Go Goa Gone , Memories for a lifetime

There are some memories you wanna frame and put them up in your living room or your Facebook walls or your Instagram filters and then there are memories which you don't need to, they are engraved so deep in your hearts ,  you will take them to grave with you.

Flashback 1996-98: Shy , Introvert, Fat, unsuccessful guy in school surrounded by some really really good set of people as friends, that was me, I loved them all despite only being with them for 3 years, remember those years so well. I was pathetic in studies and unpopular socially and after school did not really keep in touch with most, who went ahead in life.

Cut to 2008. Thanks to Facebook I got in touch with my school friends from Army School Secunderabad ( greatest school in the world in our times) , but on an open platform we could just smile looking at each others photos and families. Honestly it felt awesome to see most of us, now 10 year older and heavier.

Cut to 2015: WhatsApp , the greatest invention since the wheel, made us into a class once again, we were all back in school trying to talk to everyone and I can never thank my friends Santosh , Praveen and Shweta enough for putting us back in school with this platform, these three were the most social and likable people in our class.

Then came an unreal plan for a re-union in December, I said yes instantly, not knowing if anyone would be happy to see me in real as a lot has changed since school. We decided on Goa, suited everyone and in December, it is the place to be in.

I never expressed it, but I counted days till I could reach Goa in December, got my tickets fixed in July itself. I was excited.

My whatsapp conversations with friends ensured that except for some of us, I think everyone else was a sweetheart.

Cut to December 2015: I was nervous to meet everyone, the first guy I met was Mukesh, the hero , he came and hugged me and I hugged back and smiled with maybe teary eyes, i wasn't sure what sort of a person he was, but he took not even 30 sec to prove why he rules our hearts then and now.

I stayed alone that night at Palolem on day 1, one day before everyone else arrived, I needed it and reached the Stain Glass Cottage, where we had to stay from 11 th at  3 PM and met everyone.

Santosh looked just the same, Praveen warm as ever, Shweta the queen of our school and Sreesha who I was the happiest to meet up with, hugged them all. Also met Shveta Jaggi who wasnt in our class but was so warm that I never felt like it, and Vishnu who is old friends with Santosh and Mukesh but had left school before class X, cute guy, a lot like me, family driven and vegetarian .

We had no agenda and thats where a sea-food lunch at Zee Pob made sense, they had all sorts of marine life, and we all took off from where we left, it was broken, we were extremely comfortable with each other, beer for 30 bucks really helped. Went to the beach and chilled out.

Spent the evening having some more sea food at a local shack at Colva. Had some KING FISH and KING FISHERS.

Day 3 : Defining day of our lives.

I went for a 5 km trail run and realized that Vishnu, Praveen , Santosh and Shveta were chatting up all night, having multiple rounds of tea in the process . Gosh I missed it, poor guys chatted up till 6 and got up at 9, or was it poor me to have missed out on all the fun at night.

We all lazed around a bit and finally headed to Arambol, heard too much about it, settled into a temporary shack called Horizon where we got the coziest corner one could get and that too with a comfortable ground seating , Me and Mukesh headed to the sea, Santosh joined, we really enjoyed the sea and beers and food in repeat afternoon became evening and in came our darling Unnati, who thinks she is hot, but I was so happy to see her, although I met her once in 2009 in Delhi. She had got some retarded cup cakes for us, the cup cakes were extraordinary, never had anything better, the fact that our friend baked it, made it taste even better. We played some mad beach volleyball donning our flat abs and some insane amount of selfies and photos.

The shack had till then set-up seating outdoors that the sun was down, and we chilled and laughed there to our hearts content. We chilled for hours what felt like minutes, these guys are so funny , and we would have stayed on unless we had plans to go to the Arpora Night market.

Before I forget, While we reached Arambol in 2 hours with me and Mukesh sitting on the back, Vishnu and Shweta on the front, Shweta had some heated conversations on phone which we just joked about and had a laughed hearing them, probably beer or the company had cracked us. 

