a 1000 dreams to just wish

hazaron khwahishein aise bhi hote hain,
anjaane kahi gum ho jaate hai,
yadon ki woh haseen pal,
milte bhi tab pigal jaate hain,
sunsan dil rehna padega.
lekin haste huey hum yeh kah jaate hain -
hazaron khawishein asie hi rah jaate hain...

The Shower Cubicle Incident

This happened during our 10th grade, during a tour from the school to the Hill Stations in Kerala, South India. This particular incident happened when we stayed over at Idukki at a place called Greenland lodge. We had to stay over for the night because we had seen enough sites for the day, and were to head for our next destination the coming morning. 

 It was a fun night, I tell you. We had a huge dormitory. Some guys were lucky enough to get rooms (which was shared among four of them). But it was more fun in the dorms. There was the occasional trying out new stuff (like – “hey who’s smoking in here?”). 

We never knew when the sun shone on our faces. It was freezing cold out there, being a hill-station and all. We were asked to get ready by the two teachers who accompanied us. The teacher accompanying the boys was our moral studies’ teacher. Now, the girls were provided with well to do wash facilities, and most importantly, bathrooms with doors and latches on them. While the boys were shown the imperial bath suites – a gym washroom setup, but instead of doors, just curtains in its place.

There were 5 shower outlets, and so five of us took our baths at the same time. There was this one friend of ours, who was a complete laugh riot. You wouldn’t even know when time passes by when he is around. This friend of ours went into the shower cubicle. He turned on the shower, that is when it hit him – he’d forgotten to take the soap. He ran (obviously with a towel around his waist) and made it to the dorm, rummaged through his luggage, got the thing that he was looking for, and made it back to the shower cubicle. 

But alas, the cubicle was occupied. The curtains were closed. And somebody was taking a shower. Now Shinaan had been waiting in queue for long to take a bath. And when by chance he got it to himself, somebody took it over. This couldn’t happen. Our friend went ballistic. He shouted to the person inside the shower cubicle – “Hey asshole! Get the <beep> out of the <beep> shower. I’ve been waiting in here for <beep> time, and you <beep> take it all away. <beep> you!!! <beeper beep beeping beeper>!!!”

The person inside turns the shower off. And then a familiar voice came from inside – “If you have finished, you can please move aside. You might not want to face me when I come out.” 

It was our moral studies teacher. 

The Zahoor Effect

Well as you know it’s the time of Ramadan. It brings with itself a self revelation among the people to be good, do good and be cheerful. I think I have always believed it that if there is a change for the good and it should always be for the best (which means it should stay on forever and not for just one month. *tsk* *tsk* like for example now - where they are all goody goody, just to get back into the same old shoe after a month)

Well it was just another day in the month of Ramadan for me today. At around 9 at night, I called up ma friend Nawab and asked him as to where he was. He asked me to join him at the beach. Now Calicut beach is quite picturesque (I mean ‘chick’wise as well as the surrounding wise). So I did not think twice before finding myself at the ‘walk’ in the beach.

There were three of us sitting there – Nawab, Zahoor (his friend) and myself. Both are Afghani’s. So there we were on the beach ‘walk’ sitting on the side wall between a calm beach and some lazy cows on the interlocks (it’s India after all, who did u expect to be on the interlocks?) Well there were quite a lot of cattle on the beach for today. But there were more people than the cattle (thank God).

Zahoor decides to call his girlfriend (an Afghani – been just here for a few years – even he’s gotten lucky, damn… mera number kab ayega?) But she doesn’t pick it up. And he asks me –

“You tell me one thing. I find this really strange. I mean I call girls at 9 or 10. They don’t pick up. But they have no problem talking after 11 or midnight. I sometimes get miss calls at 2 past midnight”

What could I answer?

