wats it being 24..

At last or should I say a fairly soon I turned 24. This time it was a damp squib of an event. Truly a low key affair. No midnights wake up calls, (except for my sweet sister who never forgets anything remotely close to me), no cake cutting, no warm wishes from friends and in a way I wanted it this way. I had long ago deactivated my birthday remainders in all the social networking sites I was linked to and it meant to be a test for my friends to show me my worthiness by calling me on the day without anyone reminding them. Lot of my close ones called me up and we had long chats on various other issues but nothing of this surfaced anytime. I was also thoroughly happy and in a big way highly satisfied with the lukewarm response this time. The previous years were all different, the midnight cake cutting, the party on the birthday night (or is it birth night), the gifts. It was fun turning older then. Everyone moved aside with their differences and gave all importance to the getting younger guy. It was “THE” moment under the stars for the birthday basher. It helped everyone to bond further and acted as a platform to show closeness and camaraderie to the birthday boy and among the group in general. The night was party time and it wholeheartedly belonged to the birthday boy and he was licensed to mouth out whatever shit he had to say on anything and anyone. In the company of premium whiskey all with complete humility lent their discerning ears to him. The birthday boy at least for that day was made to feel really special in possibly every sense. At the end of the night, the celebrations take away the lion’s share of ones monthly allotted economy but no one complained. But those good old days have long gone. Now no one has time to remember their own bthdays let alone others.
The night of 8th was really irritating for me. I was for the first time getting the heat of getting older. This time it was not the pleasant things tat came to my mind. I had a relay dialogue with aravi. I shared my uncertainties with him about the responsibility and mature interventions I might need to undertake in the coming years. Life is taking a more serious turn now. The previous birthdays were fun and heady and now it’s more sane and pragmatic. Aravi and faizoo readily agreed upon the point about the transition that one need to follow as he ages. Its always better one takes it not too late. Aravi,faizoo and for that matter most of my friends had already moved onto the serious ways of life. But I hadn’t. It hit me the hardest because the transition clearly showed me my vulnerabilities. I was never serious and responsible and the now the ground realities demanded me to be just that. I felt that I need to traverse a sweeping phase change that itself might be too big.
Morning I was woken up by the phone ring and my most beloved mom was at the other end; I didn’t hide my disappointment in turning older and grimly stated with a bewildered tone.
“ammo.. Am aged 24 now”.
mom was first appeasing me and said wear a maturity cap from now on. Then gave her gyaan on saving money, being more mature and most importantly admitted you should now be on the preparation mode for a fly life. It again dwindled my falling spirits. Marriage means more responsibly without even the perks of better remuneration. I protested back. How can a fellow who can’t look after himself think about the vagaries of a life long association with an additional burden? There was silence at the other end. I thought mom was patiently hearing my protests but she was in the meanwhile figuring out her age and was taken aback by her newly found age. So two unhappy souls bridged by a phone line. With despair and a bit of dismay mom gave a chakara umma and gave it to my father. If you ever wanted to see someone symmetrically opposite to me see my dad. Physically, temperamentally, socially and in all humane parameters he is a known opposite to me. He also started with a warm wish and settled on to serious chores and a bit sarcastically told even if there is no traces of maturity on your face keep yourself reminded of your age He even sprinkled in with a dose of personal trivia of the kind of activities, roles and responsibities he handled when he was at my age. Unsurprisingly it only made me more sick at myself.
There was some respite at the office front. I still hold the record of the youngest guy in our division. So even at this age I feel am smaller there at office. The HR unfailingly sent me birthday mail and so were hordes of others from colleagues. The director then came along and gifted me a bouquet of red roses and wished me well and as was the norm asked the same boring question: what was the plan for tonight? I gave the default answer “not planned”. He was happy with the answer and rushed off to his cubicle. All mere superficiality.
At the end of the day I was getting myself more prepared to the bigger battles with life ahead. This birthday in many ways drew battle lines with me and the parable called life. I penned a set of new resolutions and pasted on to the wall and I was now very much focussed of being serious from now on. I began to realise that my actions from now on would be closely monitored and any follies would be never taken lightly. So I surely on his voyage to manhood.
P.S.
Resolutions
Talk less. Act more.
Make myself stronger. Upgrade from the featherweight category.
Read better and more.
Be calm composed
Be focussed
Crack cat or mat or xat or snap or any good entrance and enter into a premium b school.
Walk more. Don’t have grudges. Call up ur frnds more often. Always keep on doing something. Write more blogs. Smile more. Take every problem with a stoic mindset that “this too shall pass”.Love me more. Be anand!!!

A Battle Well Won..

