Radio Ka Sardar ...

Are your investments in place ? Have you sorted it all with Mr C.A ? Since you are planning to plough money into property, you must have been thinking of  applying for a home loan as well…

A wise man once said and I quote “Failing to plan is planning to fail..”

For once, I am on the same page as this wise man but what happens when all plans go kaput.. What if you decide to go on a picnic, on a fine Sunday morning and there is something unexpected in store for you… This is the last time that you hurriedly declared a ‘bye bye’ at home and rushed out with your biker friends. You didn’t bother to hug or say ‘I love you’ to your pretty wife, your children were fast asleep unaware of what’s awaiting them…. And you…You didn’t return..

My friend didn’t return home..

It was an accident that has shaken everyone who knew him, didn’t know him, may be had just seen or heard him.. I am reminded of the first time I met him at MICA, his unrehearsed spontaneous one liners, his creative stunts on radio, binging on the delectable and inviting lunch his adorable wife lovingly packed for him and apologizing later for the shameful act, his full throated laughter, his two charming kids and his composed demeanour. With hands forever ready to help, witty remarks fastened onto the lips and a heart that only knew how to spread joy… you will be deeply missed my friend !

Seeing you today, where I did, I realized that life is unpredictable indeed ! We must think ahead and plan. Infact, plan well.. However, there is an expiry date and strangely, we haven’t been told about this day, date and time.

Death is certain. Hence, all the more important is what do we do with this life and how do we live.. and you, my friend… You lived well…

Thank you for the person that you are.. you ‘ARE’ eternally alive in my heart..

R.I.P Abhay !

My budday gift :)

So, I received a letter this morning from a certain ‘Mr Jaiswal’ who stays in Vasant Kunj. He is old, very old, dons a black cap that blankets his grey hair. His eyes wear a deserted look and he had many questions to ask when I first bumped into him at my book’s launch event. Amidst the frenzy, he stay put beside me, refused to budge until he had noted down my address and date of birth. I wondered why, yet didn’t question his intent owing to paucity of time and other engagements at that point.

Five months later, on the eve of my ‘Happy Budday’, I receive the first card from 81 year old Mr Jaiswal. A little girl pointing towards a shooting star in the night sky graces the front side of the card. I am no ‘little girl’ and this didn’t look like a ‘Happy budday’ card either but the gesture was very thoughtful, indeed. Enclosed with the card was a hand written three page letter.

He stays alone in a three bedroom flat on the ground floor of a housing society. His wife moved on three years ago. The three sons are settled abroad. He is a grandfather too but is living with no false hopes of seeing them grow or dropping them to school or playing with them against the backdrop of the setting sun. 

He is lonely and has no qualms about explicitly mentioning the same in his letter.

Four lines at the start of this letter are dedicated to praising my debut work. But the remaining words reflect his desolate saga of coping with loneliness. Most of his friends have joined his wife. His choice of words’ suggest that his family doesn’t care much. Yes, he has the money but those of us who are earning know about the kind of happiness money brings along.

I must have touched his life in that brief encounter that lasted not more than five minutes… or may be, he wanted to do something with his time and the task of encouraging a young author appealed to him. In any case, I have decided to send him a letter too.. a hand written letter..

If you have a neighbour who is ageing and lonely, do say ‘Hi’ to him the next time you see him gazing at you from his balcony. Also, remember to smile…. 

Bas aur paanch minute..

There are a few super human beings who like getting up in the morning. The rest of us, common mortals, keep trying. It is a daily endeavour, mostly we fail and everyday we redetermine (half heartedly). No wonder, victory eludes us the next day also and then again, we redetermine !

We are, without exception, experts at the 'bas aur paanch minute' game. Also because, we have been playing this game for a very long time now ! We have often missed our school buses, reported late for work and sometimes skipped bathing, all due to our deep affinity towards this game. Its a different thing that every second of the last five minutes is closely monitored by our watchful eyes and the horrifying visuals of our Maths teacher conducting the unit test or the boss giving us a mouthful for turning up late , grow bigger and bigger by the end of 'the five minutes'. Noble plans of hitting the gym never see the light of the day , courtesy the 'five minute game'. And then, alternatives are considered, for eg taking the stairs and not the lift , going to a restaurant and having salads instead of butter chicken, hanging out with friends who are more out of shape than myself (boosts my confidence !). The culprit behind all of it is 'the five minute game'.

My one month old nephew is a funny, shameless fellow. Every evening, he sees us on skype, winks and then starts snoring. For the next forty minutes, I scream and screech and howl.."Darsh Darsh, get up baba" but Baba cares a damn ! My brother doesn't like to give up either, so he pulls Darsh and cuddles him too. Darsh baba refuses to open his big black eyes and finally, we give up. Nevertheless, this online date happens every evening between 8 to 9 pm. I have been told that infants like to sleep. I would like to believe that we all enjoy a sound sleep, especially the last five minutes (that often does stretch into hours) ! Yawn !! Good night then !

