SKETCHES....OF AN HOUR GLASS...GRAINS FROM BEYOND THE MEMORY TRAIN..

My little brother and a sleepy eyed me :) His tummy is the softest pillow in the world :D



In front of the historic Char Minar



All at sea :D , literally and figuratively :D



Sachit, me and Gaurav obviously find a flower vase something to gawk and stare at...because the Loch Ness monster is now extinct :D



Looking out of the window is the cheapest ticket to a theater full of memories and recollections :)





There are times when you want a bigger slice of the pie :D and the world is your stage... That's something (from the left) which Sachit, Usha and I decided to do this year :D





Doing something different for wellllllllllll... the very first time in my life :)




The family (they are friends no more, they are family :D ) that went with me to IBS, Hyderabad.




The most innocent and adorable and the cutest part of my family :D

UPDATES

I am supremely fit and agile after quite a long time :) If scoring goals and running continuously for about 2 hours on a football pitch without tiring is not a proof of the qualities I mentioned, then I am afraid that Laloo Prasad Yadav has joined the BJP.

Manchester United are going to Rome... I cannot stop grinning from ear to ear... The preachers and practicers of democratic football have triumphed and the communist practicers ie Chelsea (who else ) have been smashed out of the tournament by Barcelona :) Double joy :)

I was asked out by this certain girl this week :) who suggested that we 'visit a mall' . A mall on a first date ???? The very thought was enough to make me imagine that the Kolkata Knight Riders will be reaching this year's final :) So, I politely declined :)

Annnnnnnnd my exams are starting from the 19th

I have to run :) Scold me people !!! for not studying :)

I AM BORN....AGAIN :)

The time has now come to decide whether I am an utter fool or a fool who is utterly ridiculous. I am distracted to say the least. The past plays a very important part in my life and I am desperate to zone myself out of my historically mad annals. I am feeling childish again and my heart is throbbing with a sense of adventure and excitement that I had known several years back.

It's that old familiar feeling and I love it. I am impatient and befuddled all at once. I am looking forward to some particular time slices and I am warming myself up to the knowledge that I am falling down a deep well once more.

I am 3 posts away from a 100. Time has flown and I cannot help but look back in fondness upon my work. There are some great memories involved and I am nostalgic for more reasons than one :)

Until I have some fresh things to say.... I think that I will lie back and grab myself a sandwich or two :) Cheerz :)

DROPS OF JUPITER.....DID SHE CATCH SOME ?

Now that shes back in the atmosphere
With drops of Jupiter in her hair,
She acts like summer and walks like rain.
Reminds me that there is time to change,
Since the return from her stay on the moon
She listens like spring and she talks like June.

Tell me did you sail across the sun?
Did you make it to the milky way to see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated?

Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star?
One without a permanent scar?
And did you miss me while you were looking at yourself out there?

Now that shes back from that soul vacation
Tracing her way through the constellation,
She checks out Mozart while she does Tae-Bo
Reminds me that theres time to grow.

Now that shes back in the atmosphere
I am afraid that she might think of me as plain old Jane
Told a story about a man who is too afraid to fly so he never did land

Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet?
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day?
And head back to the milky way?
And tell me, did Venus blow your mind ?
Was it everything you wanted to find?
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there ?

Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken ?
Your best friend always sticking up for you even when I know you are wrong
Can you imagine no first dance, freeze dried romance five-hour phone
conversation ?
The best soy latte that you ever had . . . and me

Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet?
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day
And head back toward the milky way?





I am missing a lot, I am missing a glowing heart. A glowing heart feels so warm, so right :). The world has both love and hate present in abundance. AR Rahman chose love. That is why he won a double gold. The man is a genius. He has sailed across the sun and skimmed the milky way, bringing the dreams of a hundred billion people to life. Congratulations sir....I have very few words left to say......Congratulations to Gulzar and Resul as well...you guys have made us proud to be a viewing and listening audience :) of Hindi music.

Will be back with our recently concluded cyclothon.....it rocked !!!

CARE AND ........................ JUST FEEL WHAT IT FEELS LIKE :)

The essence of caring for someone stems from practice and small incidents. It is only when something happens to someone, do we realize that we care about them....we realize that our heart strings hurt when tugged in an unfamiliar direction. I feel that caring about someone is akin to a puppet show..... Every part of you is like a puppet and some damn puppet master seems to be controlling your arm flaps,your knee jerks and your pelvic thrusts....

