When: Sometime around August/September 2011
Where: Pune
Background: Just shifted to a new city, just started working. Usual routine: Office, home, cooking, movies/music, sleeping.
As I was about to get into my house after my usual wandering about in the society, I noticed a black lump outside my door. But something inside me said there’s more to this thing, it not just a random black lump! I looked closer and noticed a pair of eyes on it and discovered that it was actually a baby bat! Yes, a baby-bat!! But what could it have been doing sitting so still despite my curious advances, I do know that bats are very alert creatures after all. I guessed that it may have been injured somehow and hence couldn't fly. What was I to do? I couldn’t just leave it lying there on the floor, what if a dog came and killed it!?!
I ran inside and brought out a plastic bag to begin my rescue-operation. The idea was to somehow get the bat into the bag, so that I could set it free outside near a tree or something. So, I very strategically placed the mouth of the plastic bag in front of the baby-bat and was willing it or rather waiting for it to voluntarily get into the bag. When all the willing and verbal motivation did not seem to work, I started to think of ways to push it in the bag, but was a little scared of touching it, what if it suddenly flew right at me and bit me somewhere! :D
I was standing outside in a fix as to how do I get the baby-bat into the plastic bag when a guy climbed up the stairs past me. In those couple of seconds of brief eye-contact, I must’ve non-verbally very well conveyed my state of confusion/fear; such that he came back with a quizzical brow, asking whether I needed some help as he was walking up to me.. And then he helped me put the baby-bat into the plastic bag and we went downstairs to set it free by a tree.. You know, so that it could fly and hang on the tree-branch upside down or something… Hehehh.. And I thanked him profusely for the timely help so that I could successfully accomplish my rescue-mission… And then we talked a little, just the usual “Oh I’m Aarthi, by the way..” and the “So what do you do?” kind of talk.. and then he walked me upto my door and we wished each other a good night.. and I remember him saying “I’m sure you’ll have a good night now that the baby-bat has been rescued…”
That night I got very carried away by such a fantasy-like introduction of him into my life… I had good dreams.. Oh yes, gooood dreams.. ;)
‘Hazy’ is how I felt at work the next day,
Spent most of it absent-mindedly smiling away…
Weaving one fantasy after the other in my crazy deranged mind,
Each of which seemed to be one of a kind!!
(But there was so much work that day that I had to get some back home… So I did and was sitting in my room working-typing-working…)
The doorbell rang as I worked intently on that excel-sheet,
And upon opening the door my heart almost skipped a beat..!
There he was, smiling at me with a Charm-Quotient that touched the sky,
Little did I know that he’d later turn out to be so sly…
Though a little nervous, I wore my most confident smile,
We had a little chat but I had to tell him about that lurking excel-file!
But don’t worry you, we exchanged numbers at the end of the talk,
With a promise to meet downstairs post-dinner for an innocent walk!
The walk that night was pleasant. And we had a nice long interesting conversation. Now I'm not going to share more about this on my blog, but let's just say that I'm not friends with him anymore and that I do not (at all) wish him the best in all his endeavours.
Just that I was so pleased with this write-up that I had to publish it! :P
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, April 8, 2010
The B'lore Diaries (Part 1)
It was a hot sunny afternoon... But unlike the other hot sunny afternoons which are also boring and lethargic, where the mind desperately craves for some interesting activity to engage in; this one was full of dreams and hope, inspite of travelling in a non-AC bus with the hot sun hitting your face. And the person sitting behind me wouldn’t draw the curtains! Even if I tried to, he’d open them again! Dude, did you just accidently happen to drift away from Planet Mercury?! Phew! Anyway, I was travelling with my dad, from my institute in Harihar to Bangalore, for my summer internship at RelianceRetail-Lifestyle. One major nap and a few mini-naps later, the sun was just beginning to set. We were on the outskirts of the city and I could sense this lovely classic geeli-maati-ki-khushboo! If you’ve read a certain earlier post of mine (on shopping), you’d know what a ‘deewanee’ I am, of this smell and of rain! Wow! The nostrils inhaled more air and the eyelids automatically closed, all in appreciation of this pure natural fragrance! It had rained and the endless rows of coconut-trees naturally made the air cooler and pleasant! What a welcome! I was thrilled as my mind concocted various images of how the city would look like, the roads, the infrastructure, the urban crowd, etc. After watching a beautiful sunset where the Sun looked perfectly round and reddish-orange in colour, we were just entering the city and now I began thinking of the various comparisons that are usually made between Mumbai and Bangalore. Let’s play safe and leave the argument to the debaters, though I must say that I quite like the city. :)
The day after I set foot in Bangalore, I was so excited about being on my own in a new city that I simply strolled around M. G. Road and Cunningham Road just to know more about the place and to know where I can find what. I set out to meet my friend Divs (or ‘Sheep’ as we lovingly call her, just because she’s so cute!), who lives about an hour away from Cunningham Road, in Jayanagar. We met up along with a few other friends who’d just arrived and were PG-hunting. Together, we had delicious ghar-ka-khana at Divs’ place, met her parents and also the adorable ‘Cookie’! Then, I went to a parlour nearby and got myself a new hair-cut (let’s say, to ‘suit the season’) and also visited a mall nearby and bought myself a bright, colourful bed-sheet and pillow-cover, as also a headset-mic. for my laptop.
When I joined the company for my internship, I found a new friend in Nancy, who’s a fellow-intern like me, but from an institute in Bangalore itself. We’d only just met but got along very well and it’s been just a week knowing her but she’s surely fun to be with! She took me to Commercial Street when I said I wanted to shop a little and I bought myself a stole, a clutch-purse and some other tiny things.(It's been one week into the internship and I haven't started working on the project yet, it's been only the office-work this week. I must start working on my project soon.)
I think this whole Bangalore-thing has helped me fall in love with myself again. The time spent in the campus had drained out my emotional energy. I’ve had many vulnerable moments where I’ve hated everything around me and all I’ve wanted to do is hug my mom or sister and cry. Many a time nobody cares, nobody understands, nobody cares to understand, nobody cares to try. I’ve heard this saying often, which goes, ‘I build walls around myself to see who cares enough to break them down’. And I don’t even build walls, huh. The energy of love is absent in absolute terms. The energy for every tiny thing has to come from within, for there is no other source. In such times, unless you love yourself, you can’t find the energy to take care of yourself and be contented. All this may seem gibberish to some and philosophic heights to some others, but all I know is that this is my personal experience. Self-love can bring you back from the depths of depression; help you survive the pain, the angst and substitute the absence of love around. I know the importance of loving myself. In many cases, it may not be important, but in my case, it’s what keeps me going. And my family coming down to Harihar all way from Mumbai, just to spend two days with me before I set off for my internship, infused this new wave of happiness and love inside me. I’m now relaxed, re-connected with myself and have leisure at my disposal to contemplate as well as to let go and enjoy.
