Out And About...

First of all, a Happy Dusshera to every one!!!

Its a good time to be in Delhi during festivals. The city celebrates all festivals with equal vigour, be it Diwali, Eid, Baisakhi, Christmas or even Chhatt. The city reverberates with excitement, and yesterday (Ramnavmi) was not different. Me and my friends visited CR Park to visit the pandals there. Looked like there was a pandal for each block, and people were visiting every one of them. What was welcome there was the orderliness, as they patiently stood in the queue to be frisked and to be admitted. Once inside, there was the HUGE protima (thats how the Bengalis say it) of Durga maa, with every body praying and taking pictures. But unlike in the temples, where there is a tussle to kneel before the God, people were a little more patient there. Perhaps it was the festive mood, people were in a mela, so they were in their mela moods. Unexpectedly, I met our old cab driver, a mad sardar named Daljeet. We chatted a little, made enquiries, it felt nice.
From there, the plan was to head to Kalibari (the fact that I was with my Kharagpur born and bred friend and my Assamese friend and his wife had a lot to do with our visiting all the Durga puja pandals), but it was cut short as we passed by the Bangla Sahib and I remarked that I had never been there. Turns out neither had they, and so the plan was detoured to Bangla Sahib, and it was a good detour.
Bangla Sahib is a must visit for everyone. Right in the middle of the chaotic city, the place still exudes calm. The sight of the huge mass of people going silently to the Gurdwara was quite welcome, as was the sight of people voluntarily scrubbing the floors and offering water and also manning the shoe stall of the Gurudwara. Once inside, people moved silently in devotion, without minding the others. The thirty minutes we spent there were peaceful.
Next up was the inevitable trip to purani Dilli. Eid was over, and it was back to business as usual there. But even without the festivities, the place is a magnet for me. It love to just stroll in the narrow lanes there, windows shopping. This time around, I finally tasted tandoori chicken from the place where it was invented, Moti Mahal restaurant. Again, the ambiance of the place is a little old world, and the prices are steep, but a visit to the place is still worth a visit once. The dish in question was not bad at all. In fact, it was quite good, the meat was tender, the spices spread evenly, though I thought that the taste was geared more towards western tastes (read, not spicy enough).
Yesterday was a realization for me that Delhi is a varied city. Theres lots to see and visit in this city. Its which aspect of the city that suits you. For me, it definately the historical ones. The sight of Purana Qila excites me, even though I have been there many times, I want to visit Hymayun's Tomb one more time, search out the Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah and also the tomb of Mirza Ghalib.

Early In The Morning, 6 O' Clock

Got up early today at my home, and was able to view the Ghaziababd morning for the first time. It is so different from the mornings in Mayur Vihar. Indirapuram is a concrete jungle, and the mornings there are a play of shadow and light. The sun struggles to shine in the mornings here. And theres this silence. Silence as in no sound of vehicles. Its quite, except for the chirping of birds. Yes, in spite of all the concrete structures, the birds still manage to get themselves heard, at least in the mornings. This is something we don't have in Mayur Vihar.
Lying on my bed at the crack of dawn, I looked at the whitish blue light outside, and heard the birds. Their sound early in the morning is very soothing, though they may be shouting their throats off. It was enough for me to get out of my bed and go to the balcony to view the morning. It was so dull, no sun, lots of bird noises, morning haze (pollution?), cool breeze. I had to hav a better view, so I made my way to the terrace.
From the top, the view was different. The visibility was definitely low, and all I could see around me was buildings in all shapes, sizes and color. It so reminded of Doha which was another concrete colony in desert. But here, there were green patches. While not visible from the ground, Indirapuram has a lot of greenery, though most of it is untended shrubs. But is enough for the birds to make a dwelling. And its not morning haze, its pollution. But still, the mornings here are optimistic. They're all about getting up an going to work. Good Morning to you all.

Temptation Resistant...

What is the height of peity? visiting purani dilli on the day of your fast and not eating the non veg delicacies on offer. Even if you discount the fact that watering of mouth is an involuntary thing, I would still give myself a solid 80 out of 100. I am proud of myself. And sad that I missed out on the food there. Is this what they call phyrric victory?

Being Hungry...

The Navratris have begon, and I am fasting today. I wasn't intending to, but since everyone in the household it fasting, I had to join in, and I am glad I did. Foregoing food is not a nice feeling, but when you do it with family, it feels nice. A starving family is somehow a pious family...never figured that about religion till now. Anyways, for me the winter has started arriving. It begins with the mellow sun, advances to Dusshera, followed by Diwali, coming of cold, hot parathas, hot food, blankets, freezing floors. The last two I hate, hoping it gets over soon, but unfortunately, those two take the longest time. And then, its time for spring. It starts with Makar Shankranti, or Uttarayan as we call it in Gujarat. It then advances to warming of weather, bloom of colors, golden evenings, followed by Holi and then we are in the middle of summer. I have this theory that more than the seasons, its the change of seasons that excite us. When the seasons change, we start expecting things, new things. Daily life itself is boring, and when seasons change, its natures way of telling us that life is not boring, as long s you expect a bit of the same. Think about it, we expect the same things every year during the festivals, but it still makes us happy, expecting the same is strangely comforting.