Why do we care ??? Why cannot everyone be selfish and care about his or her own well being?? It is because we have the ability to love, the ability to share and the excuse.... "I just want to see him/her happy" :) What happiness do we get out of seeing other people's joy ?? Its that familiar swelling in the heart. The emotion that chokes your throat... It cannot be explained.

The actual dichotomy of caring about someone is very confusing. On one hand if the person cares for you too, it is the best thing in the world, it is a dreamland, a euphoric vista. On the other hand if the caring is one sided...then obviously there is considerable pain involved......

Hey....that's right...you...I am talking to the one I care about...Do I have your attention ?? Good :)... You know your every breath is like the air I breath in :) Your every tear is like a stake going through my heart. When you are happy, there is nothing in the world that can shove me down... I am full of life when you are at peace. Your laughter is my medicine. Your presence is my driving force. Your pain is hell for me, through and through... Do I have to explain how my heart beats for your eyes, how I crave to see you smile...ohhhh that smile :) Do I have to cut open my chest to show you that you are the perfect woman....You are perfect.... You are the acme... You are my Miranda....

Have you, my reader...cared for someone ?? You will understand how I feel then :)

ZEPHYR MADNESS :)

The price one has to pay for being funny is quite high. It is a lose more, win less situation. When you try to be comical, the first thing you have to bear in mind is that in order to draw maximum laughs, you need to at least crack a single joke on one of our own silly goof ups before beginning. For eg. before trying to draw laughs from my Zephyr team mates, I make it a point to start off with the very popular incident which involved my hand almost being taken off by the talons of a female student whose exploits draw maniacal laughter from my colleagues.

Only then do I proceed to imitate our sponsorship head Mr Nitesh Jha, who sings "Gulabi Aankhen" when he is all alone in the Zephyr cell, hums "Gulabi Aankhen" with his mouth full of paan masala, spits the paan masala out of the window when a sponsor's phone call suddenly drops in and calls everyone "buddy" before shaking them firmly by the hand :) . All jokes apart, he is a great guy to have in a team. There is an air of calmness when he is around and an aura of reassurdness in the way he handles things.

Then there is our very own Mama aka Abhishek Patil who laughs in mute mode, jerking his fingers violently and throws up one brilliant idea after another. He is the heart and soul os our local sponsorship and idea chucking division.

I then proceed to copy our cultural secretary Kameshwar K Kaza whose eternal line "JOSHI, we could have drawn fucking five grand out of that dealer" always continues to enthrall us.

It is a lively house, our Zephyr cell is......

Let us hope the fest kicks off well

CIAO

and oh yeah, I forgot, Amma...you are the sweetest and the best, Kamesh...Dude you rock, you will go places, Saurabh...you are the man,Teja...our very own techno cum painting guru,Shomik...our professional photographer, Pathak...our desi Jim Carrey, Shruti...the boy among girls and the most energetic one in the cell, Sandesh...our Mr Cucumber and me...the odd one out :) Cheers to us :) My apologies to the ones I forgot to mention :) Next time then....

SMASHED....QUITE LITERALLY :)

If you poke your nose into business that does not concern you....very often...it gets smashed..That is exactly what I learnt today morning at 5 am....What could I have done??? He was my friend...and he needed my help... I needed to have his back covered...When it comes to friends, I do not compromise....

Ugly cuss words , parents, girlfriends...every person close to your heart....was ripped apart by vile tongues.... Mind you .... I seldom fight...but when it gets personal....I do not fuckin care even if he were to be the American president...

Fists flew....My nose got smashed....it bled and it bled heavily....Blood and it's loss always makes me dizzy.... When I came back home ..I had lined the entire road with blood spatters...But the guy who punched my nose :) I am very pleased to say, had his "Versace" shirt torn and stuffed up his a**...and maybe he could consider getting his left thigh replaced :) CIAO all....am in some pain :)

WHEN I FINALLY SMILED :)

Now, after a long time, a long, long time…I have smiled and posed for a photograph…usually I am like a grim reaper….. like Harman Baweja (expressionless while acting :) )….