I’m planning on having a nice weekend- movies and meeting a friend after quite a long time, cooking with friends and maybe a trip to Mysore as Divs said.
That’s all for now, the Bangalore experience might just prompt a few more posts...
:)
P.S. For those who are wondering why this sudden change from miss.meow to deewaneeladki: Well, I just needed a change! Let's say that the Meow-ing Miss just blossomed into Deewanee Ladki!
The day after I set foot in Bangalore, I was so excited about being on my own in a new city that I simply strolled around M. G. Road and Cunningham Road just to know more about the place and to know where I can find what. I set out to meet my friend Divs (or ‘Sheep’ as we lovingly call her, just because she’s so cute!), who lives about an hour away from Cunningham Road, in Jayanagar. We met up along with a few other friends who’d just arrived and were PG-hunting. Together, we had delicious ghar-ka-khana at Divs’ place, met her parents and also the adorable ‘Cookie’! Then, I went to a parlour nearby and got myself a new hair-cut (let’s say, to ‘suit the season’) and also visited a mall nearby and bought myself a bright, colourful bed-sheet and pillow-cover, as also a headset-mic. for my laptop.
When I joined the company for my internship, I found a new friend in Nancy, who’s a fellow-intern like me, but from an institute in Bangalore itself. We’d only just met but got along very well and it’s been just a week knowing her but she’s surely fun to be with! She took me to Commercial Street when I said I wanted to shop a little and I bought myself a stole, a clutch-purse and some other tiny things.(It's been one week into the internship and I haven't started working on the project yet, it's been only the office-work this week. I must start working on my project soon.)
I think this whole Bangalore-thing has helped me fall in love with myself again. The time spent in the campus had drained out my emotional energy. I’ve had many vulnerable moments where I’ve hated everything around me and all I’ve wanted to do is hug my mom or sister and cry. Many a time nobody cares, nobody understands, nobody cares to understand, nobody cares to try. I’ve heard this saying often, which goes, ‘I build walls around myself to see who cares enough to break them down’. And I don’t even build walls, huh. The energy of love is absent in absolute terms. The energy for every tiny thing has to come from within, for there is no other source. In such times, unless you love yourself, you can’t find the energy to take care of yourself and be contented. All this may seem gibberish to some and philosophic heights to some others, but all I know is that this is my personal experience. Self-love can bring you back from the depths of depression; help you survive the pain, the angst and substitute the absence of love around. I know the importance of loving myself. In many cases, it may not be important, but in my case, it’s what keeps me going. And my family coming down to Harihar all way from Mumbai, just to spend two days with me before I set off for my internship, infused this new wave of happiness and love inside me. I’m now relaxed, re-connected with myself and have leisure at my disposal to contemplate as well as to let go and enjoy.
I’m planning on having a nice weekend- movies and meeting a friend after quite a long time, cooking with friends and maybe a trip to Mysore as Divs said.
That’s all for now, the Bangalore experience might just prompt a few more posts...
:)
P.S. For those who are wondering why this sudden change from miss.meow to deewaneeladki: Well, I just needed a change! Let's say that the Meow-ing Miss just blossomed into Deewanee Ladki!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
What I did in class today...
Scene: This morning,in the classroom, lecture going on...
It was a Finance lecture and sir was talking about Risk Analysis and its different types. My calculator lay on the desk, waiting to serve me. Rather, I was waiting to use it, so that it would be a welcome break from the monotony of the lecture and would set the right mood. I was listening to what was being taught... yeah... Operating Risk Analysis and Financial Risk Analysis and these two are combined to arrive at the Combined Risk Analysis... and my eyelids began to droop. The sleepiness was shallow initially, but it easily intensified and the next thing I knew, my mind was already dreaming. I'm amazed and amused at what I dreamt. Dreams have a way of somehow being connected to one's thoughts or actions just before they dozed-off.
The dream: I'm in a Finance class and a calculator is lying in front of me. But the calculator-of-my-dreams is different! It is larger-than-usual and apart from the usual keys(which are all differently coloured), has a lot of empty (key-less) space towards the left and I'm curious to know why. In my quest to find out, I try press a particular white-coloured key and the calculator is now switched on. Then I wonder why is there an orange-coloured key and what does it do. So I press that key and suddenly music starts being played out of my calculator! The class is obviously interrupted due to this sudden music and all eyes are at me and my uniquely strange calculator! The professor's eyes are willing me to switch it off! Stunned and nervous, I press the same key again in an attempt to stop the music, but no! This time the song changes, as if it were an FM-radio! I try several times more, but every time the song changes!...
That is when I was jolted back to reality. My mind quickly adjusted to the class, it was now time to solve problems. As my finger touched the keys of the calculator, I suppressed a laugh. But the whole thing seemed so hilarious at that point, that I couldn't suppress my laughter anymore and shared the dream with Ipsy who was sitting next to me. Of course, we had a good laugh; but I think, the idea of a Musical Calculator is simply brilliant! :D
It was a Finance lecture and sir was talking about Risk Analysis and its different types. My calculator lay on the desk, waiting to serve me. Rather, I was waiting to use it, so that it would be a welcome break from the monotony of the lecture and would set the right mood. I was listening to what was being taught... yeah... Operating Risk Analysis and Financial Risk Analysis and these two are combined to arrive at the Combined Risk Analysis... and my eyelids began to droop. The sleepiness was shallow initially, but it easily intensified and the next thing I knew, my mind was already dreaming. I'm amazed and amused at what I dreamt. Dreams have a way of somehow being connected to one's thoughts or actions just before they dozed-off.
The dream: I'm in a Finance class and a calculator is lying in front of me. But the calculator-of-my-dreams is different! It is larger-than-usual and apart from the usual keys(which are all differently coloured), has a lot of empty (key-less) space towards the left and I'm curious to know why. In my quest to find out, I try press a particular white-coloured key and the calculator is now switched on. Then I wonder why is there an orange-coloured key and what does it do. So I press that key and suddenly music starts being played out of my calculator! The class is obviously interrupted due to this sudden music and all eyes are at me and my uniquely strange calculator! The professor's eyes are willing me to switch it off! Stunned and nervous, I press the same key again in an attempt to stop the music, but no! This time the song changes, as if it were an FM-radio! I try several times more, but every time the song changes!...