May 25, Bengaluru, Karnataka.
The election results are out in Karnataka. And Mr. B. S. Yedyurappa surfaced from the confines of taj west end hotel smiling with “V “mudra in his hands. At last BJP broke open, what poll pundits once proclaimed, the invincible frontier of Dakshin bharat (BJP lingo). Indeed a great victory of sorts. It will now be on charge of a state, which is India’s answer to the changing global patterns, whose capital is the face of emerging and ambitious India, a region which demographically hosts the most prudent minds of India. Politically it gives bjp the added fillip to dream bigger and favourably sails BJP’s voyage towards the gen. elections coming up in an year or earlier.
I like the ever fallible poll pundits never overtly expected a saffron party at the Vidhan soudha so soon. The credit for the turn around on a large way is credited to the man of the hr Mr. Yedyurappa From the profiling I saw of him from various quarters the septuagenarian is an ideal leader material. Unlike his more famous Gujju compatriot he is at least on looks very down to earth, subtle, shrewd, humble, clean and the one not too close to hardcore hindutva. It was his charisma and his sympathetic call to the people to teach the betrayers a lesson that romped him home.
The BJP had also been wise enough to put its hindutva and minority intolerance image in the backburner in the run up for the election. They knew well that there were hordes of other deadly trump cards in their arsenal to get them home or to atleast create a stir.
by and large The single most prominent contributor for this win is, the brand of politics showed by Gowda fly. if it was not for the now almost ruined father son duo, BJP would had to wait for another or may be more terms to make their foray really possible. The Sr Gowda did everything right until now. Brought up his two sons under his formidable shade and made them the heir apparents to his illustrious throne. But his undoing was that he forgot to teach them the essential lessons of coalition dharma. A must in todays India. The folly of Gowda Sr is graver given the fact he was the head of a govt which can be labelled as the one of the first coalition governments at the centre. A strong anti incumbency, the caste politics, the poor governance and the above mentioned brute betrayal drama by the Gowda clan in a big way sealed the fate for the JD combine.

There was no respite from the central government too. There were too many policy start ups but with much less penetration to the society. The inflation was at its peak. Just a day before the election a kg of rice cost around 15 a kg, which was a couple of month earlier Rs. 8/ kg. This had a repulsive effect on aam admi to the congress. This inflationary flare up and lack of any significant ground activities (minus the party infighting) in a way forced the curtains down on any chances of congress coming to power.

So for people options were running out and at the end of the tunnel stood the smiling assassin Mr. Yedyurappa. And people kept his smile up by giving him just the required arithmetics to romp home.

So on a whole people voted for a change. A change they badly needed. This urge shown by the ppl should be highly appreciated. They are the real victors here. And the doubts one had in the democracy frame up and the agonies of rising regional powers was laid to rest. Lotus prevailed while the others sunk under their own weight.
But wait when did I started really appreciating the rise of BJP government. Surely not long ago and not essentially entirely now too. I never felt comfy when Narendra modi retained the status of the most powerful man in Gandhi’s land (what an irony). I have never been even faintly interested in its brand of hindutva politics. And had always leaned to the lofty ideals put forth by the red bastions. But now I myself feel a bit alienated to its agendas and is it that growing older diluted my thick red outlook into a more pleasing saffronized one. Not essentially. but sometimes it is good to break out of your dogmatic and stagnant outlooks. and this may well be one of the last publicised congrats for bjp win. its never too late..so congrats Mr. chief minister.

Can We Do What Karnataka Did?

I was on a much needed holiday to Kerala. After persistent requests, my boss agreed for a 5 day leave and I booked the first kf flight from Mumbai to Kochi. Its not that I could have easily afforded it but a bagful of credit cards and a above 300 stand on waiting lists on most trains made me to go by air. Kochi was not my final summit, as it was Haripad. Aravi was also with me. We hired an auto from aerodrome and got down to Athani then a bus to Alwaye then to Ernakulam and then a bus to Tvpm. It was a mockery of travel and I quickly observed that I was getting more inadaptable to Kerala climes. The jubha that I wore was making me sweat profusely and the total chaos on a Saturday morning office hour also was not making my travel worth enjoying.

Inside the KSRTC super fast to tvpm via haripad.

I settled at my fav. seat just behind the driver. My mom had always warned never to sit behind the driver but still I do that almost every time. Aravi retired for a snooze and i opened up the latest issue of outlook. The cover story being BJP’s thumping and near unexpected win in Karnataka. Even more surprising for me who was raised in a political environment which boasted of only two political fronts, the left and the never right UDF (either u or me). In between my serious reads I often passed some passing glances on the moving objects on the outside.

