Animal Kingdom

Continued...

2010-08-08T11:24:00.000-05:00

Daniel did not have the courage to raise his eyes. His heart was quivering with conflicting emotions as he felt his body's resistance to his heart's nudging. "I wish we both were just alone so that I would have the audacity to look her in the eyes and just be myself" Daniel thought wishfully. As his feet inched towards Lavina he raised his eyes only to find her standing in front of him.

Such moments only brought out the worst from Daniel. No matter what he wanted to say, he only ended up blurting out mono syllables like a scared kinder garden kid on the first day of school in front of his class teacher. And no Daniel was not such a scarecrow when it came to speaking to other girls. But, he underwent a complete transformation with Lavina in such close proximity.

Maybe her presence sent down impulses of a system slow down in Daniel's brain and Lavina completely took control over just like the character in a TV obediently surrendering to the command of the remote.

"Hi", was all Daniel could whimper. He went weak in the knees and could feel butterflies in his stomach. His clumsiness brought a smile on Lavina's face. A smile that Daniel could die for. Her smile stopped Daniel's world and transported him into a different world altogether.

She nodded her head and continued walking towards the Parking lot. She then turned back and saw Daniel still standing and gazing at her. Daniel's eyes followed her till they were obstructed by the thick concrete wall.

Mesmerized by her thoughts Daniel entered his bay. Her smile was all his eyes could see and her 'Hi' was all that was echoing in his ears. "I would never be able to talk to her if she keeps smiling that way", thought Daniel. Her smile was the most beautiful he had ever seen. It made his heart pound harder and put a halt to his thinking process.

"The next time I meet her, I am gonna SPEAK and not behave like a complete idiot" thought Daniel smiling to himself.

Mumbai to Chennai

2010-04-25T16:15:00.001-05:00

March 27 - 11:00 PM

The day was here. Train was to leave from Mumbai CST to Chennai in another 3 hours. Finally, the wait was almost over. But there was a very SMALL problem. 5 guys and 4 tickets. :) But this problem wasn't going to deter us. We had been through many such problems earlier.

All this while, Atul was under the impression that Ali wasn't coming and Ali assuming that Atul hadn't cancelled his ticket. Except for us 4, who were to board the train from CST, Atul decided to board the train from the Thane station.

12:30 PM

We found our seats, dumped our baggage, and got comfortable trying to soak the cool air conditioned compartment air after the hot and sultry Mumbai heat had sapped our energy. But this was not time to relax. We had a mission in hand. So hardly a minute later, we were back trying to come up with ideas on accommodating Atul in our compartment. And this was not easy with none of us having this kind of experience.

Signal turned green, train left the platform and we thought it’s time to tell Atul that he had to board the train ticket-less while we managed to cook up an idea. Given the hyper nature of Atul, none wanted to take a chance of calling him. Meanwhile, we struck a conversation with an elderly helpful couple just seated next to us for some expert advice. Uncle was of the opinion that Atul should buy a platform ticket and board the train. (*Not sure how this might have helped.*)

Then someone was struck with another brilliant idea - Calling Thakur's mom and asking her to reserve a ticket for us. (*Thakur's mom worked with Indian Railways and could use her priority quota to book us a ticket. What she did not know was, we were asking for a ticket of the same train which had already started its journey. (*A Little late?? Huh???*) :D

So in just 10 minutes, we 4 who thought of enjoying our journey were now busy on calls trying to arrange ONE ticket for our dear friend Atul. While Baiyya was speaking to Thakur's mom, Ali was speaking to the couple; Anna called up the soon-to-be bridegroom Kandu, the man for whom we were all travelling in the first place. He was asked to book an e-ticket but little did we know that the tickets cannot be booked once the train is already on its journey.

I was given the task of calming the hyperactive Atul and trying him to convince to board the train while others trying their luck in getting a ticket which now looked so much valuable like a winning lottery ticket. As the train was inching towards Thane station, all started getting more impatient. Ali then thought of a drastic step - sacrificing his seat for Atul. But then wise Bhaiyya spoke up - "You getting down won't make a difference as the ticket does not have Atul's name. So anyways Atul is gonna be in trouble."

Finally the train arrived at Thane station and as soon as we got down, we were blasted off by Atul. He was angry as we did not inform him that Ali was coming. Funny - isn’t it? He was the one who cancelled his ticket even after not being asked to and then we were getting blamed for all the mess. :)

Somehow, we convinced him to get inside the train and leave it on us to get him a ticket. Our plans of making him travel ticket-less didn’t seem so brilliant at this moment. After all, it’s not an hour journey where we can manage to hoodwink the Ticket Collector. We had to spend the next 28 hours in this compartment. It was not easy.

By now, apart from us 4, Kandu, his dad, his mom, his sis and his jiju, Thakur's mom were all aware of our adventure :)

Run out of all possible ideas, we decided to take the path of righteousness. We decided to approach the TC before he comes on his way punishing the defaulters and it was decided that Bhaiyya and Ali will do the talking as they were well aware of the train terminologies. Atul, I and Anna were supposed to be standing back rendering support. But, somehow Atul managed to sneak through and got talking and when he talks, the other person can only interrupt. :)

And soon, Atul managed to convince or should i say confuse the TC to consider his unusual case of getting in the train ticket-less. He assured that he will get him a ticket once he completes checking tickets of all passengers. That brought smiles back on our faces and almost an end to the adventure and entertainment to which all our co-passengers were subjected to :)

Soon after, Atul managed to get a 2 AC ticket for himself for a paltry fine of Rs. 90/-. Train was approaching Pune and we started to feel a sense of time. The most exciting 3 hours of the journey were over and our journey to Chennai had just started.