The cell phone addiction :)

So, my phone conked off today. I was out for work, wasn’t carrying the charger along, a few important calls were expected, I was in a dilemma and while at work I kept looking around and asking everybody for a charger.. Nobody had the one I needed. This has also happened to you and I am not asking you. I am certain about it.. Once back home, the first task to do was locate the goddamn charger and plug in the phone, switch it on to find 101 messages on WhatsApp and 8 missed calls. I love it when friends create random groups and add me to them.  It is very thoughtful of them to have remembered me and to continue the process of remembering me through the day (this explains the 101 messages)

But, there are two sides to a coin. How did our parents and grandparents and their parents etc  manage without the cell phone ? Looks nearly impossible to survive solely on a big black immobile instrument lying dormant in a corner of the drawing hall. Mobile phones, on the other hand hand have brought the world closer. Its so much simpler now to keep tabs on anyone you would like to. The ‘Last seen today at am/pm’ feature of Whats App is absolutely incredible ! I met a lady this morning who has deactivated WhatsApp owing to the brawl that this feature led her to.

We like to crib and because the determination to do so is relatively intense, we do find the reasons as well. 

Pros and cons define everything in life. I would like to look at the brighter side of life ! Happy to be born in the age of cellphones, iphones, ipads, tablets..et all…  Want to add me to groups on WhatsApp ? Bring it on..  But please forgive me , if I mute the group ;)

Dekhna na bhoolein aj raat aath,nau, dus baje ;)

Bigg Boss 7 is going to hit our television screens soon. No, I am not excited in the least to see the bare-all Khan murmuring and whispering something as he swings from one side to the other, cracking jokes that are lame and celebrities going bonkers at the sight of the short heighted muscle man. Albeit, Mr Khan does have a great screen presence but watching quarrelsome strangers abusing, brawling, playing games, talking to the cameras with weird expressions and eccentric opinions is too much to take for a common mortal.

Arnab Goswami’s fiery debates and the news channels provide no respite either. With not many television sets in the Iyer household, the junior most dweller (i.e me) is forced to watch the Ichhas, the Tapasyas, the Banis, the Meghas and their marriages followed by divorces followed by remarriages followed by heart/liver transplants and road accidents, not to forget the manipulative mother-in-laws, the scheming brother-in-laws and the make up which is always in place, no matter what the hour of the day.

Television is a very powerful medium to entertain and create value. Unfortunately, the devious serials and reality shows are cashing on the contriving aspect of human interactions. One school of thought suggests that television programming is ultimately going to be a reflection of the societal values. I believe that most of us uphold good values and have a sound conscience. Then, why can’t the entertainment shows mirror this goodness ?

Well, as of now, the junior most lodger in the Iyer household (i.e me) has decided to go for a run every evening. This is a noble endeavour to unload the flab from both body and mind !

Note – The above determination shall last until a new television set graces my room with the remote control solely in my hands.

Thodi parking space dedo.. :D

My housing society is a crowded place… cramped with cars. The task of finding a teeny weeny parking space for my battered Swift is an arduous one indeed ! Every evening is a battle. If you are in the society premises by 8pm, your success rate will be good and you will manage to find some space for your dream machine. The verbal bombings begin post 8pm.

Today is a good day. My car is comfortably rested and on my morning stroll, I happened to strike up an interesting conversation with Surender, the famished guard at the apartment gate.

“Raat ko soye nahin kya ap?” He looked groggy and tired.

“Kahan madam, teen baje tak to gaadiyaan atee hain…Kaise soyein ?”

.. and then Surender unfolded the truth and began divulging all the secrets. Never before did I realise that I am the inhabitant of a prosperous society with filthy rich neighbours. I was overflowing with joy and pride when I was told..

“President sahib ki madam paanch gaadiyaan hain.. ghar mein teen log hain..”

Also, flat no 42 is occupied by a young couple and their charming 8 year old daughter. The family owns three cars. The little one often poses for pictures when seated on the driving seat but as a law abiding citizen of the country, she has refrained from driving. The third car (Honda Civic)  is driven by Mangal, the efficient driver who drives ‘bitiya’ to school and back and that’s it ! Adieu, civic sense !

Post this conversation, with abundant joy I have been sending heartfelt prayers for my prosperous neighbours to become wealthier by the day, acquire many more cars and buy an independent property with enough parking space to accommodate all of them ! My ‘poor’ Swift has been injured, wounded, bruised and blemished in the parking area of the apartment, more than on the streets of Delhi NCR.

Note – Thank God for small mercies ! None of my neighbours is an online friend.. Buahahaha !

Remembering the 'self assured' Tina..

Rejection ? Who wants it but we have experienced it at some point in our life ? I personally don’t like the word. But, when the world tells you that you are fat/anorexic/tall/short/lazy/arrogant and the likes, you could become judgemental of your own self.

I am reminded of late ‘Tina’ (my stubborn pet). She was fond of flirting with the other dogs in the locality. Labradors made her go weak in the knees. We were the conservative parents and tried our best to shield her. We called her names. But, she didn’t care and she wouldn’t listen. And then, followed a lineage of Labradors..

What the world thought of her didn’t matter to her.. She was clear about her choices.. Labradors.. Period !

When I checked my inbox this morning, I found an email from a kind lady sitting somewhere in a swank area of Delhi NCR. She had politely turned down my proposal (work related in case you are getting ideas).

At that moment, this is the word that hit me. But a thought followed thereafter. Nobody can reject no one as long as we don’t reject ourselves. Self-belief is the key to everything and this is the word I like.

Everyone around will have an opinion of you and they are entitled to having one but your opinion of yourself  should be the best !

P.S – I am certain. Tina is dating the handsomest Labrador in the eternal resting space !