That is when I was jolted back to reality. My mind quickly adjusted to the class, it was now time to solve problems. As my finger touched the keys of the calculator, I suppressed a laugh. But the whole thing seemed so hilarious at that point, that I couldn't suppress my laughter anymore and shared the dream with Ipsy who was sitting next to me. Of course, we had a good laugh; but I think, the idea of a Musical Calculator is simply brilliant! :D
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Shop On!! :P
Well, in life, you have good shopping-days and bad-shopping days. This was a bad shopping-day. I’ll tell you why. I went to this shop where I usually go to buy clothes. And I’m no shopaholic; I wouldn’t go out to buy new clothes unless I needed to. These days, I’m shopping a lot in preparation for my hostel-stay. So, there I was… trying on pairs of jeans one after the other in a tiny but thankfully fan-enabled changing room. Some were too large; some others gave me this ‘awkward’ feeling…! Well, I have this theory about jeans, when you try-on any pair of jeans for the very first time, you immediately know if it’s made for you or not. I heard about this ‘theory’ on the Oprah show once… and atleast for me, it actually seems to work. There are these times, when I wear a pair of jeans and it fits just perfectly! I mean it, perfect. The perfect match. Made for me.
Getting back to the point, this was one of those bad days and none of the jeans fit me right. And just at that point of mental saturation, in true last-but-not-the-least style, one did! Thank heavens! A low-waist thing, it fit perfectly, just that it was a bit too long, but length-alterations can be made easily, so I decided on this one and filled the alteration slip as the salesman took the measurements… No, that’s not the end... Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost! Next in line were T-shirts. Phew!
I took about 7-8 tees with me as I went into the changing room…
And came out satisfied with just one;
Then again, in and out with some more,
This time satisfied with none!
“Please don’t cry in agony”, I told my helpless friend,
As I kept trying-on tees;
“I’m really sorry sweetheart; I know you’re tired of waiting,
But I’m not happy with any of these!”
(Therefore, I’m not exactly a gifted-poetess… [:P])
I was plain disappointed. The last time I’d been there, he’d shown me such amazing tops… I’d set my eyes on this cute white top, with black polka dots… I tried to describe it to him... but he didn’t seem to have any idea… I told my friend in exasperation, “That girl!!” (The other day I’d seen a girl walking on the road, wearing it...) Darn! Finally then, I got tired, the ordeal had to end sometime. So I said, “Enough! That’s all. Bill banao!” and the salesman (also tired, I presume, though not more than me) passed on the pair of jeans and that one black tee.
These sad times are when you’re reminded of the happy times. Like the other day, when I’d been to Colaba Causeway with Roh and her soft-spoken and sweet cousin Yashu. I didn’t go there for any serious shopping, but still had a great time. First, I fii…nally got hold of a pair of peacock-feather earrings (earring-fetish, yes!) that I’d been wanting for a very long time. Then I surprised my dad by calling him and saying, “Guess where I am right now? Outside your office!”[:D] He then came down to see me and showed us around his office. Later, we went to the Gateway of India and were clicking pictures on our phones when I felt the first few droplets of rain-water! I couldn't believe it at first! But it was drizzling... and it did rain!! :))))))))) ! Right time, right place, pehli baarish, sea-facing... Wow!! It rained it rained!!!! Rain rain rain!! [:D] I shopped a little on the way back, smiling in enchantment! What is so magical about rain? I’m reminded of an SMS I’d received once, which said that rain is how the sky showers its love on the earth. [:)] Rain smells like my dreamworld… the classic geeli-maati-ki-khushboo, I’m fascinated by the raindrops, everything around is so fresh… even the here-and-there trees in our concrete jungle begin to look beautifully alive… I never enjoyed rain in my childhood, I hated it infact, because of the muck everywhere, dirty puddles on which ruthless cars drive just to splash your washed and neatly ironed school uniform with that detestable mixture of impurities! I can’t help but wonder at this perception shift… I now overlook those unpleasant aspects in my love for the rain… And why do I love rain? I don’t know why. It’s magical...! (Hehehh… back to square one, like the ‘vicious cycle of poverty’.) Well, so that evening, I felt like Alice in Wonderland! All the time, I was constantly exclaiming, “Wow, it's raining! Yayy!” For a change, Roh got irritated by me! Her cousin, however, didn’t. She joined me in the crazy-about-rain behaviour!! [:D] Had such a fun time!!
Shopping with mom:
I was just back from music class and as I lay on the bed for a while, mom sat beside me and started talking about how much shopping needed to be done and by when should it get over… and she suddenly says, "Chal, get up now and get ready, we’re going now!" I was my usual lethargic self but eventually got ready and we set out on our mission to complete a major portion of the shopping. We headed to this store and I tried on a few kurtis and we finally selected two and then we also got some cloth-pieces to be made into kurtis… we figured out it’d be a lot cheaper than the readymade ones, with no compromise on the quality! And then we headed to another store, picked up a t-shirt from there… a grey casual one and then went into a night-wear shop …. This is what I liked best. We picked up a night-dress in taupe-beige … I sooo loved it! And we also got a cute aquamarine-coloured night-suit. As soon as we came home, I ‘modelled’ all the new buys for my sister… the night-dress and the night-suit …O… so cute!!!! I loved them so much that I crazy-danced in the room in my excitement! [:D]
Shopping for night-wear is the best thing,
Feels like fantasy, so flattering,
This sudden state of bliss, to what do I impute?
My new night-wear that’s Oh! So cute!
Yes I’m laughing my heart out! Can’t believe I came up with this… LOL!!
The Making of the third line of my Night-wear poem:
Initially, the third line was ‘La la-la-la-la La la-la-la’, inspired by Phoebe from F.R.I.E.N.D.S. But then, I told myself, “C’mon, you can do better than la-la-la!!!” The rest is history. [:P]
Well, so my Great Shopping Spree did not end there. I later went to many other places and shopped… and shopped some more… lovely tees from Shoppers’ Stop. Deserving a special mention is this one which looks like a black ganjee over a pinstripe shirt and I absolutely adore it! I tried to make a colourful choice this time because many of my clothes are in black (favourite colour, yes)… So I opted for some colour as in yellow, peach-n-white, black with a large colourful butterfly and so on…
Many such shopping trips ensued… I’m going away for two years, after all! And now, when the day has almost arrived, I can satisfactorily and happily say that I’m all set!