I laughed. Told him – it might be strange to you. But that’s how it rolls here in Calicut. (Maybe you girls out there can help answer that better)

And then he had quite a few other doubts. He was like a refreshing breeze to the stagnant life that we lived off here. There was laughter. He spoke of the time when he got slapped by a girl. The times he had out here in Kerala. The differences in the colleges in and around Calicut. I can tell you this – he has a better understanding of the people of Calicut than even me. He has a solution for everything. You know why? Coz he receives anything with an open smile. No stress, nothing at all. Come what may, go what may, he lives each moment to the max. I wished to be him for a moment there.

No moment was dull. The Zahoor effect changed my perspective on life a bit – live life, love life.

Love Actually?

This thing called love is really kinda very strange. You don’t know when and to whom you are falling in love. And when you do fall in love it’s so not right. You try to calculate the relation you’ve been having with them, and then you end up thinking as to whether you need to tell them or not. And some times you end up doing the foolish thing – by going along and telling them out. I don’t know why I say this, maybe because every time I’ve tried to open out my heart, I believe that I do one of the most foolish things possible. But then there will be people who will disagree with me. They’ll say that is better out than in. There’s no question of buts or what ifs. It’s all straight into the face. I am sad and at the same time that I have never been such a kind of person. But let me tell you one thing – when you love somebody, mean it with your heart. There’s no use trying to get the other person love you back or show your love in much more than just affection. When you give, give as if you’ve known no boundaries. These words are all rather the normal clichés I guess. But then again I have not got anything else to say to you. Maybe people take me too much for granted. But I succumb to whatever they make of me. I think this has got to change. Now you people must be thinking as to whether I’ve fallen in love again. But it’s not that I’ve fallen in love again. It’s just that I don’t when I fall in love no more. It’s quite the mystery. Maybe that’s why I am so hard to crack.

Motorcycle Diaries – City of Contrasts!!!

The first thing that comes to your mind when u visit the city of Bangalore is the stark similarity it has with cities like Dubai and others around the world. We had an eventful bike travel from the city of Calicut to Bengalooru (that’s what it's called nowadays). Anywho we started at around 6.30 in the morning. We traveled around 40 kms without much trouble. But then at around the twisting roads of Wayanad district we came face to face with what is known as nature's fury. It was raining like mad and we had nothing to protect us from the arrows from heaven, save the windstopper jacket and helmet. The conditions got so worse that we could not even flex our fingers to hold the clutch or anything. So we had to take a well deserved break at Kalpetta, from where we had tea and peed like hell. When the pee touched the morning floor, it started to evaporate the wetness and u could well see it clearly. Well this situation continued for around 50 more kilometers. As usual nature played with us. And as abruptly as we had started the rain came to a full stop at this place called Sultan Bathery. There we got into the Indian coffee house and had dosa, vada, puri and coffee. Then at around 110 kilometers, we crossed the Karnataka- Kerala border and then I took over the reins of the bike. Well it was quite a sight. We were very slightly stopped in the tracks due to a rogue elephant that attacked only small vehicles. But we took up the courage and went speeding past the raging elephant. Phew! That was a close one. And then it was quite a sight, through Gundalpett. Watch out Kerala, all the flowers for onam are close being realized right here in Gundalpett. We stopped to take some snaps. We even posed along with a local. It was nice, just for the stupid moment where vkh lost out on the camera ka pouch. Stupid idiot. Totally I was devastated, coz if I had borrowed something, I had always seen to it that I give it back to them as they had given it to me, or in a better condition still. No problemo amigo. Got to get him the pouch back.