Chennai Superstars

2010-04-18T18:31:00.001-05:00

28 hours before the Chennai Trip -

My mobile rings. I answer the call.
Me: "Hello"
Other end: "Acha... What time is the train?"
(I smiled to myself. This could be none other than Atul. No hi.. no hello... direct to the topic..)
Me: "I need to confirm with Bhaiyya (not referring to my brother - but Sanjith) and also I think Ali might not be able to make it though he is still to confirm."
Atul: "Should I cancel my ticket?" (When the tickets were booked, Bhaiyya had got confirmation from only 4. Atul was the 5th to make his decision to join us for Kandu's wedding in Chennai. So, he was supposed to be travelling in the 2nd class while we managed to secure our AC 3 Tier)
Me: "Hold on. Let Ali confirm. Don't cancel your ticket until I ask you to."
Atul: (Hyper as usual) "Thik hai. I will call you tomorrow to confirm."
Me: Okey dokey then. Bye.
Atul: --- (disconnected. No bye. I wasn't surprised. After all he doesnt believe in exchanging pleasantries over the phone.)

Next day - 1:00 PM

My phone rings again. I see Atul's name flashing on the screen.

Me: "Haan bol Atul." (learning to start conversations without Hi hellos from the master himself)
Atul: "Did Ali call you up? Is he coming? Should i cancel my ticket?"
Me: "I told you right. Don't cancel your ticket. I will let you know if you need to. Anyways let me speak to Ali. I will give you a call by 2:00 and let you know."
Atul: OK (Call disconnects)

2:45 PM

I call up Atul after having a conversation with Ali.
Me: "Ali hasn't still confirmed. So hold on to your horses."
Atul: (in frustrated tone)"I cancelled my ticket."
Me: (even more frustrated) "Kisne bola hero banne? What did I keep telling you? And why are u always in such a hurry?"
Atul: "You were supposed to call me by 2:00. So when you did not... I cancelled my ticket."
Me: "Great. Wonderful. I have nothing to say."
Atul: "Ok"
Me: "See you tomorrow at CST" (CST was the station where we were supposed to board the train to Chennai)

I thought to myself. Wow. What a start. Everything was so well planned unlike everytime. Tickets booked. Leaves approved. All set. All we had to do was get up tomorrow and board the train from CST. Next one week was gonna be all fun. But then we all love adventures and uncertainties on our trips. So our trip was incomplete without some last moment adventures. And this time Atul had set his mind to provide some of it to us.

Next part - What happens next? 4 tickets - 5 guys. How did we reach?
Coming Soon... :)

Gabbar Singh was a Gay?

2010-03-05T03:46:00.001-06:00

English readers please excuse me this time as this time the post is in our national language as Gabbar was an illiterate outlaw who lived in the rocky terrains of Ramgad, a remote village in India with his henchmen.

Note - Mental stress caused to any Gabbar fan is hugely regreted as we are sure that this news will come as a huge jolt to many. But - remember this news is only exclusive to Animal Kingdom - Ekdum Junglee :)

Breaking News - Aaj hum aisa khulasa karenge jisse aapke hosh udd jayenge.... Ramgad ka sabse khoonkhar atankwaadi ek gay tha... hamare sutron ke ansusar hume yeh phuktha khabar mili hai ki Gabbar ke babbar poore Ramgad mein mashoor the... :D
Zara gaur farmaiye hamare inn khoofiya sutron ke khulase par...

Ek - gabbar ka poochna "Kitne aadmi the?" - iss baat se hume pata lagta hai ki Gabbar ko aadmi ki sankhya jaane mein bahut utsukta thi..... woh jaana chahte the... ki gaon mein naye sheher ke chore aaye.. aur unse kaise bach gaye..." :D
Do - Gabbar ka kehna "Teeno bach GAY" - yeh pukhta saboot hai jo Gabbar apne aadmiyon ko gay kehte hain..... :D

Teen - "Yeh haath humko de de Thakur" - Gabbar ka manpasand dialog - Thakur ka baar baar naa kehne par bhi Gabbar ka peeche padna.... jiss umar mein aadmi ne ek ladki ka haath maangna chahiye.. Gabbar uss umar mein Thakur ka haath maang rahe the.... chee bloody gay... :D

Chaar - "Kahaan haire tera jodidaar" - fir Gabbar ka Veeru par dore daalna.... ;)

Paanch - Basani ko kaanch par nacahana -isse iss baat ka yeh toh pata lagta hi hai.. ki Gabbar, Basanti ko apne raste se hatana chahte the.. taaki Veeru akela pad gaye.. aur fir Gabbar ke pyaar ke jaal mein fass jaye.... :D

Che - Gabbar to Gaonwaalon - "Agar apne biwi bachon kisalamati chahte ho.. toh woh do thakur ke laundon ko hamare hawale kar do " - Kya yeh sab Gabbar ke gaypann ka saboot nahi hai... na jane Sambha aur Kalia ne kya kya din dekhe the... :D aur Gabbar ka asli naam tha Gay Bar singh.... :D :D :D

Some Famous lines ever said...

2010-01-10T14:00:00.002-06:00

!!!!Yaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!