Well Arpora Night market was a chilled out place, where we met Richie, a guy I dont remember, but that did not stop him from being himself, we chilled for hours, laughed, danced , tanked up and had some crazy pizzas till about 2 AM and then thought about returning home, which was some 2 hours away,  We let Sreesha and Unnati drive and slept like babies, realized they had lost way a couple of times but enjoyed our way out of it too.

Shweta by the way had a more happening late night journey back with Vishnu and Richie. ( EVIL SMILE)

We reached home at 4:30 and realized no point in sleeping, so we just chilled and roasted each other all night. No one slept a minute, with Richie continuously threatening to, but we did not sleep eventually.

Praveen then did something really sweet, I appreciate it a lot from the bottom of my heart, he made small slam books for everyone, in which we will all record personal messages for each other individually, so for Santosh all of us will write a message in one book. The best was reserved for the last, but my handwriting sucked, while my thoughts did not. The messages my friends had for me, were so freakin sweet, I was overwhelmed by their reactions.

We all had to leave that morning, and expressed our love for each other, I felt happy when Santosh and Sreesha said in person that they were happy to see me, I felt awesome, I obviously felt happy to see my old friends but to see them open in front of us, was phenomenal.

Unnati was staying back, i was in half mind to stay back a couple of days and chill with her, such a sweetheart she is, but my gorgeous wife and son were too much a temptation to resist, although i want to chill with her sometime soon.

Unnati treated us to beer and Pizzas before we left and there ended one of the greatest weekends I have ever spent. 

I would never forget our chai obsession and Shveta's obsession with the Chai song.

I would never forget, how i exposed my greatest weaknesses in front of Shweta, and for her to respect me for that despite being who she is.

I would never forget that I could make my friends smile and laugh in those days.

I would never forget, what this meant for each one of us and it was perfect, way better than we expected it to be.

I love you all, there is more madness left and we still dont know who is Tanya Ghosal.

Life TAMASHA

I just loved Tamasha and that’s because the film speaks for each one of us as per our understanding.I think the movie is the best film I have seen in a while, I have been thinking about it for a bit and I have downloaded all our songs, especially “ Safarnama” which is so freakin meaningful. It gave me goosebumps.

  We are all “ LIVING “ our lives but not really .

Today my thoughts while I am at home, at work, driving, running or even taking a shower are broadly around how I should complete my monthly sales numbers, how I should fund my next holiday which I want to be in Barcelona, How I should purchase my next car or watch, how I should get Kabir ( my son) admitted in the fanciest school in the world and while the variables might change for different people, the fact that our needs are pretty materialistic and mundane and give us happiness only momentarily.

And how is that really different from what I was doing last year or even five years back or ten years back !!!! ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………BAM,  it is not.

Life really is a race and each one of us is really judgmental about what they have, and it is more materialistic than what could ever be, sometimes even competing with my colleagues and friends can give me a temporary feeling of self fulfillment and achievement but can that really last and last a lifetime ??

Real life is !!!!! well Real life and we have to pay our bills unless we are born with a silver spoon and have an option to explore yourself properly.

 Just think about it, life is really a painting competition in which we have a blank sheet of paper and we can draw/ paint or sketch all that we want, the problem though is that I am sitting in a room full of people who are doing the same thing,  drawing something that looks good and they are vigorously drawing it, So we panic and start drawing what they are drawing, as they seem to know what they really want, and we try and copy them and maybe make it better than what they are doing. We could have drawn a sketch, but end up attempting an shabby oil painting.

Imagination is dead really, for most of us that is, we are in the rat race and although we make good money have a good laugh, but we don’t have a great life, as this is so monotonous and is not self fulfilling at all  but for the temporary sense of happiness.

Think about it once again, we remember so many details of our childhood and even our college( Speaking for most of us) , we don’t remember last year of our lives as well as we remember maybe the 15^th year of our life or even the 10^th year of your life or your college.