Oh wait, did I tell you about my new Dell Inspiron laptop? Ahem… [;)]
Getting back to the point, this was one of those bad days and none of the jeans fit me right. And just at that point of mental saturation, in true last-but-not-the-least style, one did! Thank heavens! A low-waist thing, it fit perfectly, just that it was a bit too long, but length-alterations can be made easily, so I decided on this one and filled the alteration slip as the salesman took the measurements… No, that’s not the end... Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost! Next in line were T-shirts. Phew!
I took about 7-8 tees with me as I went into the changing room…
And came out satisfied with just one;
Then again, in and out with some more,
This time satisfied with none!
“Please don’t cry in agony”, I told my helpless friend,
As I kept trying-on tees;
“I’m really sorry sweetheart; I know you’re tired of waiting,
But I’m not happy with any of these!”
(Therefore, I’m not exactly a gifted-poetess… [:P])
I was plain disappointed. The last time I’d been there, he’d shown me such amazing tops… I’d set my eyes on this cute white top, with black polka dots… I tried to describe it to him... but he didn’t seem to have any idea… I told my friend in exasperation, “That girl!!” (The other day I’d seen a girl walking on the road, wearing it...) Darn! Finally then, I got tired, the ordeal had to end sometime. So I said, “Enough! That’s all. Bill banao!” and the salesman (also tired, I presume, though not more than me) passed on the pair of jeans and that one black tee.
These sad times are when you’re reminded of the happy times. Like the other day, when I’d been to Colaba Causeway with Roh and her soft-spoken and sweet cousin Yashu. I didn’t go there for any serious shopping, but still had a great time. First, I fii…nally got hold of a pair of peacock-feather earrings (earring-fetish, yes!) that I’d been wanting for a very long time. Then I surprised my dad by calling him and saying, “Guess where I am right now? Outside your office!”[:D] He then came down to see me and showed us around his office. Later, we went to the Gateway of India and were clicking pictures on our phones when I felt the first few droplets of rain-water! I couldn't believe it at first! But it was drizzling... and it did rain!! :))))))))) ! Right time, right place, pehli baarish, sea-facing... Wow!! It rained it rained!!!! Rain rain rain!! [:D] I shopped a little on the way back, smiling in enchantment! What is so magical about rain? I’m reminded of an SMS I’d received once, which said that rain is how the sky showers its love on the earth. [:)] Rain smells like my dreamworld… the classic geeli-maati-ki-khushboo, I’m fascinated by the raindrops, everything around is so fresh… even the here-and-there trees in our concrete jungle begin to look beautifully alive… I never enjoyed rain in my childhood, I hated it infact, because of the muck everywhere, dirty puddles on which ruthless cars drive just to splash your washed and neatly ironed school uniform with that detestable mixture of impurities! I can’t help but wonder at this perception shift… I now overlook those unpleasant aspects in my love for the rain… And why do I love rain? I don’t know why. It’s magical...! (Hehehh… back to square one, like the ‘vicious cycle of poverty’.) Well, so that evening, I felt like Alice in Wonderland! All the time, I was constantly exclaiming, “Wow, it's raining! Yayy!” For a change, Roh got irritated by me! Her cousin, however, didn’t. She joined me in the crazy-about-rain behaviour!! [:D] Had such a fun time!!
Shopping with mom:
I was just back from music class and as I lay on the bed for a while, mom sat beside me and started talking about how much shopping needed to be done and by when should it get over… and she suddenly says, "Chal, get up now and get ready, we’re going now!" I was my usual lethargic self but eventually got ready and we set out on our mission to complete a major portion of the shopping. We headed to this store and I tried on a few kurtis and we finally selected two and then we also got some cloth-pieces to be made into kurtis… we figured out it’d be a lot cheaper than the readymade ones, with no compromise on the quality! And then we headed to another store, picked up a t-shirt from there… a grey casual one and then went into a night-wear shop …. This is what I liked best. We picked up a night-dress in taupe-beige … I sooo loved it! And we also got a cute aquamarine-coloured night-suit. As soon as we came home, I ‘modelled’ all the new buys for my sister… the night-dress and the night-suit …O… so cute!!!! I loved them so much that I crazy-danced in the room in my excitement! [:D]
Shopping for night-wear is the best thing,
Feels like fantasy, so flattering,
This sudden state of bliss, to what do I impute?
My new night-wear that’s Oh! So cute!
Yes I’m laughing my heart out! Can’t believe I came up with this… LOL!!
The Making of the third line of my Night-wear poem:
Initially, the third line was ‘La la-la-la-la La la-la-la’, inspired by Phoebe from F.R.I.E.N.D.S. But then, I told myself, “C’mon, you can do better than la-la-la!!!” The rest is history. [:P]
Well, so my Great Shopping Spree did not end there. I later went to many other places and shopped… and shopped some more… lovely tees from Shoppers’ Stop. Deserving a special mention is this one which looks like a black ganjee over a pinstripe shirt and I absolutely adore it! I tried to make a colourful choice this time because many of my clothes are in black (favourite colour, yes)… So I opted for some colour as in yellow, peach-n-white, black with a large colourful butterfly and so on…
Many such shopping trips ensued… I’m going away for two years, after all! And now, when the day has almost arrived, I can satisfactorily and happily say that I’m all set!
Oh wait, did I tell you about my new Dell Inspiron laptop? Ahem… [;)]
Monday, February 23, 2009
In and as 'Yes woman'.
My ‘sensei’ (who teaches Japanese language) had invited us for the Annapoorna world food exhibition as she saw this as a good opportunity for us to taste Japanese food and to interact with Japanese people. Mwah sensei!!
14th November 2008.
It was 9:00 a.m. I’d told my friend Roh that I’d be meeting her at Ghatkopar station at 9:00 a.m. and there I was, already running late. What a great way to start the day! ( Wow, that rhymed!!! Er... way…day! Get it?!) I reached somehow… and as usual, poor thing, my friend… I could see fumes of frustration emanating from her head!! (Embarrassed) Anyway, then I faced some music… [:P], we boarded a bus and reached the venue in Goregaon. We entered and asked the watchman where the food exhibition was… and we also mentioned ‘Japanese food’. He directed us to a certain hall no. 6 where there was a Chinese electronic products exhibition! We went back, this time to another guard and told him, “Japanese please, not Chinese!...woh… khaane ka programme...” he then directed us to the right place!... we registered outside and were given an identity-card…Mine read : ‘Aarthi mohan. Business visitor.’ (?...ahem ahem!!)