Guys.... I am back again, after a hibernation of almost 20 months. Not even sure if my fellow bloggers are updating their blogs. We are more into updating our statuses on Facebook these days. When I first logged in today, I was surprised that I remembered my password to login. With Gmail, Yahoo, MSN, Rediffmail, Facebook, Linkedin, eBay, Amazon, Office Email Password, VPN Password, Bank Account Login, Credit Card Login, ATM Card Password, Access Card Password, Mobile Voice mail Password, International Dialing Password... Passwords and Passwords... How am I supposed to remember so many characters and special characters with numbers squeezed in between for different logins? :D

But my friends, I took all the efforts to hack into my own account to update and try and revive some old memories. There are so many of them but I want to pen down some of the greatest and funniest dialogs ever said and wish they hadn't been said in the first place. Though this is a no Top Five List - please rate the best among these 5 on the right hand side of the blog page after reading. :D

Now, sit back, recollect these lines and enjoy the funny moments :D a

1. "Koi Aaye na aaye... apun dono pakka Goa jayenge...." - Atul to me

Dec 2004 - the Goa trip was in planning stage. I wanted to go and enjoy Goa but none from the Animal Kingdom was willing to commit. This was when Atul jumped to my rescue mouthing the most famous line ever - "Denzi... koi aaye na aaye.. apun dono pakka Goa jayenge.." No.. nothing great about this line. Its just that after saying it, he was the first one to drop out of the plan :D Something our politicians do it so well. Well done Atul. This famous dialog will go in the annals of Animal Kingdom as the one the best lines ever said :D

To this day, when we are sure we cant make it, we use this line as a mocking tool. :D

2. "Paise ka mat soch..." - Gala to Atul

Early 2005 after Goa trip when we started searching jobs to support our engineering degrees. :D Atul known to reject job offers just looking at the bold numbers on the offer letter was chatting with Gala about a new job offer. Gala and Ali had got into a field job which involved more travelling than a UPS or Fedex guy all over India installing the RF Antennas (or whatever) :P This was when Atul told Gala that he was interested and would like to take this job. Then he made a blunder of asking Gala about the salary to which Gala retorted - "Abe.. Paise ka mat soch.." which shocked Atul to the core. :D When you are known to take job profiles for a great money package, you are not expected to get such replies. After that Atul never dared to ask further about that profile.. :D

3. "Tum log sab kidhar gum gaye the???" - Builder to everyone

Sept 2001 - The engineering college group had planned a visit to the Mount Mary Fest at Bandra Fair. With such a huge group, everyone split into smaller groups and started on their journey. But then our Builder was very eager to show some famous places in Bandra as he completed his junior college from that part of the city. And who better to show than apna Bawa?? Builder had this good bonding technique then.. put his left arm around his buddy and then take him away from the group unmindful of his surroundings. And poor Bawa, did not know Builder so good enough those days and fell into his trap.. oops.. i mean arms... left arm to be precise.. :D

Then the under-arm guy did not have to do anything. Builder took him away from the group and showed him all the "best" places to hangout in Bandra. Bawa tried his best to slowdown so that the group catches up with them. But who can stop our Builder?? :D And Bawa's worst nightmare came true. They both got lost from the crowd and those were the days of landline phones. :P So no mobile phone to the rescue. Having no choice and with in such a crowded place like Bandra Fair, they roamed on their own. Whether they had a good time or not - Bawa would be the right person to answer. So, Bawa please open up today..We want to know. :D

Take 2 - Next Day - College Cafeteria - Naveen delivers his most famous line ever - "Tum log sab kidhar gum gaye the??? in front of the crowd to which he got the most sensible/funny/sarcastic reply - "Abe ghumte 10 log nahi.... Do ghumte hain..." :D We wont ever forget this incident Naveen...Hats off for this one ;)

4. "Tu hamesha mere saath aisa hi karta tha Thakur" - Kandu to Thakur

Though its just a line - its shows the deep chemistry between Kandu and Thakur. :D Thakur known for his flamboyant style, sometimes did not devote time for Kandu and managed to wriggle out of his commitments made to Kandu by saying his famous and most widely used word - "Sorry yaar"... but how much can one take it?? When it reached the threshold of his patience, Kandu almost cried out to Thakur... "Tu hamesha mere saath aisa hi karta tha Thakur" - Now that Kandu is getting married... lets keep this matter hush hush till he completes his wedding vows :D

5. "Prod ET Bhai Bhai" - Pakya and Bawa to each other

May 2004 in some bar in Dombivli - We had officially completed our last ever exam of engineering (KTs not taken into account) ;) It felt so good after completing those torturous 4 years of engineering, countless assignments, long KT queues with a Rs. 420 DD in one hand, boring lectures, long tiring journeys to college, big fat engineering definitions and fundas to cramp in the exams. Ah!!! It was the day when we all felt... we all had been waiting for.. a feeling that one has been released from all the bonds and chains... But we were wrong... ;) Life outside engineering college is not so kind. No second chances like in engineering days...

With 10 beer bottles and a packet of cigarettes down, Pakya and Bawa discovered their love for each other. And who could stop them after that. All they did was - Get up together, plant a kiss on each others cheeks, give each other a tight hug while we held the chairs below them so that they could land perfectly. This line holds the record for being repeated multiple times in a span of 2 hours. We lost count the number of times they kissed and hugged each other saying the same slogan... "Prod ET Bhai Bhai"

Guys.. this is not the end... we have many more lines... which need to be published.. to remind ourselves of those greatest moments we spent together.. :) So keep watching... We are Back :)

Something More...

2008-05-26T16:16:00.008-05:00

It had hardly been a month since Daniel had seen Lavina for the first time in the office Cafeteria. He had fallen for her cute smile and why not? She had the most beautiful smile that his eyes had ever witnessed. It was not that he had never seen a girl more beautiful than her ever. But she was special and nothing on earth could explain his feelings he closely guarded within the boundaries of his heart.

Both exchanged those curious gazes the first time their eyes met in the sparse crowd of the Cafeteria. Lavina's black kohled eyes seemed to question Daniel's dark eyes. His eyes had so much to ask yet nothing to answer. The time appeared to stand still and then both were rudely jolted back to reality by a guy in low waist washed out jeans and extra large T-Shirt hollering to his gang of 5 guys and 2 gals that it was getting late. He seemed to be in a hurry to rush home and had already stuffed his mouth with one chunk of Samosa and one more in other hand.