Well , I did smile once before, when my kid brother was tugging off my towel which was loosely draped around my waist and I got clicked in an embarrassing position….Someone remarked, “Abhik, where are all your teeth ???” Tongue in cheek, I replied that they were firmly in my mouth…

I decided that it was about time…I put on Sultans of Swing : Dire Straits, real loud and smiled…and you know what ??…it felt really good :)

Ego Boosting :D :D

Well, just to add to my earlier post, the people at dream Job suggested that I should look more presentable so I underwent a makeover.................























DO not be alarmed, it is just some ego pampering, we all want to look good, dont we ???????????????? :) CIAO

HURRAH !!

Hurrah ! At last, part of my dream has come true. I have finished with the written manuscript for my dream project. "NONE : THE CHOSEN ONE" is very close to my heart and if god willingly it is published ( if I am lucky that is :) ) then I fancy the cover page to closely resemble this....(its horrible I know ....but still :) it is close to my dream cover) I will pre release a quotation from my book (self righteous brat that I am ) "The human brain is a receptive medium for sarcastic encouragement "

If you read the quotation carefully and read in between the lines , you will probably grasp the plot of the book.......

I will say no more :) and I shall keep my fingers crossed. I shall uncross them after August 2009 :).


My heart bleeds for the people of Assam. How horrible and my deepest sympathies are with the affected families.



Many congratulations to Vishwanathan Anand for doing us proud again :)

CIAO

FORTRESSES OF SOLITUDE.....

It has been a long time since I have been in the company of a girl or you may say that I have not been out on a date in years :). I often have wondered and dreamt about holding a soft hand, whispering into a delicate ear, smelling her lovely perfume and making her laugh. There is this lovely lake just beside my house as you may see in the picture above. It is one of my favourite places in Navi Mumbai.


I visit this place about thrice a week....The cool breeze does wonders to my mood....and lifts my spirits up a notch...but then this place also hurts me in a strange way... The most dominant forces of nature have bowed before my stubborn resistance...as a result of which I have frequented this place inspite of storms and heavy rains wrecking havoc on this lovely little fortress of solitude.


This boulevard also holds a very special place in my heart....This is the road I visit when I am extremely blue...I even got into a scuffle with a thug on this very road. The ensuing days saw me nursing a swollen eye and the thug maybe was nursing a sore pair of balls :) This path is very eerie in its location but very pleasant in a strange way because it provides blue people like me a chance to trample back and forth and shout my lungs out till my frustration is fully vented.


There is also a wasteland close to my house where I roam about in the blazing sun to calm myself down...like a ghost haunting a lonely mansion...I am mad you say ??? :) Everybody tells me that and I have stopped listening to people a long time back....

I am longing to be in the company of someone...and I am yearning for it simply because...I want to give love for once and see it appreciated...all these years my love has been kicked about and shoved into dustbins with contempt as if it was a toy :)...My love has never been cherished :)
Maybe it has got something to do with the fact that I give my heart out easily...too easily....Whenever I am scalded ....I turn to my fortresses of solitude.....they will me on to go back stronger and one day.....maybe one lucky day I will be able to do what I am posing to do below...


and say "I LOVE YOU" :) :) CIAO

PROUD TO PRESENT....MUHAMMED ALI

Hiya everyone...............the reason for me putting up this picture is very simple.....I am craving for a clean complexion once again. I have had an outbreak of rashes (shave burns or whatever) not very severe but damaging enough. I am now walking with my head bowed and my chest deflated. Another week until my face regains normalcy... Sob !!!! life is not fair....why cant men wear veils and burkhas??? Damn unfair........
Ok Ok.... :) I will stop posting pictures of myself....very narcissistic to say the least..... But hmmmmmmmm....I dont look that bad :) or do I :)
Did you think that I was about to go off on a sermon about Muhammed Ali??? Well, you were mistaken. The gentleman above, is the true Muhammed Ali of Indian cricket. He has been punched, criticized, disgraced and written off......but like Muhammed Ali, Sourav Ganguly has shown that he is not a one bout wonder. Scripting one of the greatest comebacks of all times, Sourav has sucker punched his critics....one last and resounding punch....total KO....What a wonderful and gritty knock at Mohali!!!....A wonderful end to a glittering career...........kudos Sourav............I salute you Dada...and those who feel Sourav has done nothing for Indian cricket ..F**K all of you.You guys do not see a gem when you see one..........CIAO

BURNS AND TURNS

It is hot in Mumbai ....and when a person from UP tells you that it is hot....it really is. Walking home from college has become a nightmare. Nowadays when I start trekking back home from college, after a few minutes my right cheek and the right side of my face starts burning.....and I mean literally BURNING.....When the stinging gets unbearable, I walk backwards to ensure that the left side of my face gets equally stung and burnt. So now, if you see a guy resembling burnt toast walking about on the streets of Mumbai, do not be alarmed.....it would probably be me :) I am too proud to wear a cap (No....i am not Himesh) and I cannot tie a bandanna for nuts.....so I have to bear this torture while I walk back home and get tanned(or horribly burnt and scalded).