The Japanese counter:
We entered and headed straight towards the ‘Japan’ part and saw our beloved sensei sitting there as a translator, telling people about ‘Sake’ – Japanese rice-wine. As we entered, the chef gave us some ‘Tofu’ to taste. It was basically bland, but the green coloured salt sprinkled on it was strong! So, you know… decent combination. Then, we were given some ‘Sake’… (saa-kay), which tasted like medicine! The tonic-medicine types! [:D] I doubt if I’ll ever be able to consume one full-glass of that… I’ll have it in teaspoons! Then we went and spoke to sensei for a few minutes and by then, she had to get back to work. We then went towards the fish … ahem… Personally, I saw this as a good chance to sample non-vegetarian food! There was this silver fish … which was cut and kept in pieces on a tray. “Okay, this is the moment… “, I said to myself. Fish, for the first-time ever! Well, then yeah I tasted it and it was…uhhm… fish-y! [:P] the typical smell et all. Silver skin and it went into my mouth!! Okay. The table opposite to this was fish-y again! I said “Yeah, I’ll go for it!! Today’s going to be all about trying new stuff!” This was a piece of fish with some Soya sauce over it (thankfully, not silver-skinned) I had that n whoa! It was awesome! What a stark difference! It tasted like cheese! And no smell!! I loved that!
Well, then we strolled around the place, visiting the counters of food-products of various countries. We had Belgian chocolates (dark, milk, caramel…. They were all divine! ).We had Indian butter-chicken. The Thai ‘Tom-Yum soup’ (pronounced as tom-kham soup) with cute tiny tomatoes was delicious. I loved it so much that I took-down its recipe! We also had Aloe Vera juice… and ‘felt’ healthy for a couple of minutes!! I even ‘felt’ my skin glowing… hahahh…! We went to the Italian cheese section… and tasted about four varieties from the popular Parmesan cheese to the not-so-popular Gorgonzola and Provolone cheeses. And also learnt ‘Grazia’ for ‘thank you’ and ‘Pregon’ for ‘you’re welcome’.
We also came across a Humane Society International table, where the representative told us about the organization. The pamphlet reads, “You may not know that most eggs in India come from hens confined in tiny wire ‘battery-cages’. The birds spend their lives in cages so small that they can barely move, much less spread their wings. More than 150 million laying hens in India are confined in this manner. This is simply too much abuse to swallow.” Hmm… No, I’m not advertising for them, but those interested to know more about their campaign against the use of battery-cages may visit hsi.org/India/compassion
As we were leaving the Chinese counter, my friend said “Aarigato”, to which the woman inside exclaimed “Aarigato is not our language!” [:D] Then she taught us ‘Shye-shye’ (thank-you) and ‘Sai-shye’ (goodbye). We went to the German counter where there was this blue-eyed German man with ginger-bread. He was surprisingly friendly (i.e. a good salesperson) … he and my friend got talking about soccer/football! Roh mentioned that she roots for Germany and he handed her a German flag! He asked me if I’d like to have one too, to which I said, “No thanks. I don’t really follow the sport.” And then, he asked Roh, “If there were a match held between India and Germany in India, which team would you root for?!” Even though the question was not put to me, I said, “India obviously!” just as Roh said “Germany!” Lol!! We’d had enough of his blue-eyes by then… and decided to move on…we said ‘Danke’ (thank you) and bade him ‘Bitte’ (good-bye).
We returned to the Japanese counter in time for their cooking show. Sushi was being served. Yay! It had been on my mind ever since I joined Japanese-language classes! The sushi was ‘oishii’!! We sampled Japanese green tea, which was o..kayish. I’d prefer the normal ‘chai’ any day! Also, on the menu was ‘Yellow-tailed Shabushabu’. [:P] ‘Shabushabu’ really sounds funny! We thought, "Hey shabushabu, we're coming!!" … and ....frankly, we didn’t like it! Okay the fish was tender and all, but the fish-y stench was too much to bear. But, the chef was in front of us and other people literally searching our faces for signs of ‘Wow! It’s great!’ I somehow managed to finish it, along with a smile… and came up with a modest “Yeah, it’s good… Thank you!” That was difficult! We left immediately, to search for some chocolate counter around!! We found a dried-fruit counter and I put a small piece of dried guava in my mouth… and we looked around till we spotted an Indian chocolate counter! Waqt aane par apne hi kaam aate hain!! Hehe… then we picked up a chocolate from there, whilst talking to the people there… the customary ‘hello’s and went off for some more wandering…
Time for the highlight of the whole experience… We reached the European Excellence arena where there were people having red-wine! Aha… We looked at each other and our eyes said, “Now this is something… Chal, let’s try!” [;)] I was a little apprehensive but eventually, temptation got the better of me! Yeah, okay! It was temptation and the cute European someone who told me, “Don’t worry, just one glass won’t make you heady!” Well, well! We watched as the wine was being generously poured into our glasses! First sip: It’s bitter!! [:D] Second sip: Okay, not so bad! And then, the third … and the fourth … fifth ... and so on ! We were enjoying it! Haha!
We were obviously in very high spirits that day! It was a feel-great experience! And we went home rejoicing!! [;)]
14th November 2008.
It was 9:00 a.m. I’d told my friend Roh that I’d be meeting her at Ghatkopar station at 9:00 a.m. and there I was, already running late. What a great way to start the day! ( Wow, that rhymed!!! Er... way…day! Get it?!) I reached somehow… and as usual, poor thing, my friend… I could see fumes of frustration emanating from her head!! (Embarrassed) Anyway, then I faced some music… [:P], we boarded a bus and reached the venue in Goregaon. We entered and asked the watchman where the food exhibition was… and we also mentioned ‘Japanese food’. He directed us to a certain hall no. 6 where there was a Chinese electronic products exhibition! We went back, this time to another guard and told him, “Japanese please, not Chinese!...woh… khaane ka programme...” he then directed us to the right place!... we registered outside and were given an identity-card…Mine read : ‘Aarthi mohan. Business visitor.’ (?...ahem ahem!!)