Anywho, I drove for the next 120 kilometers or something, until we reached Mysore or something I guess. Anywho we reached Mysore without much to talk about or do anything at all. Let me tell u about Mysore. A really nice place if u ask me. They’ve got the greenery for greenery, the palaces for palaces and so on and so forth. The palaces are quite a sight. Takes you to some place else for sure. Anywho we stressed on. We had to take the now famous Bangalore-Mysore state highway. It was one of the most exhilarating rides of my entire life. And the bloody bike was with vkh, half the 140 kilometers stretch of road. We reached speeds of up to around 119 km/hr. I had to stop him otherwise I don't know what he would have done or up to which speed he would have gone! Anywho we stopped in the middle somewhere and got into cafe coffee day and I had a latte and black Forrest cake. Lip smackingly delicious. And then I took up the reins of the bike yet again. And just five kilometers before reaching the city of Bangalore, I gave it over to vkh. We were greeted at first by picturesque lakes and greenery and then moving a little ahead we were greeted by garbage here and there, polluted water and the usual. As I told u, this city is somewhat a kind of a deprived city of the U.A.E or something. It’s quite the city of contrasts. As Shivaji would put it - the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. We are really thankful to vkh's uncle Vijay who was kind enough to allow us accommodation at his place. And u should see this place where they live. it really reminded of my stay with my mom's bro's back there in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The streets are so narrow and the place so crowded that I really wonder why this place is called as the garden city and also as the IT hub of the country!! What use if the people remain so. And then vkh took me around the city and we had to show the bike at some bajaj showroom or something. And guess what we were confronted by??? Bumper to bumper traffic, and bloody so much pollution that it's quite difficult to go through those places without some kinda of protective eyewear and a filter. The same thing again - As in Dubai. And I called up some of my friends in Bangalore. And u should have seen the way they behaved. What I understood from the attitude of the people around here is that most of them think for themselves only and will not even have time for one of their closest of closest friends. And finally they put the blame on you that we did not go and meet them.

The only exception I got was when vkh and myself went to meet one of our married classmate, Nunna who had just gave birth to her second child. They stayed at a place called Mahadevpura at white field road. They had a very good place. The ground and first floor were used as the factory where her husband had a business of motor making.(They sell around 3000 motors a month) and on the top floor, they have their residence. It’s one of the most fantastic places I’ve ever seen in Bangalore. It resembles the kind of houses that u see in Hindi and English movies. With the extended front courtyard and excellent interiors (just the fact that it was still under works when we came there). Anyways the feeling of homeliness was surely there. And they had wonderful two children. The elder one suffered brain hemorrhage, and is still under treatment. Well after having the heaviest lunch I had after coming to Bangalore (and the only one), we left the place and went in search of the stupid pg or house for them. Actually I got a person from the factory itself to show us some place. And we saw the house. And u should see the house. I’ll tell u the size of the house – take your normal a.t.m cubicle, give it some more space and then add a bedroom, a kitchen, a living room and even a bathroom. How nice rt.? And the rent? 2500 bucks with around 25000 rupees in advance. Shit this place yaar. I am really in awe of the way people live around here. And no one is there to complain if u ask me. Well that’s all we did for that day.

The next day we again went to this bloody fellow’s job of doing some thing for his bike!! And then we again went to this bloody mall called Garuda or something. And then we waited there around an hour or a half. And that too just for that bloody vkh’s clothes and laptop to be bought by Shad. Anywho I never complained. And let me tell you this – Every time we got into some bloody mall, which actually I don’t like that much, I had to fish out 10 rupees. Every bloody single time. And if I were to go in some mall, I would go into it only once. And we went to these malls around 7 to 10 times. And this bloody fellow gave me the explanation that we were going to the mall just because I wanted to see around Bangalore. Shit this is Bangalore, I thought. This bloody place sucks big time. And then we did some shopping that day and that’s all we did. We visited another mall – Gopalan mall and also The Forum. This is what happens when people who haven’t seen anything other than Bangalore and some places in Kerala and other places take u around such places like Bangalore. I was glad that I hadn’t come a day earlier and that I was not leaving a day later. My bus was for around 9.45 in the night. It came as promised. And then 10 of us got into the bus and we had a very nice trip back to Calicut. I got a very spacious seat – 2 of them, and that too semi sleeper. I was so glad that I was listening to all the happy songs that I had in my Yepp player. Until we reached the outskirts of the city. It was one hell of a trip! And yeah it sucked big time. This would rate as one of the worst trips that I ever had in ma entire life. And people of Bangalore – I give it out to you, for the kind of life you live out there. You rock people! Really! That’s all and that’s the trip I had! Hope you enjoyed the ride!