LOAD!

A shop that I visit often for books. A man with a husky voice. Five semesters and I'm a regular customer. It's always been the same there. Busy, crowded, loud, chaotic, queued(even if you were the first to go there when the shop had barely any customers. It takes time to look for the required book because the shop provides books on all courses. This only adds up to the fact that your request, is executed slowly even when only some customers are there).

This time however, one thing was different. Nothing less in the above parameters, an addition. The shop owner's  son. Innocent. A school going lad, around 14,15 years of age.

Family Ties

Among things that can be called a natural human tendency, gossip beats them all. Actually, family gossip beats all!

My recent trip to my Chacha's marriage and brother's engagement bear a testimony to that!

It's never taught to us, for example, how to start a gossip or which topic to choose.
It's just something that flows out incessantly once the one who knows "stuff" remembers that they know new "stuff". One thing leads to another and we have set the gossip ball rolling and we all know it continues till either there's something more interesting capable enough to gain that extra momentum needed to take the limelight away from it's older rival or either party leaves! That sometimes leaves the remaining thinking and wondering and yet again "discussing" about the matter!


Be it lunch or dinner or breakfast or even relaxing time, we know what relaxes us the most.

Enter and Exit

When you reach an impasse, that's when you're doomed.
I fear the same with me.

In a time of no denial(and I mean that), what upsets me is lack of something....or may be somethings....

It's the craving of getting back to who you were in the first place while trying to trace back all the hell that made you reach where you are....some take me by surprise, some by anger(hell lot actually), some reminding that sometimes, however cautious you may be, it's just too soon to invest your energies somewhere.....

There's an ever conflicting self that never dies(thankfully) but makes you realize that as unexpected as it was, in moments of fragilities and vulnerabilities, circuit of your brain is the most impressionable...whether it kept shouting in your brain alerting you but you let your vulnerabilities subjugate it is another story...point is you did what you wouldn't have in a decent state of mind...

Not that I regret any of it but it seems that things around need more time to shape up than we think it may need to shape AND bake...
It's strange how life works...you may take years to know someone and they may turn out to be totally untrue to what you'd known them for and there are times when unexpectedly things fall into place...

I have always felt something innocent about befriending strangers...no Tom,Dick, Harry obviously..but sometimes you can tell who...it's a matter of chance...you'll realize to go far or not..

Somewhere I am so fucking bored of the faces that I truly and utterly despise, the sugar coated personalities and God knows how many volcanoes erupt in my head every time I think of each one in the lot....

I can't help thinking of many lame, stinky, pretentious relationships around me....
With strangers atleast you can hope for a fresh start even if it turns out to be the same crap in the end..

Rules of the game change and before you know it so has the team.
Good riddance!!
:)

Not a Deja vu....

As I leave today for Lucknow, to my Nani's place(kind of the story of every summer vacation)..I realise a part of me doesn't wanna leave Jaipur.

Yesterday, as I strolled through the markets I thought I am really gonna miss all this.... miss strolling the streets(like I do that a lot..but atleast I can when I feel like!) and Mc D (obviously there's one in Lucknow too) but the thing is it's Jaipur's Mc Ds that I am damn used too now....I know exactly where the entry and exit doors lie...what's the seating arrangement like...which spot I'd like to choose to sit....and I KNOW WHAT I'LL ORDER!!
:)

Yesterday only, I wanted to eat something....something well inexplicable...(except roti, daal ofcourse!!) but something....that'd be tasty, may be spicy or salty or sweet......can't describe...but something....
While we were at Sodhani Sweets, I wanted to have that moti choor ka orange laddu(which I never would eat too much ever when it paid a visit to my house), then that "mawa" that I love, this khoye ki barfi with that sugar coating on it, wanted to try a small gulab jamun and small rasgulla all that lay drenched in chashni under the lid in those big bowls..was thinking if the shopkeeper would let me take 1 piece of each sweetmeat...:)

I wanted to eat "besan ka something"...which I did :)
and I wanted to eat that namkeen that I like but hadn't had it for a very long time but wanted to right there and then....
Wanted to have lassi(with malai....yummmmm), kachori (pyaaz wali).....and Kanji's naariyal barfi...that white one....:)...so soft and just awesome!!(the barfi obviously)!