The Japanese counter:
We entered and headed straight towards the ‘Japan’ part and saw our beloved sensei sitting there as a translator, telling people about ‘Sake’ – Japanese rice-wine. As we entered, the chef gave us some ‘Tofu’ to taste. It was basically bland, but the green coloured salt sprinkled on it was strong! So, you know… decent combination. Then, we were given some ‘Sake’… (saa-kay), which tasted like medicine! The tonic-medicine types! [:D] I doubt if I’ll ever be able to consume one full-glass of that… I’ll have it in teaspoons! Then we went and spoke to sensei for a few minutes and by then, she had to get back to work. We then went towards the fish … ahem… Personally, I saw this as a good chance to sample non-vegetarian food! There was this silver fish … which was cut and kept in pieces on a tray. “Okay, this is the moment… “, I said to myself. Fish, for the first-time ever! Well, then yeah I tasted it and it was…uhhm… fish-y! [:P] the typical smell et all. Silver skin and it went into my mouth!! Okay. The table opposite to this was fish-y again! I said “Yeah, I’ll go for it!! Today’s going to be all about trying new stuff!” This was a piece of fish with some Soya sauce over it (thankfully, not silver-skinned) I had that n whoa! It was awesome! What a stark difference! It tasted like cheese! And no smell!! I loved that!
Well, then we strolled around the place, visiting the counters of food-products of various countries. We had Belgian chocolates (dark, milk, caramel…. They were all divine! ).We had Indian butter-chicken. The Thai ‘Tom-Yum soup’ (pronounced as tom-kham soup) with cute tiny tomatoes was delicious. I loved it so much that I took-down its recipe! We also had Aloe Vera juice… and ‘felt’ healthy for a couple of minutes!! I even ‘felt’ my skin glowing… hahahh…! We went to the Italian cheese section… and tasted about four varieties from the popular Parmesan cheese to the not-so-popular Gorgonzola and Provolone cheeses. And also learnt ‘Grazia’ for ‘thank you’ and ‘Pregon’ for ‘you’re welcome’.
We also came across a Humane Society International table, where the representative told us about the organization. The pamphlet reads, “You may not know that most eggs in India come from hens confined in tiny wire ‘battery-cages’. The birds spend their lives in cages so small that they can barely move, much less spread their wings. More than 150 million laying hens in India are confined in this manner. This is simply too much abuse to swallow.” Hmm… No, I’m not advertising for them, but those interested to know more about their campaign against the use of battery-cages may visit hsi.org/India/compassion
As we were leaving the Chinese counter, my friend said “Aarigato”, to which the woman inside exclaimed “Aarigato is not our language!” [:D] Then she taught us ‘Shye-shye’ (thank-you) and ‘Sai-shye’ (goodbye). We went to the German counter where there was this blue-eyed German man with ginger-bread. He was surprisingly friendly (i.e. a good salesperson) … he and my friend got talking about soccer/football! Roh mentioned that she roots for Germany and he handed her a German flag! He asked me if I’d like to have one too, to which I said, “No thanks. I don’t really follow the sport.” And then, he asked Roh, “If there were a match held between India and Germany in India, which team would you root for?!” Even though the question was not put to me, I said, “India obviously!” just as Roh said “Germany!” Lol!! We’d had enough of his blue-eyes by then… and decided to move on…we said ‘Danke’ (thank you) and bade him ‘Bitte’ (good-bye).
We returned to the Japanese counter in time for their cooking show. Sushi was being served. Yay! It had been on my mind ever since I joined Japanese-language classes! The sushi was ‘oishii’!! We sampled Japanese green tea, which was o..kayish. I’d prefer the normal ‘chai’ any day! Also, on the menu was ‘Yellow-tailed Shabushabu’. [:P] ‘Shabushabu’ really sounds funny! We thought, "Hey shabushabu, we're coming!!" … and ....frankly, we didn’t like it! Okay the fish was tender and all, but the fish-y stench was too much to bear. But, the chef was in front of us and other people literally searching our faces for signs of ‘Wow! It’s great!’ I somehow managed to finish it, along with a smile… and came up with a modest “Yeah, it’s good… Thank you!” That was difficult! We left immediately, to search for some chocolate counter around!! We found a dried-fruit counter and I put a small piece of dried guava in my mouth… and we looked around till we spotted an Indian chocolate counter! Waqt aane par apne hi kaam aate hain!! Hehe… then we picked up a chocolate from there, whilst talking to the people there… the customary ‘hello’s and went off for some more wandering…
Time for the highlight of the whole experience… We reached the European Excellence arena where there were people having red-wine! Aha… We looked at each other and our eyes said, “Now this is something… Chal, let’s try!” [;)] I was a little apprehensive but eventually, temptation got the better of me! Yeah, okay! It was temptation and the cute European someone who told me, “Don’t worry, just one glass won’t make you heady!” Well, well! We watched as the wine was being generously poured into our glasses! First sip: It’s bitter!! [:D] Second sip: Okay, not so bad! And then, the third … and the fourth … fifth ... and so on ! We were enjoying it! Haha!
We were obviously in very high spirits that day! It was a feel-great experience! And we went home rejoicing!! [;)]
Monday, December 1, 2008
Terror attacks (part 2)
>> Boycott : I pledge to myself that hereafter, I will not watch a single movie made by RGV or his rotten Factory.
>> The terrorist who's been caught alive, now says that he wants to die. I want him to be tortured. I pray that he doesn't get the luxury of an instant death. He simply doesn't deserve it. I want him to know what pain is and how it feels to be dying. He should be tortured severely. Inshallah. He's been 'confessing' a lot of things... but I hope we don't rely too much on his statements. They're trained to mislead investigators, I read. After all, he's a terrorist.
>> Nauseatingly disgusting : Vilasrao Deshmukh, utter shame on him. I watched that shocking press-conference in which he re-iterated with his inflated ego that he 'offered' resignation. Badi meherbaani. And on top of that, he had the guts to say that the media should be grateful to him because he provided them with some unedited tapes and helped them enjoy high TRPs! Again, badi meherbaani. And then was laughing and trying to act funny, that too in front of the entire media, in a visibly futile attempt to be seen as taking things casually? You don't have to try, Mr. You've proved your chalta-hai attitude many times before. I'll remind you if you want. Just this morning, you took along your actor-son and a certain RGV to the Taj for a terror-tour?? And that, because your son wanted to see the devastation and the director just 'happened to be there' ? Infact, the Intelligence Bureau had warned the government months before, of a possible terror-attack but you were busy warming your seat. Remember 26th July? Anyway, now that you've done so much for us, do us one more favour. Do not show your face ever again.
>> 'Who let the dogs out' : The Kerala CM had the audacity to say that 'not even a dog' would have visited Mr. Unnikrishnan (father of martyr Major Sandeep). Another moment in the hall of shame. Dog? The entire country is testimony to who the dog is, here. Oops, did I insult dogs? My apologies. Arey kutte toh phir bhi wafaadar hote hain. You dared to speak about a martyr's father like that? You're the cheapest of all. ROT in hell. And now he says he will not even apologise.