Damn!!! thought Daniel. "Had it not been for this guy, I would have atleast given her a smile." He glanced at his watch. It was 6:00 in the morning and the sun had already risen in Daniel's heart for Lavina. Daniel's eyes followed Lavina to the end of the alley where the alley ended into a pale clean whitewashed wall and he could see her no more.

There was something mesmerizing about Lavina that attracted Daniel towards her like a moth to a flame. A moth that flies into the heart of the flame unaware of the aftermath. By this time Daniel had been through a whirlwind of emotions and was all blank just like a volatile person led out of a hypnotism room.

He walked out of the cafeteria towards his bay. Was he dreaming??? There he saw Lavina standing outside his bay. Daniel's strength left him and went weak in the knees unable to carry his legs any further. Dragging himself and eyes inspecting the carpet floor, avoiding any further eye contact he reached the entrance to his bay. "Hi there!", he heard a faint voice.

To be Contd...

Something...

2008-05-18T17:31:00.003-05:00

I thought of penning down a simple story between a boy and a girl. However, my style of writing will be heavily influenced by Chetan Bhagat of "Five Point Someone" and "One night @ Call Center" fame. I am just trying to copy him. So, any resemblances and you know why. I am not sure of the number of parts this story would run into. Haven't thought of a name as yet.
Well, here it goes.....

"6:40 a.m", Daniel glanced in his Timex Brown Dial watch. "I have to reach the Interface Building before she leaves." Daniel's mind wandered when he had last time seen Lavina. He was smitten by her cute smile the very first time he had seen her. Though Daniel never believed in Love at first sight, he could never explain this feeling he had for her.

Daniel and Lavina worked for an international contact center. Daniel was in his first shift (7:00 - 15:00) today while Lavina's shift ended at 5:30. But she had to wait till 7:00 for her transport to drop her home. This was one of the best things of working for a contact center. You get the company transport for home pickup and home drop. Though Daniel worked in a contact center, he did not belong to the BPO. He was a part of the technical team.

It was the mid of monsoon and Daniel was greeted outside the railway station by the dirty brown muck thanks to the morning drizzle. The smell of hot Batata Wadas and Medu Wadas filled the air tempting the morning crowd to the roadside restaurants for a quick breakfast. Daniel was hungry but he couldn't afford to waste his time gorging the road side stuff. Quickly, he made his way from the railway station to the rickshaw stand. His office was located 10 minutes walk from the station. But, he did not feel like walking that day through the wet mucky road spoiling his expensive Lee Cooper leather shoes. Also, he was getting late.

"Interface Building", Daniel told to the rickshaw driver and hopped into the rickshaw. Barely had he managed to seat himself and 2 men got in. This was courtesy - Share an auto where 3 people shared the auto fare to travel the same distance. Already cramped into a small seat, Daniel was now sharing his space with 2 men.

2 minute ride later, Daniel found himself outside the Main Gate of the Interface Building. He took out the Identity Card from his Shirt Pocket and wore it around his neck. No one was allowed inside the Interface Main Gate without a valid Identity Card. The visitors too were given a special Visitor's Card which was to be worn all the time in the building premises.
"I wonder why this place requires so many men in Security Uniform strolling around? This place seems to be more heavily guarded than the Pentagon.” thought Daniel. Soon, he was at the reception. 2 more guards glanced at his Identity Card. "Strange", thought Daniel," They see me everyday and even then they scrutinize my Identity Card. Either they are very loyal to their duty or have a short memory."

Flashing his Access card in front of the Card Reader, Daniel made his way to the Recreation Area A. It was located perpendicular to the Main Exit. A water cooler, a coffee vending machine and a waste bin were the only permanent occupants of the Recreation Area. However, he witnessed a couple standing there today.

Daniel's Bay was located to the extreme right of this Recreation Area A just before the Cafeteria. As always, Daniel filled his paper glass with water from the cooler. While sipping the cool water Daniel’s head turned to catch a glimpse of the girl - a general male tendency. But, the sight made his heart sink. She was Lavina. Daniel's mind was injected with thoughts, "Who the hell is that guy??? What is he doing here??? Why is he discussing with Lavina??"

Angry and dejected, he crumpled the paper cup and threw it into the waste bin. With a heavy heart he once again glanced at Lavina. This time she saw him. "Hiiiiiiiii", she shouted out. Her words were like a whiff of fresh air. All his dejection vaporized into thin air. Daniel wanted to speak to wave back to her. But, a soft Hi was all he could whisper. He did not feel like invading their privacy.

Daniel was a simple guy. A simple Hi from Lavina made his day. With a song on his lips and a spring in his steps, Daniel advanced towards his Bay. He was on Cloud Nine.

To be Contd…

Kya Din The...

2007-05-20T10:04:00.000-05:00

Woh bhi kya din the...
Jab hum sab college ke back bench pe baithe the...

Woh assignments ke papers...
Woh apne class ke toppers...

Sab yaad aata hai...
ek chehre pe muskaan laata hai...

Woh volley ball ke matches...
Woh box cricket aur basket ball ke matches...

Woh Do baje ke baad result lagna...
Woh raat raat bhar night mein jagna....

Tiffin se cheen kar khana...
kisi ka chappati churana...

aaj bhi yaad aata hai...
chehre pe muskaan le aata hai...

Woh bhi kya din the...
Aaj bhi yaad aate hain....

Fanatics pe depend hona....
Answer nahi aaya... toh saamne wale ko poochna...

Aaya...toh bhi poochke confirm karna.....
Chaalis marks ke liye... neech se neech harkat karna....