Freshers this year was horrible to say the least. NO LIGHTS ON STAGE !!!! F**K It!!! Atleast we did manage to get some light towards the end.....but that was about all. The Mr and Miss Fresher competition was in one word.......HORRIBLE.....The male contestants turned up in multicolored cardigans and black waistcoats for some weird reason.... Guys....it is SUMMER and you are not Ranbir Kapoor cavorting about on the Swiss Alps.....so for heaven's sake...spare us....
and you sir...if you want to wear a waistcoat...please team it up with proper jeans otherwise....the "WAITER,WAITER !!!! " calls were totally justified.

Usha, I am so sorry....I know that you wanted to host the Mr and Ms Fresher contest....but sorry girl, John said no....(See...having a blog is useful...you can confess :) )

Prelims start from Monday.....so goodbye freedom :(

The uncertain economic crunch has had an impact on my life too.......Damn......I had to fire some of my employees ( Mr Fashion Conscious Abhik and Mr Narcissist Abhik) because maintaining them........just costs me too much.....it is back to torn Ts and dirty jeans for me :)

Be good everybody....I will be back...........ouch it's hot...... CIAO

DAD...MY DAD

It's not father's day....but still ....today I have a gamut of emotions stirring within my chest. This post is dedicated to my father Ashok Chatterjee.He is in my estimate the most courageous and morally correct person I have ever seen in my entire life. It's true that all of us admire our dads and in our eyes...everybody's dad is the perfect one......but my dad is kinda different. Heard this statement several times earlier ? :) Dont worry...I will not bore you and that is a promise :)

My dad lost his father at the tender age of 15. He was the last son in a family of 7 boys and 2 girls. My dad never got to pursue his dream....he wanted to become either an IAS officer or a doctor. His educational aspirations were not realised because nobody funded his education. My dad was a brilliant Table Tennis player. He got selected for the UP under 19 tournament but at the last moment my grandmother fell ill and he quit just so that he could be with her. He paid his Class X , XI and XII fees by working in a sugarcane factory at night. He had just one set of his school uniform and no shoes......But still he topped his school in the CLASS X and XII board exams.

My dad has suffered in his professional life, I am not afraid to say that we lost several of our treasured possessions.......but even at the age of 54 my dad is still fighting. My babba still sleeps with me when I run a fever, he still sits up with me at night to watch cricket matches, he still guides me and corrects me whenever I am wrong. He is very affectionate...my dad....he really is...We average a hug a day (and a hug every 2 days when he is angry with me). His "Achcha Babu" is something I do not want to leave home without when I set out for college.He has provided me with everything that a son can wish for.My dad a Bsc,Msc,LLB,MPA is still my inspiration. Which man will leave a foreign job just because his mother doesn't want him to leave her?? Very few people will......He treats us every time he has money. He never thinks about buying that Arrow shirt or that Colorplus pant but he will always buy me my Lee jeans......

Love you Dad....for being there for me. I am proud to be your progeny, your son....I hope I make you proud. I wanted to say so much more.....but I cant......too emotional right now :) ...CIAO

BLAH BLAH !!!

Scarier times are a byproduct of scarier events. Sitting in my air conditioned R & D lab hundreds of kilometres away, I have no connection with the Delhi blasts....or so my mind convinces me. Terror has a direct impact on the lives of the creatively expressive people like me.... I am on my way home at 8pm ...walking as usual when my cell phone rings and my mom expresses her concern and tells me to reach home safely because blasts occurred in Delhi, hundreds of kilometres away.

Sheila Dixit appears nice and calm on the news channels but the blasts must surely have shaken the lady to the core. Blasts are mushrooming like cockroaches and the Indian Government cannot clamp down upon them. The news Channels instead of airing some useful methods which could help in preventing atleast some of the future blasts are airing the recent events at the Bigg Boss House. Who cares about a stupid comedian, a half wit moronic actress, a bhojpuri item girl, a foul mouthed dimwit, a robot like model and a bunch of other publicity seeking dinosaurs?? Total Bullshit !!!