How do we get back our life ???? Or can we even get it. The fact is we cant, but can get close and lets try hard to.

What does a Long distance runner really think while running ??

Lighter take on thoughts in a runner's mind while running long distance, mostly practice runs

·         This is not worth it, completely not worth it, I should have gone for the cards party last night.

·         Gosh am I turning darker in skin color?

·         My knee, there is pain, cant last another kilometer can it ?

·         Why am I doing this? What have I ever achieved by doing this.

·         Oh shucks, I forgot to wear the deodorant , now what

·         I am sure every other work-out is more fun than this boring routine, I need to make it sound cooler.

·         “ Kattapa ne Bahubali ko kyun Maara”

·         I really wanna have paranthas for breakfast today, or should I ?

·         Whats wrong in doing two kilometers less than last week.

·         It’s the toughest run, last week the weather was better.

·         I need better running gear, man those other guys look so good and run like demons. Someone get me better shoes, jerseys, socks.

·         I need a break now, maybe another 500 mts

·         A little slower won’t harm anyone puff puff.

·         Shucks I forgot Vaseline, now for rashes.

·         Gosh I should have started earlier, too much sun too early.

·      Cyclists are losers, running is the real thing. Harley gang is just fat men with money making noise.

·         Should have only had one drink last night, not worth the lethargy or the hangover, Laphroig was great nevertheless. 

·         “ A “ lost weight doing only Yoga, maybe its time I change,

·         I need better running shoes, shorts, socks, jerseys.

·         We should migrate to a country with better roads and lesser pollution, but who will hire me there L

·         Gosh I hate street dogs, why does no body do anything for it?

·         Hey those guys are running all wrong, wrong posture.

·         I think I need a leak.

·         Is Nike the app for me or should I try strava.

·         Oh look at that gorgeous girl from our condominium, time to increase the speed.

·         But seriously “ Kattapa ne Bahubali ko kyun Mara”

Yakub in " CAPITALS "

Not even 1% of those who had opinions about Yakub Memon had a clue about who SP Baljit  Singh was, now don’t google it, he was India’s hero from Punjab Police, who was shot down in the terror attack in Gurdaspur a day before Yakub’s execution. Yakub Memon ‘s execution and later cremation got more coverage in media than our beloved ex president Dr. APJ, this really proves why India did not even deserve a man like Dr. APJ.

On the eve of the execution of Yakub Memon, Opinions in India were split into two from the very middle on whether Yakub Memon should really be hanged and indeed on capital punishment as such. This was a very worrying debate on a number of parameters.

11. Any debate on capital punishment happens ONLY when a punishment of this nature is given in rarest of rare cases today in India. The number of death sentences in India have gone down exponentially. 

s2. A Capital punishment given to a convict is actually equated with another case and another convict where a similar punishment was  not given , in more cases for people of another religion, giving the whole argument a religious undertone.

33. Every Tom Dick and Harry especially the English speaking pseudo liberals , give half baked opinion on the judgment of the court, obviously with little merit.

I have two opinions on this and I shall quote them in two separate paragraphs as the two opinions have no relation with each other.

ONE: I think Capital punishment should be abolished in this country, as I believe most people getting this punishment have anyways given up on life and in some cases were on suicide missions and so death doesn’t horrify  them, what can really scare the shit out of them and maybe improve them a bit is solitary imprisonment or maybe long term imprisonment of the sorts that happens in some countries.

 For a victim or a murderer or a rapist , A revenge killing seems like the logical thing to do, but maybe a solitary confinement for long periods can be a bigger punishment, much bigger. This debate should happen openly but not when we have a case of capital punishment sentence meted out by the honorable courts.