Woh tees paise ka xerox maarna....
Pachas hazaar ki fees bhari... fir bhi aise maamlon pe kanjoosi karna...

Woh canteen mein assignment chaapna....
Nahi chaap paye..toh kisi ka submit kiya hua dhaapna....

Woh rickshaw mein Paanch rupye dekar share karna...
Usmein bhi Dhinchak rickshaw hi dhhondhna....

Aaj bhi woh din aate hain....
Chehre pe ek muskaan late hain....

Woh bhi kya din the....
Aaj bhi yaad hain mujhe...

Woh Monday ke Workshop ke din....
Kaate hain humne bina kissse ache tool ke bin.....

Woh workshop ki garmi mein filing karna.....
Kahi haat na ghis jaye isse darna

Haat toh zaroor ghis gaye...
par woh lokhand nahi ghissa....

Aaj bhi yaad hai mujhe....
Woh college ke practical wale din...

Woh breadboard pe circuit banana...
Atul ko chodke sabka ladkiyon ko taapna....

woh chemical lab pe chemicals mix karna....
kisne tha jaana.. aaj wohi log vodka aur sprite mix karenge...

Woh CRO tube se khelna...
woh Nemade ki fir daat khaana....

aaj bhi sab yaad aata hai...
chehre pe ek muskaan laata hai...

Jai Paaji

2007-04-08T23:55:00.000-05:00

This post is dedicated to the Siddhu of our group.... Manprit.... I bet he would have started "hahahahahhahahaha" by now. Manprit.. Sardar or Bobby (Deol not Darling) as we lovingly call him.... loves to laugh.... push people around... laugh.... threaten someone from the group.... run.... laugh again.... get emotional.... laugh again....

He is a grown-up kid who a great fan of Sunny Paaji... Stays physically in UK but is mentally present in India in a place called Khar... He is one guy who has been pestering me to write something about the Animal Kingdom since the last few days... I call him Jai paaji and he calls me Veeru Paaji... Oye ki kara?? Shera menu punjabi seekhanevich bahut mehnat karte haigi.... or is it haiga??? I am confused again....

The best part about Jaipaaji is that he is an Indian to the core. Though he stays in UK, he loves Firang bashing. No idea what will he go through if the Skinheads read this... ;-) Shifting our focus back to college days... I remember that he hasnt changed since then... He used to push.. run and laugh.. and still does the same... That makes me think.... did he behave the same way in school as well??? Just a thought!!!

Manprit was also famous in our group for his famous lip smacking Paneer Mutter which hi mom cooked specially for us animals... and the best part... Manprit never ate it coz we never shared it with him... Don't you feel like meeting him now??? Or rather never meeting him??? But then you need to know how does this Laughing Saand... looks like??? Though he never poses for the camera.. he has sent this pic only for all you people....

P.S. Your suggestions are welcome... Please help him GROW UP...

Before After

2007-02-25T14:45:00.000-06:00

Last month after I published some of the exclusive pics which had caught the Animal Kingdom unaware, I received a couple of death threats. However, I braved it all and made a steely resolve - I am gonna come back hard and I AM BACK. This time with a series of pics "BEFORE AFTER". Great care was taken when taking these pics. These pics are as a result of some risky photography and daring stunts by my secret cameraman (his name is still a secret)

NOTE: I pledge that all the displayed pics are REAL and we havent digitally modified them. If the pics bear a striking resemblance it is purely coincidental.

So here you go...
BEFORE: Kandu in a RamBharose Udipi Restaurant eating Wada Sambhar (with extra Sambhar), Masala Dosa (with extra chutney) and a cup of fresh Hot Coffee
AFTER: Kandu in a plush NY Eatery hogging Veg. Burgers and a Coke (Ignore the plastic chairs and concentrate on his glowing hairdo)

BEFORE: Kaustubh inaugurating a Sulabh Sauchalay and as his pose suggests - Its pretty cheap for 2 Rupees

AFTER: Kaustubh practicing his pose outside another Sauchalay

BEFORE: Salli before being rescued from Shabbo Mausi ka Maikhana

AFTER: Old Habits Die Hard (Hai Dayya)

BEFORE: Kaustubh's loyal Ramu - His official carrier to College

AFTER: Kaustubh now posing on Pulsar after inaugurating a series of Sulabh Sauchalays (I would say Ramu suited him better... What do you say???)

BEFORE: Bawa in his famous Rambha 9211 Auto dropping passengers before turning into a famous South Indian Superstar overnight

AFTER: Bawa (Balasubra Chinnaswamy Babu Aapdiya) smiling away to glory after winning a news Sports Bike for his Super Hit Performance for his film - Kaalkunchay Waandarlay

MOVIE which starred Bawa and Atul Babu Peer Panve

BEFORE: Kandu - first user of the Sulabh Sauchalay inaugurated by Kaustubh with 2 buckets (Just after eating Chicken Angaara)

AFTER: Kandu still in the same pose in freezing cold in NY (No buckets but lots of tissues)

BEFORE: Unkil MaXXi in San Diego sticking out his tongue to the kid who called him Unkil

LATER: Unkil MaXXi shaved head in revenge (But stills looks like an Unkil)

AFTER: Grew his hair back but no idea how long they will stay there

BEFORE: Sssharukh with his secret love Anna before he met Karan Johar

AFTER: Anna watching "Coffee with Karan"

Some Kodak Moments

2007-01-28T19:01:00.000-06:00

Its been a long time since I have put up something on the blog. Lately I have been bitten by an army of lazy bugs. But, there is a good news. Finally, I have managed to shrug off my laziness and do my bit to put up something here... which will invite me curses. Par tum logon ke liye... I have taken all the risks.

