their processions out into the street, but when you write some sort of slogan/name/what have you on the back of your car, could you try NOT to spell like you failed third grade English?? The gratuitous typos make you look like an idiot.
Strangely, I don't really fault roadside hawkers. I'm not saying I'm encouraging them, but they are just trying to eke out a living. I've already ranted and raved about the state of the roads, but I think after today, I'd rather see the BMC channel the road improvement money to free driving etiquette classes for the public.
Being a diva/lady who lunches is getting harder by the day, especially when I have to leave for a lunch date before breakfast!!!! :P
The CET results were out last week and my friends have done really well. I'm extremely proud of them and am glad to be in the company of such brilliant people!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
So by now all of you (all of you who read newspapers that is) must've heard about the whole BBC expose/Primark fiasco. The BBC did this expose on how Primark's (a UK based garment retailer) outsourcing arm in India sublets to minors. This caused Primark to act "responsibly" and immediately withdraw all work outsourced to India.
I take great umbrage at the word "responsible".
Firstly there is nothing responsible or logical about depriving a whole lot of people from their daily bread. Secondly, taking back the work will not automatically solve the problem of child labour, it will only force the children to work in less regulated sectors, making them more susceptible to abuse. And finally, Primark missed turning this blot on their reputation into a superlative oppurtunity to not only recover, but emerge winners.
Granted that sub-contracting is not exactly legal, but like many things in India, it cannot be classified as black or white. It falls in this vague "grey" void that most things in India fall it, which means it is neither completely right nor completely wrong.
In India the child labour situation is extremely comlex. Definately there is a small percentage of whom have been forced into it, but most child labourers are working because the supposed "adults" of the family who are supposed to be earning are afflicted with some sort of addiction/illness or just couldn't be bothered. They are their family's only hope and take their responsibility seriously. A lot of them are runaways who have escaped sexual, physical or other abuse and are just looking to make their way in life. Being able to afford to go to school is as preposterous an idea for these children, as not working is!!!
A more sensible solution to this problem would be if Primark could provide a few hours of informal "schooling" for the children and then pay them some sort of stipend. In this way, they not only get their job done for a lot less but can also count it as one of their corporate governance initiatives. Infact, a whole business model could be built around this idea which can be mutually beneficial as well as extremely cost efficient.
But this can only happen if we (in general) stop running away from the problem or stop pretending that the problem doesn't exist. Child labour in India isn't going to be eradicated anytime soon and the only hope that we can have is to make it more regulated and lessen any damaging impact is has on the victims who remain voiceless in these situations - the children themselves!!!
.......after a long hiatus (of one week), caused by un-co-operative internet maintenance guys, I'm back and raring to go. Before I get into the thick of things though, I would really like to thank CJ for keeping my blog up and running, even though he has to juggle his own blog and college stuff at the same time. :D
So much has happened in this one week, I can't wait to start rambling (hopefully not incoherently). And now that I've learnt to post pictures on the blog, I'm a force to reckon with!! :P lol.
I remain,
Bombay Diva
The New York Times has a weekly spotlight feature called “36 Hours In….” where they feature different cities in different parts of the world.
This week they feature good ol' Bombay !
It’s the Jazz Age again in Mumbai. The populous metropolis is bursting with stock-market money, a shimmering art scene has a growing global presence, and young people are exploiting their newfound freedoms in dim bars until the wee hours. Indeed, in the city’s more rarefied circles, Champagne is sipped every night and everyone knows everyone, darling. But large swaths of Mumbai, the former Bombay, remain immune to the homogeneity of global glamour.
Be sure to check it out here.
[Source]
-The infamous Cj
Just to let y'all know , the reason for the Diva absense, is that she is currently having Internet problems and has essentially been cut off from the Internet for the last 4 days now. She will be back asap. Stay tuned !
-The infamous Cj
Matt Harding became famous by accident awhile back when a video of him dancing in front of landmarks in different countries became an overnight success. Now Matt is back with a new video thats been in the making for over a year. This time around he visited and danced in 42 different countries and one of them was India , in Bombay !
Please do check out it out. Its a really cool video thats sure to give you goosebumps.
Make sure to check out his website and his previous video if you have the time.