Whoa!! My train of thought just changed multiple tracks, best I stop now.

Anyways, Wishing all of you Happy Navratris!!

He Said She Said...

Flicked from some place on the internet:

She: Our love is like turtle. Humble and simple, enduring by virute of perfect design.
He: Our love is like a Brontosaurus. Recognized as a mistaken combination long ago, lingering only out of misplaced affection for an imagined past.

Just dont write it on your valentine day card.

A Drastic Change...

My brother left for US today. Going to pursue further studies. I am proud of him. It takes guts to leave a steady career and go for a whole new career. I showed that guts when I chucked my job, and went solo to follow my dreams. But it takes a special kind of smarts to go about it in a planned manner. This is where my brother scores over me. While I am more of the impulsive kind, he keeps a sane head over his shoulders and takes informed decisions. I really believe that when god went about creating me and my brother, I was the version 1.0, and he is version 2.0. This is a career that he wanted for a long time, and he went about following his dreams step by step.

Step 1: Take inspiration from people around you.

Step 2: Learn as much about the trade as you can. Give it a critical look.

Step 3: Know the routes to achieve your dreams. Choose on the path you wish to take.

Step 4: Know the best places to learn you desired trade.

Step 5: Strive to get admitted to that place.

Step 6: Know that this will take time, so arrange to be in good resources till you achieve your dreams.

Step 7: Trust in God. Keep faith.

Step 8: If you you don't succeed, try again.

My brother really scored on the last step. I have learnt the valuable lesson of perseverance once again in my life. As I am writing this post, its been one hour since his plane left. He said he needed a drastic change in his life, and as I saw him off, I could sense his enthusiasm and his nervousness at the same time. I know this feeling and its a wonderful feeling. This is the way pioneers and entrepreneurs feel.

Right now, separated by time and space, I can only wish the best for him, and I know he will achieve what he dreams.

"

Me

"

Winter's here

After three days of non stop rains, theres sunshine in Delhi once again. With it, it brings the fist signs of a change of season. The harsh summer sun is gone, the mild winter sun is coming in, bringing with, the cool, mild breeze. This weather makes you want to go on a holiday to some place nice...some place where theres nature, rivers, greens, mountains. A nice afternoon stroll in the sun, cool wind blowing, talking to someone you love...makes you think your life is made. But I digress. Even if you dont have someone special in your life, this really is the season for being outdoor. Its that time of the year when everything seems fine. The summer is on its way out, the winter is coming in. I love the change in seasons, so life affirming. Its nature's way of surprising you. You start expecting good things thins time of the year, cold nights, hot food, Diwali, garba (if you happned to live in Gujarat for any amount of time), warm clothes, Christmas, new year...After the hot summer months. Nature rewards you with cold nights that are so welcome. Heres looking forward to a memorable winter!!

Recap...

Its been a long time since I posted...years, infact. A lot has happened in this time. I got a job, got a girl, lost the girl, lost the job (in that order), went solo, liked a girl, girl didnt like me, could not continue solo, got a debt, got a job again, am sticking to it for now. In hindsight, this seems like a lot of activities, but there were times I was at a complete stand still. Times when I felt like going on long walk, just to bring some motion in my life. These past three years have been a rough, interesting ride that i am not likely forget ever. I feel I actually grew up in the last few years. Got a little more introspective. Boring. But that's life I guess...c'est la vie. Looking ahead, my goals are different from what they were a few years ago...views change, goals change, its how well you handle the change, how well you adapt to the new you that shows how mature you are. That's a lot of free running for one day...hopefully, this exercise of writing my thoughts will help me in thinking more clearly.

Here I am!!!

First things first, a big shout of welcome to Joydeep..Welcome to blogging!! Believe me, its a medium for people like you...a agreat communication tool!! Hope to hear some nice foodie ideas/stories.

As for me, my attempts to start blogging are seriously hampered by my laziness...but a lot has been happening in my life, it is finding a direction, or heading towards what seems like a direction, so its a nice time to let any and sundry know of my jouney...hope to keep it up this time. Touch wood!

Note: Lisa Ray has a blog!!! its lisaraniray.wordpress.com.if you ever come across this page Lisa....I LOVE YOU!!