These are the real terrorists. Before we address the issue of terrorism, these 'internal terrorists' must be eliminated. Why don't the terrorists bomb these selfish politicians?
Amidst all this, I think about Mr. Ratan Tata. I respect him immensely, for all the glory he's brought to the nation as an entrepreneur.
He was honest enough to admit that they had received prior warning. Infact Mr. Hemant Karkare had specially warned all 5-star hotels a couple of days in advance. And security arrangements were made as in, the main entrance had a metal detector and all other entrances were closed. But the terrorists did not enter from the main entrance. Obviously they wouldn't have. That means it was a security lapse anyway. Somewhere, maybe he could've averted it had there been better security arrangements... somewhere, a lot of things 'could have been' done... It remains to be seen whether we've learnt our lessons this time around.
>> The terrorist who's been caught alive, now says that he wants to die. I want him to be tortured. I pray that he doesn't get the luxury of an instant death. He simply doesn't deserve it. I want him to know what pain is and how it feels to be dying. He should be tortured severely. Inshallah. He's been 'confessing' a lot of things... but I hope we don't rely too much on his statements. They're trained to mislead investigators, I read. After all, he's a terrorist.
>> Nauseatingly disgusting : Vilasrao Deshmukh, utter shame on him. I watched that shocking press-conference in which he re-iterated with his inflated ego that he 'offered' resignation. Badi meherbaani. And on top of that, he had the guts to say that the media should be grateful to him because he provided them with some unedited tapes and helped them enjoy high TRPs! Again, badi meherbaani. And then was laughing and trying to act funny, that too in front of the entire media, in a visibly futile attempt to be seen as taking things casually? You don't have to try, Mr. You've proved your chalta-hai attitude many times before. I'll remind you if you want. Just this morning, you took along your actor-son and a certain RGV to the Taj for a terror-tour?? And that, because your son wanted to see the devastation and the director just 'happened to be there' ? Infact, the Intelligence Bureau had warned the government months before, of a possible terror-attack but you were busy warming your seat. Remember 26th July? Anyway, now that you've done so much for us, do us one more favour. Do not show your face ever again.
>> 'Who let the dogs out' : The Kerala CM had the audacity to say that 'not even a dog' would have visited Mr. Unnikrishnan (father of martyr Major Sandeep). Another moment in the hall of shame. Dog? The entire country is testimony to who the dog is, here. Oops, did I insult dogs? My apologies. Arey kutte toh phir bhi wafaadar hote hain. You dared to speak about a martyr's father like that? You're the cheapest of all. ROT in hell. And now he says he will not even apologise.
These are the real terrorists. Before we address the issue of terrorism, these 'internal terrorists' must be eliminated. Why don't the terrorists bomb these selfish politicians?
Amidst all this, I think about Mr. Ratan Tata. I respect him immensely, for all the glory he's brought to the nation as an entrepreneur.
He was honest enough to admit that they had received prior warning. Infact Mr. Hemant Karkare had specially warned all 5-star hotels a couple of days in advance. And security arrangements were made as in, the main entrance had a metal detector and all other entrances were closed. But the terrorists did not enter from the main entrance. Obviously they wouldn't have. That means it was a security lapse anyway. Somewhere, maybe he could've averted it had there been better security arrangements... somewhere, a lot of things 'could have been' done... It remains to be seen whether we've learnt our lessons this time around.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Terror attacks (part 1) : 'Bomb-ay.'
>> The white coloured walls are studded with bullets. These are the walls of a hospital.
>> The heritage monument of the financial capital of the country is now a gruesome picture of horror. The carpets are bloodied. Even the lifeless walls echo the screams of innocent people who faced terror.
Shocked, initially numb, shuddered with the thought of a possibility that would've wreaked havoc in my life, numbed with shock again, horror, angry, disgusted, frustrated, tearful... these are just some of the emotions I've experienced in the past few days. Now, at the end of it all, I'm left feeling disturbed.
Disgusted :
#1. The area around the Taj had been declared as a curfew area and yet, you saw hordes of people standing there and crowding the place unnecessarily. It really irked me to see some people purposely coming and standing behind a reporter so that their million-dollar faces could come in front of the camera. Some were even stupid enough to smile and wave 'hi'! Huh?!?! If the people of the country are going to have this attitude, then it is not surprising how the dumb politicians have been sitting on our heads for so long.
#2. While the NSG operation was still in progress, Mr. Narendra Modi turned up outside the Trident - Oberoi and gave a speech about how he was unhappy with the 'government'! Hello?? We are combating terrorists here! This is not some silly hide-n-seek game where you can say 'time-please' and give your unwanted speech anytime you want. Here is where Newton's third law of motion worked in full force : 'For each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction'. Wasting no time, Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh landed up there too! Of course, how would he not... the opposition party representative did it. If he didn't give back, then he might lose votes! First of all, he hardly knew anything about the exact situation. He needed briefing by a police incharge. Then he spoke to the media and went so far as to saying that Mr. Narendra Modi shouldn't have landed up like that! Excuse-me?! And what exactly were you doing there ? Why didn't you sit at home and say this? All bloody blood-sucking leeches. Can see nothing, except for vote-banks. Can do nothing, apart from politics. Could it have stooped lower than this??? Politicizing terrorism? That was a moment of shame for the entire country. Didn't either of them feel any shame at all?? Already there's a grave security problem here and you burden the situation by demanding security for yourself? Do you know what the fear of death is?? Do you have the guts to move about without even a single security guard in a terror-attack situation? Do you need to be told to feel ashamed at your deeds?
#3. As the hostages were freed by the NSG commandos and as they were coming out, they were surrounded by a host of reporters with microphones and cameras. A reporter asked, "Were you scared?" What kind of a question is that? Do you expect an answer to that? Okay, some people were fine enough to talk to the media about it. But that doesn't mean you expect everyone else to do that and literally hound them for bytes. That was absolutely inconsiderate and insensitive. Learn your manners, please.
Also, why was there such an extensive coverage about details of the operation?? They caught the activities of the NSG on tape. For example, at the Nariman house encounter, they videographed the NSG commandos descending from the helicopter, positioning themselves strategically, aiming at the building... Why?? The terrorists were constantly communicating with each other through satellite-phones. Whoever they communicated with, could easily switch-on a news channel and tell them about the positions of the NSG commandos. To the media: Use the cameras you've been given, in a responsible manner.