So, countrymen and Romans... apne dil thaam lijiye... I present to you - a collection of snaps which had been hidden from private eyes. But, over the years, a khufiya reporter had been taking all the efforts, risking his life... collecting the photographs. I have been requested not to reveal his name and all you people out there know that how kind I am. So, this secret will be a secret...

P.S. : All the expressions caught on the camera are REAL. Please don't try them anywhere else you will find them posted here.

Clicked on our Lohagad Trek - Atul caught during his Paagalpan ke Daures

Clicked in Sardar's OMNI - Bhoot Unkil Hoon Main... (Watch Atul's fingers too... Some mantras being recited)

Salli caught as usual in R-Mall getting close with Kandu (Thakur --- yeh kya ho gaya???)

In Goa - Salli in his world famous "Hai Allah Maar Daala" Pose while Rehan ready to Give Chamaat

Salli as Umraon Jaan in revealing clothes

Hai Daiyya - Yeh Kya Kar rahe ho??? - Salli in yet another award winning pose

Statuary Warning for Tarun: Changing Clothes on the Road is injurious to Dog's Health

Gala caught in Ahmedabad - Koi iss Bhooke Nange Ki Madat Karo Plz. Paise ka mat socho. Send CASH only.

In Janshatabdi - Kandu caught dropping his pants. Look at that glow on Kandu's face.

MuthuSwamy Cheeranjeevi Kandu Babu - Kali Konchay Peer Panve - South Indian Superstar

"Dukh Raha Hai" - Kandu seems to say
Smart Dude with Glowing Spikes

Divya Jyoti on Pakya's Belt at his Arranged Funeral

If the above snaps brought a smile on your face, you are free to distribute it amongst your friends. After all Laughter is the best medicine. If you have own funny snaps send them to me. I promise to get them published free of charge and yeah ... your name will be a secret.

Santa is here...

2006-12-26T12:25:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Jesus

Christmas - the day when Jesus came to this world. One of the most famous and important festival celebrate all across the world. Its that time of the year when diets are meant to be forgotten and you are supposed to feast on cakes, sweets and how can I forget my favorite Goan Wine???

Having said all this... Christmas is not all about indulging in parties. Rather it is about sharing with someone who is not as fortunate as you are. And there is one person who is expected to do all this good work. Our very own Santa. Do you know Santa?? Well... St. Nicholas, popularly known as Santa Claus, was a son born to wealthy parents. However, after his parents death, he donated all his wealth amongst the needy, the poor and the sick.

Known for his affection towards children, he visits them every Christmas Eve. Children hang their stockings with their wishlist expecting that Santa will fill it up with goodies in the middle of the night. As Santa can't be everywhere.. we all know that it is the parents who are Santas of millions of children across the globe.

Don't you wish you could do the same today??? Like - make a wishlist and wait for Santa to fulfill all your wishes. How would your wishlist be like?

Do think about it... Maybe Santa reads this and your wishes come true... Merry Christmas to you all...

Aati kya Khandala???

2006-12-09T09:30:00.000-06:00

Back after a long time… Wasn’t hibernating… It’s just that life got a little busy. Also, couldn’t find anything new to write about… But after a long time… the Animal Kingdom set out for a trek again… Thanks to ME…

I can see some twitched noses and flaring nostrils… But truth cannot be concealed under a shroud... and rains cannot be held by a cloud… *raising an eyebrow* Wow!!! That’s a nice Denzilism… am I not sounding more like a narcissist today???

OK guys… Enough of Me, Myself and Denzil. You can ignore me for some time now while I take you on a trip to Rajmachi in Khandala… Aye.. Aati kya Khandala??? Khandala – A place made quite famous by an equally famous song sung by Amir Khan.

How did trek to Khandala happen??? A conference call, a bunch of confused animals, a mute spectator (Tarun), a amplifier - Atul (Vicks ki Goli) and the STD booth owner - who else but me???? 60 minutes into the conference call… and we were yet to finalize the group who was ready to come for the trek… Leave alone the place... That was yet undecided...

Finally at around midnight… after 60 minutes of uneventful talk... we decided the place – Rajmachi- somewhere near Khandala. I just had 3 hours of precious sleep to catch on. My Titan alarm woke me up at 5:30 in the morning. My mom was a little surprised and more confused. As usual, I chose not to keep her informed till the last minute. How could I inform her when I myself did not know about the trek until 4 hours back????

On my way to the TMT bus stop, I called my Bawa and Tarun and as expected, they turned up late. What was surprising is Bawa turned up without even a bag on his shoulders. Now, how was one expected to survive the heat and the tough trek journey without even a bottle of water???

Deepika, the lone gal in our group had decided to accompany us for the trek. I must admit that we warned her in advance and gave her a list of "To Do" and "What not to Do" when with us.
1. Thou shall not do any nakhras when with us.
2. Thou shall eat in whichever hotel or dhaba we chose to.
3. Thou shall not complain of dust or heat.
4. Thou shall keep walking and ask no questions.

We reached Thane station at 7:20 a.m, and thought that we missed the Intercity Express by 5 minutes. But little did we know that long distance trains seldom arrive on time. So, tickets were booked for Koyna Express. Needless to say... the journey from Thane to Khandala was fun and frolic all the way. It was made even more amusing by calls from "Vicks ki Goli" every 15 minutes.

Atul had missed the train and every 15 minutes he kept asking the same question, "Where have you guys reached? Should I leave now? I will catch u guys at Khandala..." Finally, after an hour he left for Khandala all alone to meet us at Rajmachi.

Khandala Railway Station

Walking all the way... soon we reached the famous Tiger Valley. This place offers a breathtaking view of the Mumbai Pune Expressway. What a marvellous piece of engineering!!! You can see a combination of tunnels and fly overs.