The images shown by the self projected gods own country was thoroughly disturbing me. The consumerist face of Kerala was highly visible on the hundreds of billboards that popped on either sides of the highway. It was of hotels, 24 carat gold stores, bars, real estate developers etc. the Crumbling living spaces, eroding family values, highly affluent life styles,spiritual anarchism and the total disregard for environs. the Kerala I knew a few years back has witnessed a whirlpool of transition. It is no longer a haven of simple, sincere, innocent and laidback junta. It is on its high way up to match with more affluent societies you will see anywhere else. Is it a sign of a state moving ambitiously up or a misled society who are agonisingly on a deep disastrous journey to nowhere? I simply don’t know!! So what.
all alarming signs of a nation on a freefall. Kochi, where I touched down, which is set to undertake some gleaming projects in near future look like a place still not fully graduated beyond a big town. It took me 2 hrs to get out of Ernakulam for a 20 km stretch. There were more cars in streets than pedestrians. Kerala is still in a royal honeymoon. People are lazing around with all that it is provided by the nature. Nature has pampered us with everything, Rivers, rains, Sea, Mountains, climate, soil and we respond to this by taking it with all might forgetting that there is surely life after us. Kerala is behaving more of as a rogue American state. There is now minimal cultivation (except the rubber which made many prosper), degrading environment, land mafia, hartal, employee unrests, spiritual anarchism, suicides, over boozing et all. Sizable chunk of Kerala’s productive population is out of state cos the near zero industrial presence.
Even after all these grave issues Kerala is still surviving but the question is for how long. I too don’t know it’s a mystery. Human development indexes claim it to be the most literate state in India but of what good when these people can’t get a job in their state. The best male female ratio when it reports the maximum no. of sexual abuse and home violence .its all happening in Kerala ironically considered being the most ideal place to nest in by many (including me)…
This sorry state has in a big way been paved by the political scenario in Kerala. The hype and promises shown by the left at the beginning of their term is largely unmet. Sadly it again proves that everyone can play devil advocate with élan and all our leaders play the role well when they are in opposition benches. The down fall starts when the transition occurs from the opposition benches to the leaders of the ruling party, the might and vigour they had previously shown is largely oozed out. Once they grace the power citadels they make a mockery of the reputation and agenda they preached and spread. Communism in Kerala is ailing even if nobody openly admits. The one thing that all Malayalee communists forget is what Marx prophetically said “there is only one constant in this world and that is change”. The role played by communists in grafting the socio- economic frame work is world known and the Kerala model of development has achieved magical acclaim. The well being secular mosaic, cultural movements it paved, the revolutionary land reforms, the strengthening of unorganised sectors are all milestones communists rule in the state. The strengthening of the society on class, religious and economic bands have been in a big way fashioned by the reds. The acerbic ideology and principles of communists are nowhere to be seen. The pleasure that the militant employee unions and trade unions get out of running the industries and job providers fails to brighten up my imagination A Volkswagen official once quipped the redtapism and sloth ness shown by Kerala towards VW when they came up with setting the factory in Kerala. It later went to Poona and it in its last stage of development. The business activities growing up in the vicinity of the plant makes me regretfully feel what a big miss it was to have them out. This was just one of the incidents in a long procession of our lack of concern for states development. Keeping in mind all they did in the yesteryears I feel they need to refashion themselves very rapidly. Times are changing its good to be sounding against exploitation but shouldn’t be at the expense of state’s devt.
As far as congress party is concerned less said the better. They run on wafer thin principles and are the perfect opportunists. they very well know that as soon as the left gov. came in power that their wait for the power citadels is just 5 yrs away, after which they will be running the gov on a 2/3 majority as is repeated in history.
But by assuming power can congress initiate any change the answer may be in full earnest be a big no. so there exactly lies the need for alternate option and eventually a third front.

The correlation

This is just a vague and a infactual conclusion. Get a more bigger participatory democracy in our state. Give more push to the newer parties and candidates. Karnataka has well shown us that to break out of the mould give the less formidable a chance. Crack more options and give the next in cue a chance. Let’s get a Yediyurappa from someone of us. There can be differences in geographical sizes and the aspirations of the people of the two states but the bottom line would be to vote for a change. A change which is unprecedented.

My arithmetic

A government of
Congress alone = hopeless
Left = wud have been gr8 10-15 yrs ago. wud be much better if they undergo some tumultuous changes in outlook.
Third front {BJP + Madani’s PDP+ congress - M, B, independents} = more vocal and hence more democratic. Can be good. Let’s give it a try.

P.S. All expressions are time bound and as is the nature of politics can always be subjected to change. And Still red at heart.