The biggest flaw in capital punishment however is a small chance of the convict being proven not guilty or in some cases a little less guilty, after being convicted is obviously possible and then we cant get the dead man back, In Israel a similar case happened after which they banned  capital punishments, even a country like Israel. Even while convicting a criminal one should always believe that there is a chance, a very little chance of this person not being guilty, the proof for which we might get in the future, maybe after 5, 10 or even 20 years. Taking his life is irreversible and its against the very spirit of our law.

TWO: India has been plagued by liberals and “ Presstitutes” for long and they only take mileage protesting against any capital punishment of late, mostly belittling the crime that has led to the punishment indeed. You might not agree with the punishment but doubting the conviction of the criminal is actually doubting your legal system and making a laughing stock out of yourself. Human rights are fine but milage on the back of these controversies is certainly not.

I would like to make it clear that Yakub Memon was tried SIX times at different levels from TADA courts right upto the Supreme Court and he was found guilty, if anyone  has doubts about the process, you must consider living in India, it must really be a Banana republic. 

For those quoting Americans, remember that Osama wasnt even tried when he could have been since he was captured alive, so lets not even get the American example anywhere.

Two things are clear, we must debate capital punishment, and hopefully abolish it but we must not discuss it when any enemy of the state is going through it, the debate gets into a separate spiral all together.

12 things to do in Delhi before the winters die

Hate winters or love them, we would all miss them when they are gone. Delhi is beautiful in winters, The cold brings out a different character to this city, some of the best shots in Delhi can be clicked and can be associated with the famous " Dilli Ki Sardi".

It wont be a bad idea to really enjoy the last few days or weeks of winters and do the winter stuff before the 8 month long summer sets in.

1. Have lots of outdoor Brunches / Terrace Parties: Its only a few months that you can enjoy this weather sitting outdoors , wearing Prada shades and enjoying those wine brunches at India Grill Room, Cyber Hubs, Lodhis, Olives or the Garden Of Five Senses. Its a great time to get the dose of Vitamin D for good and not worry about your color, coz this is one thing we all will miss dearly all year. Planning Barbeque parties in your own terrace might be a great idea as well.

2. Plan a Bon-Fire: February a little late for Bon fires but would still be a good idea before march sets in, everyone loves a bon fire, it often gets the best out of close friends especially with some great music, maybe live music.

3. PICNICS: Great time for picnics, kids love this weather so head to Suraj Kund or Nehru Park or even India Gate and carry your footballs and frisbees along.

4. Attending fests: Winters also have the best fests starting from the trade fair to the theatre fest to various food festivals to the book fair, its a great idea to enjoy these as the summers have almost nothing to offer.

5. Running: Running in the open is still pleasurable and so is attending the " Raahgiri ". These are the best times for people who love outdoors and we must run or go for a walk and give rest to those gyms.

6. Pick your sport: Great time for playing football, cricket, Basketball or just about any outdoor sport without sweating like pigs.

7. FOOD: Pakoras, Paranthaas and Jalebis , nothing quite like winters to enjoy some royal treats. Pakoras , Paranthaas and Kachoris taste far better in winters and they don't even show on your waist as you wear too many clothes to hide them.

8. Live your passion for Gardening, in case you have it. Efforts in the garden can be rewarded with the flowers by mother nature.

9. Attend One Wedding: No winters are really complete without attending one Punjabi Wedding in Delhi, with under dressed beautiful women and over dressed Fat Men , great music, fun frolic and some gorgeous food.

10. Weekend in a Hill Station : Manali and Gulmarg are snow clad, enjoy the time there its precious.

11. Plan a city tour of this gorgeous city: Delhi is the most beautiful city and it would be a great idea to really have another look at the fabulous monuments like Qutab Minar, Humayun Tombs , This is the only weather we can enjoy it.

12. Enjoy the Open markets in Delhi: From Connought Place to Hauz Khas Village to Shahpur Jat to GK to Khan Market to Meher Chand, no place can be as much fun except in winters, hang out as often as possible, Malls can wait.

So lets get ready for summers by living up in the last fortnight of winters.