Pune Expressway

A 15 mins walk later.. we came acoss a small pathway which took us towards a valley.

Betal hanging on the tree

A scene from "Yeh Dosti Hum nahi Chodenge..."

Soon, we spotted a cool and cosy place. We decided to wait for Vicks ki Goli here. However, he was still a long way away. So, we decided to continue the adventure further. As luck would have it, the road through the valley and the jungle came to an abrupt end. The only way possible was to turn down and take the railway tracks.

Wannabe Models???

Walking on the railway tracks running through the jungle is not what you get to see everyday. Raliway tracks and wannabe models make a good combination and you have the digital camera flashing every minute. I bet Naveen missed this one. Just next to the tracks was a steep staircase running to the bottom of a small valley. Myself, Tarun and Deepika made our way downstairs and came across a fallen tree which once provided shade but today obstructed the path and made a lovely background for a snap.

Some snaps later, it was time to call Atul again. He was still a long way off. So, we resumed our journey towards what we thought was the fort - FORT RAJMACHI. Making our way through the dried grass and green jungles we saw a glimpse of the "Fort". The view was something similar to a child's painting. A hill with some steps running towards the top. Exactly the same. Anna, Tarun and Salli went up the Hill...

Steps on the Hill

The view at the top surprised us all. There was no fort here nor any caves. Just a magnificient mammoth weathered rock stood there like a wall blocking our way. The view from the top was amazing. You could see the rails running below through the hill and as small river running somewhere in the jungle. We also spotted a water fall spouting water a far distance away.

View from the Top

This was the place to be. Serene and quiet. A place where you can spend hours on end. After spending some time here and enacting a scane from Sholay - Bawa played Jai, Anna - Gabbar and Deepika - Basanti, it was time to head back. Mr. Late Latif Atul had taken all the efforts for the trek and had finally reached the Tiger Valley.

When we reached there, he was busy making golas as the golawala was missing from the scene. What a sight it was!!! But on second thoughts Atul can try out his hand as Golawala. He makes some good Golas.

Myself, Anna and Atul with the Gola wala in the background

After having our lunch (it was more of snacks) - Misal Pav, Uttapas, Wada Sambhar, Appy, Frooti - was all the food the hotel stocked, we decided to rest our tired legs under the canopy of some beautiful trees in the adjacent garden inhabitated by some amusing monkeys.

The monkeys befriended the Animal Kingdom without much efforts and one even managed to grab Bhutta from Salli's hands as a token of friendship. According to Bawa - that monkey was Kabile ka Sardar - Leader of the Gang.

Cliff View

We watched the sunset, Shahrukh's bungalow - from the garden and some beautiful gals in the garden. We could have spent much more time here but since, we had a train to catch, we set out on our way home. Bawa bought some guavas, berries and some bhuttas for the journey.

Our - Keep Walking - mantra brought us to the Khandala Railway Station. The train we were reckoned to catch had departed on time. (Our theorem - Long distance trains never arrive on time - had been proved wrong). The next train was scheduled after 90 minutes. So, we returned back to the highway to catch some luxury bus. But God had some better plans for us. He sent us an Toyota Innova. Paying just Rs. 50 per head we arrived back in Mumbai.

Smiles all around

Moral of the trek - Life is like MTV- ENJOY

Junglees...

2006-10-30T06:20:00.000-06:00

J U N G L E E S???

Year 2000 - A batch of 12th standard guys was just passed out of college. This was the time when almost everyone had their eyes set for higher studies. Some dreamt of being doctors, some wanted to carry on their family business, some just wanted to experience what college life is all about and then there were some like me who wanted to take on the world, experience extreme torture, undergo agony, feel excruciating pain, get tormented.

But I was ready to take the challenge head on. Not because I was fearless but because I was unaware of the perils involved in my decision. And I was not the only brave man who made this decision. There were thousands like me. Yes!!! I am proud to say that I chose engineering over all options given to me.

And as they say… the battle is not won by brave men alone; you need armies to trounce your enemies. So, we formed an army in college called the Animal Kingdom. 20 animals - all from different species.

I still remember those days when we tacked together in our matchbox sized canteen more famous for its hideouts after bunking lectures than for its oily food. Those were the days when we had to join 2 long tables to make place for our group to dine together. Be it canteen or any hotel; we had to wait for our turn to dine because there was hardly any eatery… that could accommodate so many animals on one table.

However, the hotel managers took all these efforts because one thing was guaranteed. At the end of it all… our bills would surely bring a smile on his face. The amount and the speed with which the food disappeared from our plates was a testimony to the fact that we were voracious eaters like piranhas.

We don’t believe in sharing food. If sharing food is your philosophy then I can assure you that you will always go hungry if you dine with us. Food for us is something which has to be fought for. I recollect those days in college, when we literally use to fight for tiffins. With a chapatti in one hand, and other hand ready to grab whatever food came in the way, it was not one of the pleasant sights to watch. It was more of a scene straight from some famine struck remote villages in Africa.

The way we ate our food, it would not hard to believe if someone mistook we ate food only once a week. But then, this is how we loved eating our tiffins – like Junglees. We were just imitating our forefathers - the cavemen.

Now, it’s a different story altogether. With most of the animals scattered across the globe, our group is not the same anymore.

Anil - Wellington

Ameya and Kandu – NY

Tarun – San Diego

Manprit – Northampton

Rehan – Scotland

Bawa - Pune

Nirav - Ahmedabad

Cedric - Pune

We miss you guys. We know that you miss Mumbai and you miss us. But, believe me; you have got a golden opportunity to give your careers a flying start. Make the full use of it and be in touch. Do keep calling. Dollars aur pounds ki fikar chodd do... Yeh toh sab haath ki mail hain... ;-D

Love Guru

2006-10-20T13:12:00.000-05:00

LOVE – A word which everyone loves speaking or reading about. A word which everyone has experienced. Thought, the definition may change from person to person, but the essence will remain the same.