Finally, I heaved a sigh of relief when the 62-hour long operation ended with the death of 9 terrorists and one terrorist being caught alive. When I saw the picture of the terrorist who's been caught alive, I couldn't help but notice the expression in his face. It was, you know, menacingly maniacal. What must be the chemical composition of the brains of terrorists... Looks like he's born to kill. And obviously, has been completely brainwashed. They aren't human-beings at all. They do not have the right to live.
Oh yes, as my friend Nevin said, where's Raj Thakeray now?? Hiding inside, tail between his legs? Hawa tight, seeti-beeti gul?
The NSG commandos, marine commandos are truly the heroes. They came, they saw, they conquered and they left for their next mission. Modesty personified. They belong to the esteemed class of citizens of our country who 'do their duty'. On the successful completion of the the really difficult operation and when some commandos were seen smiling, a reporter went up to him and told him that this is the first time they're seeing a smile on their faces. And this man replied, " Yes, there's a lot of power in a smile. One should always keep smiling." That really touched my heart and almost instantly, my eyes were filled with tears...
When we saw the news that Mr. Hemant Karkare's wife refused the compensation offered by Mr. Narendra Modi, I swear, my family and I applauded in unison. What strength her mind must be made up of! Who needs your money man? Give his life back if you can. You cannot do anything to compensate for the loss of his life.
Also, I am appalled by the strength of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan's father. He addressed the media and maintained his composure throughout. He said the words, "...Then I was informed that he died." To say that..., it takes real mental and emotional strength. Later, when the Kerala CM came to visit his residence, surely ready with 'compensation', he was asked to leave. Infact, the father of Major Sandeep slammed the door on the CM. These are real people. I salute these brave people who gave up their lives for the nation and their families. And the employees of the hotels who took the terrorists' bullets, may their souls rest in peace.
(...part 2 follows shortly.)
>> The heritage monument of the financial capital of the country is now a gruesome picture of horror. The carpets are bloodied. Even the lifeless walls echo the screams of innocent people who faced terror.
Shocked, initially numb, shuddered with the thought of a possibility that would've wreaked havoc in my life, numbed with shock again, horror, angry, disgusted, frustrated, tearful... these are just some of the emotions I've experienced in the past few days. Now, at the end of it all, I'm left feeling disturbed.
Disgusted :
#1. The area around the Taj had been declared as a curfew area and yet, you saw hordes of people standing there and crowding the place unnecessarily. It really irked me to see some people purposely coming and standing behind a reporter so that their million-dollar faces could come in front of the camera. Some were even stupid enough to smile and wave 'hi'! Huh?!?! If the people of the country are going to have this attitude, then it is not surprising how the dumb politicians have been sitting on our heads for so long.
#2. While the NSG operation was still in progress, Mr. Narendra Modi turned up outside the Trident - Oberoi and gave a speech about how he was unhappy with the 'government'! Hello?? We are combating terrorists here! This is not some silly hide-n-seek game where you can say 'time-please' and give your unwanted speech anytime you want. Here is where Newton's third law of motion worked in full force : 'For each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction'. Wasting no time, Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh landed up there too! Of course, how would he not... the opposition party representative did it. If he didn't give back, then he might lose votes! First of all, he hardly knew anything about the exact situation. He needed briefing by a police incharge. Then he spoke to the media and went so far as to saying that Mr. Narendra Modi shouldn't have landed up like that! Excuse-me?! And what exactly were you doing there ? Why didn't you sit at home and say this? All bloody blood-sucking leeches. Can see nothing, except for vote-banks. Can do nothing, apart from politics. Could it have stooped lower than this??? Politicizing terrorism? That was a moment of shame for the entire country. Didn't either of them feel any shame at all?? Already there's a grave security problem here and you burden the situation by demanding security for yourself? Do you know what the fear of death is?? Do you have the guts to move about without even a single security guard in a terror-attack situation? Do you need to be told to feel ashamed at your deeds?
#3. As the hostages were freed by the NSG commandos and as they were coming out, they were surrounded by a host of reporters with microphones and cameras. A reporter asked, "Were you scared?" What kind of a question is that? Do you expect an answer to that? Okay, some people were fine enough to talk to the media about it. But that doesn't mean you expect everyone else to do that and literally hound them for bytes. That was absolutely inconsiderate and insensitive. Learn your manners, please.
Also, why was there such an extensive coverage about details of the operation?? They caught the activities of the NSG on tape. For example, at the Nariman house encounter, they videographed the NSG commandos descending from the helicopter, positioning themselves strategically, aiming at the building... Why?? The terrorists were constantly communicating with each other through satellite-phones. Whoever they communicated with, could easily switch-on a news channel and tell them about the positions of the NSG commandos. To the media: Use the cameras you've been given, in a responsible manner.
Finally, I heaved a sigh of relief when the 62-hour long operation ended with the death of 9 terrorists and one terrorist being caught alive. When I saw the picture of the terrorist who's been caught alive, I couldn't help but notice the expression in his face. It was, you know, menacingly maniacal. What must be the chemical composition of the brains of terrorists... Looks like he's born to kill. And obviously, has been completely brainwashed. They aren't human-beings at all. They do not have the right to live.
Oh yes, as my friend Nevin said, where's Raj Thakeray now?? Hiding inside, tail between his legs? Hawa tight, seeti-beeti gul?
The NSG commandos, marine commandos are truly the heroes. They came, they saw, they conquered and they left for their next mission. Modesty personified. They belong to the esteemed class of citizens of our country who 'do their duty'. On the successful completion of the the really difficult operation and when some commandos were seen smiling, a reporter went up to him and told him that this is the first time they're seeing a smile on their faces. And this man replied, " Yes, there's a lot of power in a smile. One should always keep smiling." That really touched my heart and almost instantly, my eyes were filled with tears...
When we saw the news that Mr. Hemant Karkare's wife refused the compensation offered by Mr. Narendra Modi, I swear, my family and I applauded in unison. What strength her mind must be made up of! Who needs your money man? Give his life back if you can. You cannot do anything to compensate for the loss of his life.
Also, I am appalled by the strength of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan's father. He addressed the media and maintained his composure throughout. He said the words, "...Then I was informed that he died." To say that..., it takes real mental and emotional strength. Later, when the Kerala CM came to visit his residence, surely ready with 'compensation', he was asked to leave. Infact, the father of Major Sandeep slammed the door on the CM. These are real people. I salute these brave people who gave up their lives for the nation and their families. And the employees of the hotels who took the terrorists' bullets, may their souls rest in peace.
(...part 2 follows shortly.)
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