January..down memory lane..a bio epic

0n 9thof Jan. our owner asked us whether we r willing to stay at his home for a yr more…v said yupp, its an honour to be hre for an yr again..its always nice to give some lift to whatever one says... George Philip was happy an next day he came an said dear all,the rent has been hiked to 6000inr. wat!!It was a tuff to fathom at first, a hike of nearly 100%..

aravi regained his good senses and asked whether tre is any lowering.. gp went for a thought and said he will pay for the society too.. for us it was a mere gain of 500 bucks.. gp continued ..That’s it..its the last and final offer..dont xpect me to go down further..as though toughening his stand said tre r a lot of wannabe tenants waiting to get the house 4 this rent…it was a perfect catch 22 for us..live or leave..Aravi said the obvious.. V R MOVING..it was a daredevil stand considering the fact that till15 mins b4 we didnt ever had the remotest idea of a shift..he simply held the charging bull by its horns..gp gave us a weeks time for thinking..
We rushed to ammachi…ammachi was the quintessential guide and problem ..she was the last word for all our glocal issues..as always she guaranteed us help. the housing complex Sec. mr.Nair had newly bought a flat @ morya bldg, a 250m walk from our present domicile.. an ammachi talked with the nair fly an it was finally decided tat v are fit to stay tre for a rent of 4700inr…. I had a talk with Nair and made sure tat the society had no probs with housing bachelors ….it was now payback time and i foned gp an informed abt our readiness for the move..it was a bolt from the blue for gp.. he never expected us to get a home that soon…Mr. an Mrs. gp rushed in an, I with a lot of arrogance, said stubbornly tat the hike was highly unreasonable an the opportunism shown erased all the respect we had for them..this was too much for the hubby wifepair, a 20 something fellow dictating terms in a highly irreverent way..they took all my verbal volleys with dignified and discerning silence..i went on and on, giving quite an earful for the couple. .both looked pale and took leave..i pasted a “ all world at my feet” kinda smirk on my face..
as was promised.. v shifted the entire household items on tat nite…all by ourselves… we transported verything,the almirah, beds,cloths all..the first two days were gr8....peace didn’t prevail long.. some neighbors (goondas) came at midnight and told aravi tat they will beat us if v prolong our stay for more than 15 days there..v again contacted Nair, an nair’s daughter a full blown NRI (SPEAKS ALWAYS IN ENGLISH) took toll of the situation,and said the situation is quite bad an its always better to hear our polite neighbours..she forced her opinion by saying that they have the distinction of keeping their words most often..ammachi also didn’t had any alternate view on the matter..
the writing was on the wall..its time to homehunt again..but the NRI came out with a backup plan.. a week later, the NRI wud be taking the entire nair fly out of India for 6 months..nairs house will be ghost ridden for that much time..so till v fully succeed on our home hunt, Nair was benevolent enuff to allot the hall of his home to us..…nair also said tat he will keep his new house( the one in which we shifted) to himself an would rent out only after he ruturns from abroad…so that meant the shifted things can stay at morya bldg an v can shift the household items to a nu house or to nairs room at our own pace..as if showcasing our gratitude to nair and co.,our tv was kept at nairs house and tv also was not working then.. the plan was okayed… for one week after which they will lleave for uk, we got the permission frm goondas to stay@ morya bldg….everything look settled and after some sleepless nites we all slept huddled together on that serene nite..as always, when it rains it pours,,destiny had certain other plans..
Nair’s and in turn our hopes wre thrashed as his family was denied the visa and their trip stood cancelled for the moment…question marks were wat we cud all see around us..v were in dire straights as v didn't had a place to shift after the week as v had first tot of shifting to his home..enter gp..sensing this opportunity gp again contacted aravi an said tat they r willing to rent the house for 4500inr…the long line of tenents who were waiting for gps home was a nothing more than a paranoid claim...he was running behind ppl to get the home housed..
v also had no other choices…so v said yes an told him tat v wont pay a months rent an asked him to paint the house b4 v shift tre… the Eveready ammachi in the meanwhile started doing consultancy services for the nairs an readied another family for our present ( nairs) home…the goondas had no opposition to flys staying there..so we had the deadline set 4 Feb. 1…that meant we have to shift to gps house within Feb. 1..the coming tenant wanted Nair to paint the house an nair responded well by starting the painting without consulting us, an faizoo an aravi stayed all throughout tat period in the house…as I had already decided I took aweeks sabbatical from the turmoil and descended to my home sweet home..aravi anf Faizoo stayed and braved the painting sessions at the home..faizoo olfactory systems got areal hammering and was down with fever for some days..but the painting didn’t stop and went on..
the painting got over and the time was up for us to shift to gps home..as it sud have been for our bad times gp started the painting at his house.i too was back frm home.. we without much choice lived at gps home while the painting was goin in full swing.. I believe no one on the face of earth has to deal with such backlashes in a way v 3 had in these two weeks.P.S.All except v 3 laughed it out thru the 2 weeks…Nair , an ardent idea star singer aficionado, njoyed all the episodes with OUR t.v, whle we were paint ridden in his other home..
got an under repair house rented 4 15 days 4 3000inr…kudos NAIRji..u rocked..
Ammachi still frightens faizal sayin…dhairyammayittirikkada njaan ellam sariaaki tharaam ( be brave..why fear when I am here..)..
Gp is also vry happy…mrs gp said to aravi tat “aa ithiriponnavante (me) samsaaram ottum shariyalla”… (“That mass less (me) creature’s attitude sucks. Ask him to mind it”)..
if luck favours chankaran veendum thengael.My take: somethings in life comes wen u least xpect it. dont prepare yourself for that day as whatever u do it will surely boomerang on you. the only thing tat u can truly do is to sit back and enjoy..