[Source]
-The infamous Cj
(Here's a nice anecdote from Business Leader Magazine. Enjoy!)
A couple goes on vacation to a fishing resort in northern
Along comes a game warden in his boat. He pulls up alongside the woman and says, “Good morning ma’am. What are you doing? “Reading a book,” she replies, (thinking “Isn’t it obvious?”) "You’re in a restricted fishing area,” he informs her. “I’m sorry officer, but I’m not fishing, I’m reading,” she answers. “Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment. I’ll have to take you in and write you up.”
“If you do that, I’ll have to charge you with sexual assault,” says the woman. “But I haven’t even touched you,” says the game warden. “That’s true, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment.” After thinking for a moment, the game warden said, “Have a nice day ma’am,” and then left her alone.
MORAL: Never argue with a woman who reads…It’s likely she can also think.
So since we met last, my self-esteem has plummeted 20,000 leagues under the sea. And its all thanks to a five-year old and an innocent "compliment" !!
I was sitting on the sofa with my niece the other day and she leaned against me and said that "I" was softer than the cushions!!! :O :O :O...Ouch!!!
After picking up self-worth from the gutter, I headed straight to the gym. Now, I don't know if this phenomenon applies only to the gym in my colony, or is a more insidious worldwide malady, but THERE ARE NO FAT PEOPLE in the gym!!! :O
It would stand to reason right, that fat people would join a gym to lose weight and when they did, the quota of requisite fatness would be refilled. But all I saw were super-buff men and model-like women, strutting around. Maybe they hide all the fat blokes in an inner room???
Me now thinks there is a half-way house, where you have to lose weight in order to be eligible to join a gym. Like in amusement parks...."You must be this high for this ride", I think there is some sort of unwritten rule, "You must weigh this much to join the gym".
*wanders off in search of this mythical half-way house.
So no gym for me. But I think I'll be safe just as long as I can manage to stay away from five-year olds with a penchant for soft objects.
Now where's that leftover pizza??? :P
I think the fact that we are so close to the Arabian Sea is the most wonderful thing about Bombay. A good friend of mine (who prefers to remain anonymous) from college has the good fortune of living at Worli Seaface. Here are a few pictures right from sunrise to sunset of the gorgeous view from his bedroom window.
.....might smell as sweet, but does the same apply to Bombay/Mumbai??
The city is clearly divided into two camps. One which does not recognize "Mumbai", and still insist on calling it
I am firmly ensconced in the former camp and this is what I think.
I understand the feeling which motivates group B. Their logic goes that since the British christened our lil island "
But did they think about the massive financial losses this one decision would generate?? Did they consider the money that had to be spent re-painting signs and re-printing letter-heads. What about the shop-keepers whose billboards got blackened and whose shops got ransacked?? Aren't they being as tyrannical as the British were, in their attempts at ridding
Setting aside all the political and financial ramifications of the decision, I think the thing that bothers me the most is the sense of helplessness that that one move made a whole lot of people in
I thought the whole point of a democracy is the voice of the majority, but the name change was brought about without consulting the common man. I compare the absurdity of the move to say, my grandmother waking up one morning and asking me to call her Slim Shady without asking what I thought about it first !!.....:D :D
From that point in time, it became all about the brawn. Have a few goons with you….. garner a little political clout…. and you can do as you like to a point where even the police are rendered impotent.
With the change in her name,
So for me, calling my beloved city
First I would like to thank the Bombay Diva for this great opportunity to contribute to her blog. Some of you may know me from ZomgitsCj , where I have been blogging for a short time now.
My role here will be more of "the Tech Guy".If you see anything wrong with the site or would like something changed do let me know in the comments section. But when the occasional need to rant about something political or worthy of this blog strikes me, you'll see me posting here.You'll find that my style of writing will be a lot more formal here than on my aforementioned blog.
I look forward to contributing to the Bombay Diva's already great site and look forward to your feedback.
-The infamous Cj
....my mom is the cutest!!!