The news media is only concerned with the blood, the gore and the exciting aftereffects. As soon as the excitement dies down they scoot from the spot and the channel starts airing the latest "BREAKING NEWS" which is Arshad Warsi's latest tattoo. I really wish I had an AK 47 in hand during these times........but I am not a murderer :)


Vilasrao Deshmukh has the shit scared out of him as the latest threats now target Mumbai. I am uncertain about my life....Who knows the next time I am passing by a dustbin or I am standing in a crowded bus........This may even be my last post :) It scares me.....but it also steels me....I am not afraid of dying , I am afraid of the uncertainty of it.....It would leave my family shattered and that scares me the most.


The Large Hadron Collider has been reportedly hacked into....Superb.....I salute the guys who did it..... The beast of a machine has been run successfully and I hope it will provide us with some answers including the mysterious God Particle.


When I board the bus in the morning, I inadvertently get into an argument with the bus conductor because I flourish a ten rupee note and the ticket costs five bucks. What am I supposed to do for God's sake???? Roam around with a bag full of change.....or steal from beggars' bowls?? I still do not know the answer......


I love walking home nowadays and I am loving walking to college......I do get exhausted at the end of the day and my hip pains at night.............but I end up saving money and toughening myself up. (Hey...... I am not a miser. That money is very important). I am saving money as fast as Usain Bolt and I am quickly learning new ways to cut corners :) The day I buy a car.....I will be the happiest man alive because I know the value of a four wheeler having walked thousands of kilometres .


I have also learnt that one cannot speak in one's native language when he/she is another state because India is made up of states.....and I was foolishly nursing the notion that several states make up India. Raj Thackeray,why dont you take a long vacation and go to the Bahamas or something????

Until the next time...........CIAO.

THE NIGHT SKY OUTSIDE MY WINDOW

Romance under a glittering night sky is a wonderful tonic :)

I am lucky enough to be blessed with a huge window and I observed the most amazing night sky today......

So I had to write about it.....

It was amazing....I wish I had a digital camera or a cellular phone with a camera....shucks... :(

It had not been raining here in Mumbai for the past week and today we were visited by a refreshing bout of rain which cleared the skies and left everything looking shiny and fresh....


You do not necessarily need to be with someone to enjoy the stars............

I listened to Bon Jovi and I enjoyed the specactular view with a hint of sadness.....(I do wish I had someone by my side).

The most amazing thing was that the stars formed a huge glittering bottle....

It must a sign telling me not to ever indulge in spirits (or to indulge ??? I do not know baby :) )

OR

It must be telling me that I have not taken out my bottle from my college satchel and kept it near the basin and that Mom would kill me :)


The moon was glowing...as white as a sheet of paper (See....this is what happens when you do too many assignments...you start seeing sheets everywhere )...I had a strong urge to write something on it.....it was simply an ethereal experience :)

Teacher's day tomorrow.... Have to give a speech :( and submit assignments......

College Life is nice though.....

You get to impress people with your speeches :)
and I mean IMPRESS ......... :)
CIAO

Sick and Tired

A bright Sunday morning has dispelled the dark clouds which had saturated my mind over the past week.... and I am finally having my morning cup of coffee..... But I am still raw and in no mood to blog in my normal jacked up style.......So I will be bland and just state my case....

Ok....so I attended the Rock On event down at Andheri....It was pretty good but I was in a real foul mood after being kicked about in the local trains....I was nursing a sore arm and a swollen index finger and to top it all I was bleeding from the nose in the train.....I had a torrid time at the Chembur station trying to clean up my gushing nose....

The event was being hosted by Mandira and Luke Kenny was calling the shots...I said my lines and disappeared after having a couple of sandwiches because I was in no mood to "jive".....

My brother's exams start from Monday and I am the commander in chief.....Brother...be prepared for some hard work outs....

College is stinking right now since my results were abysmal and that is the least i can say..........

And if you get the time.....listen to I am Sick by Saliva

and give "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khalid Hoseini a read......

Back to hard studies on Monday..I am truly and sincerely fucked up.......and my T Shirt just sums it up....Millennium Fuck... :) have a good week... Ciao....