As if the world would end the next day and this is my last and only chance to have what I want to....
In Mc D these days, strawberry shake's not available sadly and that felt bad too may be because I remember Lucknow Mc Ds don't offer shakes!

I wanted to try every new lounge in the city, every new restaurant, every new hang out spot.....
just do it all in one go.....wanted to have LMB's vanilla ice-cream....yummm!!
It's weird and happening kinda for the first time....
and all "feelings" related to food...
may be I am falling in love with Jaipur..hahaha...it's high time now!!
:D
or may be I am just a petu!!
A TOTAL FOODIE who knows it'll be somedays before I get to resume my "old" eating habits again!
:)

WHAT A RIDE SIRJI !!

"Kya tumhe pata hai ae gulshan, mere dilbar aane wale hai....Kaliyan na bichana raahon me, hum dil ko bichane wale hai....."
"Hum wo aashiq nahi jo deewaro me chun jatein hai, lakh kar le sitam ae zamane hum na kabhi......
Ishq raha hai, ishq rahega....ishq se naata na todenge......."

That's so NOT my taste..it's just a glimpse of the torture you can be subjected to when you miss the college bus!!
With me, it's been many times with no significant improvement in me to get ready well in time!!
I don't think the "lal dabba" [a red city bus] plays such noxious songs, but then who knows...till I experienced it, I never thought the whilte dabba would!!

They don't play it everytime but I guess when the driver gets bored and just wants to listen to songs he turns on the TORMENTING MONSTER!!
Quite strangely though, these set of buses play the same tracks when they don't play the radio [I am assuming it wasn't radio because 1. There was no commentary between songs (ok, I agree there can be three back to back songs but they give this add after each that it is the back to back thingy going on, on ofcourse their pyara channel...and 2. I don't think any radio channel, not even VIVIDH BHARTI would dare to play such songs..and in case they did, they're DOOMED!!!!)]

Anyway, it's not just the blaring that makes it unbearable...there's sitting space for umm...25-30 maximum, say...and there's a hell lot of space in the center of the bus.....to stand!!
It's about optimization at it's worst atleast for the people who are sitting and later mainly for the ones standing!!

As I sit in the bus, occupying the last inches of viewable seat, we head forward to take in new passengers and well there's space to stand without suffocating anyone....we move forward again and enter more!!
At each stop, hailed by the conductor of the bus who's till now inside the bus, obviously there is not just one passenger but a swarm of them waiting to get into this already growing hive with no air and even less space....

As this gluing to any tangible and rigid part of the bus continues, we have reached a state where
people have apparently reached the door of the bus (stairs are unoccupied still) and the visuals available to the passengers are the faces of their fellows and if you happen to be sitting, you are blessed as you can look at people(take my word, not worth it!!) or turn your neck around and admire the world outside through the window against your back!!

And here comes another stop!! And the stairs have vanished. Passengers are hanging to the handle of the bus door as if to take the bus down (I kind of see it coming...the packed buses always appear tilted by some angle to me).....and Oh yes, there's someone at the rear end of the bus......THE CONDUCTOR!!
Inside, someone steps on my foot...Hey Mr. It's my foot!! [*******] All this goes in my head as I draw it back to a safe position that's not so easy to find...

If you're a regular passenger who travels standing, you better be friends with some inexpensive Doctor. It'll help you in the long run when you need your arched body to be treated....When there are so many people in a confined space, it's better you squeeze into a corner(lal dabba has such a corner); the more exposed you are.....well there'll be more people than you could possibly think of.....

What I witness now, is a classic example of unity in diversity. When the brakes are applied, people from all walks of life jerk forward in unison. When in motion, they "vibrate" at the same rate...face in face...foot on foot or juxtaposed....heads close together, bodies fevicolled together....clinging onto each other...What a spectacle!!

When it's my turn to get off the bus, that's a long process too as my college is far away and in that distance you know very well what has happened. So, I get off my seat....and there are people wanting to grab the empty spot....I don't care obviously:)
What's on my mind is how in the world am I going to get past these human obstacles who can though respond to "excuse me" but where the hell's the space??!! So, as the bus stops, some people get off to make space...oh I see some space (:))....and the stairs..and the ground finally...least interested in the faces ofcourse!!
Finally, I have reached.
What a ride, sirji!!!