My phone was low on balance (as usual!!! :P) and I called my mom up from my friends landline. After the conversation, she asks me how come my name isn't showing on the caller ID?? :O :O :O eerrrr.....coz im calling up from someone else's number maybe??. Well, apparently she though caller IDs are super-machines, who recognise who is calling and not the number they are calling from. So even if someone's number is not registered on the phone, its supposed to display the name of the person who dialled.....
hahahahahahahahahaha.........rotflmao!!
But seriously, maybe she's a woman ahead of her time. Who knows? But till then I'll have a field day laughing at her. You go ma!!
.....on the streets of Bombay. There used to be a more innocent time where the streets had potholes, but now the POTHOLES have STREETS!!
Its like a friggin roller coaster ride wherever you go. Or worse a camel ride. Maybe all the citizens of Bombay should start a class action suit against the BMC citing acute back and spinal cord problems inflicted due to the bad condition of the road. Hmmm, I might be on to something here.
I mean, how difficult can it be?? Stop Narayan Rane from taking his entourage of cronies on a month-long vacay in Europe and re-direct those funds. Those are taxpayers rupees btw. We pay a huge chunk of our salaries so that some arrogant a**-wipes can frolic in the Alps. And the world wonders why Bombay is such a dump inspite of being the financial capital of India. I say, hang em', HANG EM' ALL!
.....that sparrows are higher up on the list of priorities than humans in Bombay. No, seriously!!
The principal of my ex-college (HR College, Churchgate) Mrs. oh pardon me, DR. Indu Shahani is the current Sheriff of Bombay. Huge honour, huge responsibility, huge opportunity to bring about change right?? WRONG!!!
Her first order of business......sparrow conservation. While I agree wildlife conservation(do sparrows constitute wildlife)IS important, I'm sure that as a Sheriff she could have drawn attention to more pressing matters, like the floods we have every time it drizzles and the power crisis and the, well, everything else. But no, she is planning to spend scare public funds on setting up sparrow shelters. Who's gonna tell the sparrows that there are shelters for them?? Is she going to hire people to run around Bombay and catch sparrows so that those shelters are used?? Is she.....is it......are they???......ack!! it hurts my brain to think about it.She should be thankful if the sparrows don't mistake her hairset for a nest and treat THAT as a shelter. rotflmao.
Setting aside the fact that with all the hairspray she uses, a hole has formed in the ozone layer right above her head, she was an ok principal. I mean, sure, she doesn't pay attention to people who don't drive a merc(or two), but she doesn't unnecessarily meddle and I like that. But seriously....sparrows.....get a life woman!!! and stick to your day job :P
Tune in for part two of the rant, where I talk about how Indu Shahani is teaching Bombay-ites to whistle.
Till then I remain,
Slack-jawed in awe,
Bombay Diva
……an internet virgin that is!! lol. I’ve finally been unleashed on the internet and no one, I repeat, NO ONE, is safe!
I’ll be blogging about my views, political or otherwise and about other random stuff going on in my life. I basically started this blog because
• I am an only child who has outgrown her imaginary friends,
• Am too cheap to pay for a shrink (:D),
• No newspaper is willing to hire me and pay me for my views
• And also because CJ basically twisted my arm and made me do it.
Also, if you don’t like the blog name, layout, actually anything (other than the writing) you can aim your rotten tomatoes at CJ who basically did everything from start to finish and also put up with my mindless chatter and inane comments while he was doing all this work. He is also a guest blogger. *Sigh, if only all things in life were handed to me on a platter like that. Thanks CJ and HUGE hugs to ya, go check out his blog at zomgitscj.blogspot.com.
OK, now that we’re done with all the credits and the mushy stuff, let’s get down to business. What can you expect from my blog??
I plan on unleashing my acerbic tongue on any subject that catches my fancy, and I ain’t scared of naming names. So think twice before you cross me. I am always open to comments/feedback, so say what’s on your mind and validate my opinions once in a while :P
I’ll also have a Bombay restaurant review section (once a week probably), a “Been there, Done that” section (where I plan on talking about the touristy places in Bombay) and ofcourse my political rants and personal ramblings.
Just in case you get bored of me, CJ will step in with his inimitable brand of wit and I might just be able to rope in the prolific photo journalist, K Rebelo to do a few interesting bits.
So hang in people, the show is about to begin.
Peace Out!!
BombayDiva
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