our eureka moment.

am again back to ma fav. topic.. wat else but boozing. everytime i booze i come across very strange and head wobbling experiences.. i doubt if it is similarly refreshing for others as it is for me..
it was my officewalla's bachelor party, as we are very few mallus in office, the party was a vry closed affair with a handful of invitees.. me and faizoo wre tre to grace the occasion..it was a good round, with some serious altercations flowing through..the party ended quite late in nite an i,faizoo an our harley, the honda activa raised to f7 suryodaya complex.. it was fun riding through th nearly empty six lanes through the nite..faizoo was havin a field day, yelling out at the overtaking lorrywallas the consequences of Drivin fast in crude kizhikoddan malayalam ..
was home vry soon an as was the routine aravi had by then entered his fourth hour of sleep.. had to really do some plain singing along with some loud bangs on the doors to wake him up..tre wre no lights in room an aravi had to literally smile @ us to make us know tat he was at the door..he employs this technique whenever he enconters someone in dark.. he added tat its a gud nite waitin for us as tre was no power in the room and was vry hot inside..
i laid on the bed.. didnt quite cared to change my dress.. i was bdly in need of a 8hr sleep..i was desperately trying to enter the 8hr sleep module.. the groans and growls made by aravi were turning more vocalin the nite..mosquitoes wer also doing their part to spoil ma nite..it was biting me oll over and i was forced to hear its highly irritatable buzzings..
one hour passed and i was cursing verythin by then..it was then i felt as if somethin hitting my face almost constantly..i switched on the lights (power came by then) i saw my nemesis, an vowed to kill each of the moquitoes b4 thinking of rest..but on a closer look i found that moqueis were not anything near to wat i have seen before.the moqueis looked Completely lost..they were doing the unthinkable.
they were flying all over, slamming straight into the walls,hitting ma face as though trying to push me away, was landing on its nose and was doing turns and twists in mid air..it was just like observing an air show with all those fighters doings unimaginable manouevers.
the most pleasent thing was it was no longer after my thick red fluid.it was just like mosqueiis wer shaking itself to the tunes of drug smelling dum maro dumm..i was really fascinated by their unusual flight patterns and their deaddiction to ma blood..i began to ponder for the reasons for this sudden mood reversal..
i woke up faizoo too and at 2 pm we both were studying the behavioural overtures of mosqueiis..suddenly faizoo quipped why r these bloody nanos behaving as if drunk..
it made sense..yupp eurekaa!!! u said it faizoo.. they are drunkk!!
i was never in doubt about the traces of vodka running through ma veins.the blood it suck in ma first hour at the bed did the trick..there wud have been quite obviously been appreciable amts of vodka in me and add faizoo to it, it become quite a mouthful for the hapless little terrorists. it becomes quite a lethal conc of alcohol for the mosqueiis to serve in..this wud no dbt been the mosquies first brush with these deadly liquids .. so it cudnt probably handle it well..first time drinks are is equal measures unforgettable and un forgoving.
unforgettable cos it makes you feel you have grown up and unforgiving cos the after effects it brings along (see my earlier posts for more). the mosquies were also learning the first lessons of boozing the hard way.
me and sighed a huge relief in solving tis tuff case and we cheered each others intelligentia in cracking th case..we patted each others back and showcased extreme brotherhood camaraderie by vowing not to kill the "fellows who lost their senses " and to leave them on their pursuit of complete mental liberation.
P.S.
At the end only a boozer can truly understand the mood complexities of another boozer, however small it be!!