Interestingly, these buses take the route under the flyovers that make our city modern....it connects the city that still lives under them, the slums, vegetable shops, clothes' thelas that we are not interested in which is very evident in the "long journey of buses because they take this path" conversations, to the world that we care to take notice of...
Reaching these remote areas that we have become oblivious of, no doubt it's the common man's transport !!

Lucknow Times

Finally, I have managed some time to write down about my great Lucknow experience.

It was a stay from 19May to 31May...just enough days to pack sweet memories..:)
Well this time was different as I had not been there for the past four years...full of fun and surprises...
Lucknow now,at least to a person visiting after 4 years, has changed a hell lot...Not just because of bricks and mortar in the form of malls but also the look of the city...well developed and lit roads, the stone architecture to give the city a Rome type look, as they say...
In the pic, one can see a combination of white and blue lights..each blue light, as the facts go cost around 2,50,000Rs.
Now, coming back to the malls, Dada (my elder bro) and I went to the Fun Republic the very first day, sat in a pub, had beer ;)
Well, the beer tasted "yuk!!" but I got to know that it's had for the "FEELING" not for the "taste"!! Hmmmm!!!! Got it Dada:)

I also ate a new type of chicken(chicken made in a different way) at KFC=Kentaki Fried Chicken...The crust was toooooo good...but inside there wasn't any masala:(...Also had Xinger burger=burger with one crisp Chicken slice..mmmmmmmmmm..yummmmm!! AWESOME!!! I had it with cheese!!!
Ya okay, I'll cut down my calories from now!! :)

Coming back to the house now, everyday we (Ayush=my younger bro, Dada and I) toyed with Dada's laptop, listened to his collection of amazing songs, watched movies, tv-series like The Big bang theory, South park..:)

And then at night, we'd go on terrace to catch the cool breeze...believe me it was way cooler than Jaipur...One fine night, Dada and I climbed up the 4th storey of the house...terrace's the third and there's a room and a bathroom built on it. So you can call it the fourth storey...It felt soooo good and cool..above the world and peaceful....
Just the yesternight, Dada and I, had had loads of chit chat on a worn out 'khaat'...God knows how it survived the both of us cz the following night, Rakesh (works for the family) who's thinner than both of us, fell on the floor while he was trying to be comfortable on the 'khaat' :)

Since the house is under heavy renovation these days, 'thak thak' n 'zoooooooooo' are quite common sounds in the household. Discussions over room colours, beds etc. were a routine and are still may be..

The whole experience was wonderful from going to the market with mum in the rickshaw to the windy Pulsar rides with Dada:)

One day, Dada and I had gone to a bookstore strolling. I had just casually said "yaha koi autobigraphies nahi hai kya?"
Anyways, on the early morning of 1st june, when the packed bags were finally being brought downstairs, Dada came in, giving me a book saying "Try reading this......since u asked for it"...

The book was The Discovery of India by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
and I was like:):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)::):):):):):):):):)::):):):):):):):):):):):):):)..could just say Thank you...
Thanx bro...
This was the sweetest surprise and the best moment of all the twelve days.
;)

In memory of my dear watch...

Huh!!! I am so sad...yesterday was our first day in college after bunking and holidays and all....and also the day when I lost my watch...in girls' washroom....I can't believe girls can be like this.... I had taken it out to wash my hands..and I didn't keep it in my bag but near the washbasin...(silly me!!) and I forgot to pick it..(even more stupid!!)...and then I and my friends were sitting in this place when I felt like watching the time...n I pull my sweater and.........................................GONE is my watch!! I hurried to the loo...but ofcourse as expected it wasn't there..... So, assuming that the person who took it isn't genuine, I have lost my watch....n hence this article.... I had it for the last 3-3.5 years...and we had such a good time together....I'd wear it to my school and now college....It always gave the right time as I'd get the battery changed at the right time......We gave so many exams together....been to so many parties together....and it always wanted me to be punctual...which I never have been till now....but may be I will ....(I'll take it as it's last wish.....)..... That watch was a gift from my friends, actually, but I had bought it...and I just received 1/5 money for that.... All this doesn't matter now...cz the watch is gone...and I'm trying to convince mum to buy another 1...it wasn't costly but I liked it a lot... All I have left now are the memories...... enough to spend my whole life without it..... huh!!! I can't write any more..... bye tc