You might wonder… what makes Denzil deviate from his usual Taang Khichayee and write about Love and that too in the most unusual place like Animal Kingdom. Well… lots of reasons actually…

- I couldn’t think of any other topic…
- A romantic song playing on my PC… (Tum Mile…)
- Season of love (Its kind of contagious... Loveria)

I can go on and on… But now, that I have given a decent justification… I don’t think I need to convince you further… ;-)

So, back to the topic… What is Love??? (Socho Socho)

Here are some definitions I thought are very beautiful and touching...

“Love is when you commit a mistake but your Mom just gives you a tight hug when you say Sorry.”
- Janice (6 years)

“Love is when even after celebrating 50 years of marriage, grandmother still blushes when grandfather tells her that she looks so beautiful…”
- George (Son)

“Love is when my dad brings flowers for my mom just to see a smile on her face…”
- Rose (18 years)

No book can describe the experince of real love... It can only be felt by the 2 beating hearts...

So go on my friends… Proclaim your love… Go and tell that special person in your life how much you love him/her…. It doesn't matter what their reply is. A sweet poem which says it all...

I want to tell her,

I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends,

I love her but I'm just too shy,

and I don't know why.

Read it here. Courtesy: Tarun

Love is all about making the other person feel good... Go out and spread love… every person needs it… Its time to show the other person what Love is all about… You don’t have to take much efforts… A small compliment and a smile is all the armor you need…

HAPPY DIWALI all my dear friends.... Wishing U a Sparkling and Crackling Festival of Lights... Forget your diet and binge on sweets...

Miss U Mate...

2006-09-19T23:32:00.000-05:00

Brave, tough, courageous, fearless, caring and loving – a few words that best describe a guy who often risked his life to rescue the four legged animals, the sharks, crocodiles, reptiles, the birds and every mute animal you can think of.

Steve Irwin – the crocodile hunter as he was popularly known wasn’t a hunter in the real life. Known for his daredevil stunts to rescue his friends in distress, it’s a pity that he passed away while filming one of those underwater films.

I still vividly remember, the first time I saw Steve on Animal Planet on his TV program, the Crocodile Hunter. I was quite amazed the way he handled snakes and other reptiles. “Isn’t she beautiful???” was one of his favorite dialogues whenever he came in contact with his wild animal friends.

He made me see animals and reptiles in a totally different perspective. His love for animals was legendary, handed over to him by his parents and in turn he has handed it over to his 2 kids and American wife Terri.

Though there is a lot to write about this man, my words won't do justice to the work he did. He was a crusader who took up their cause against their unnatural predators – HUMANS. Its still sad that people are ignorant of the great work he did.

Miss U Mate… Thanks for all that you did for the Animal Kingdom!!!

Chak De Phatte

2006-09-01T01:30:00.000-05:00

NOTE: This post has been written in English, Hindi and Punjabi.

Janam din diyan wadhayian Paaje… Chak De Phatte… This is how we would have greeted our dear friend Sardar… complete with birthday bumps if he was in Mumbai today… But he managed to escape to UK for his higher studies… Bach gaya tu Sardar…

Sardar is a man of few words… He doesn’t speak… He only laughs… Just like Siddhu… A small sher for our Birthday Boy (Boy is an understatement .. Poora Sand hai yeh)
Aaj Sardar yahan hota toh Iss baat pe hasta …
Aaj agar Sardar yahan hota toh Uss baat pe hasta…
Aaj agar Sardar yahan hota toh Bin baat ke bhi hasta

Like all Punjab da Mundas.. he is loyal fan of the Deol movies. Loves to watch all the movies starring Sunny Paaji. Another close connection he shares with the Deol famly is that he resembles Bobby.. Bobby Darling nahi yaar...Bobby Deol…

Some of the limited Sardar’s activities include Pushing and shoving people around him… Like a monster truck jiske brakes fail ho gaye hon .. Itna Wadda Hoye see.. Parr itnni si bhi akkal nahi uske naal… but still behaves like a small kid… Ameya warned him not to do the same when he is in UK coz the Cop may hand over a ticket… However… Ameya forgot to mention that tickets mean Fines… Now what if Sardar pushes a Cop and tells him… I want a ticket of Sunny Paaji’s movie… Sometimes I do feel sorry for the Englishmen... But then they need to payback for what they did to India 50 years back... Chak de Phatte Paaji

Jokes apart… Sardar… we wish you all the best… Tere naal Good Luck Hoya See… Keep in touch… (Choote Rehna) hehehe... Hass Sardar Hass :-D

P.S. Sardar's new look after his return from UK...

What is Animal Kingdom???

2006-08-08T09:40:00.000-05:00

No matter how much you hate

No matter how much you ignore

If he/she still make you feel warm

Celebrate everyday as "Friendship Day".

This is a recap by Animal demand. For those who found it boring to go all the way back and read my earlier posts; this is why you are reading this. Also, what could have be a better way of bringing up my 50th post... Yippie.... I have reached the magical number "Pacchass Posts..." I never thought I could get this far... But thanks all my friends I have...

This post is also dedicated to our dear Kandu on the auspicious occasion of his Birthday... An exclusive song I have written for him...

Hum bhi agar Kandu Hote...
Hum bhi agar Kandu Hote...
Naam hamara hota Fundoo Paandu...
Aur Khaane ko milte Ladoo...
Aur Duniya Kehti...
Happy Birthday Kandu...

Who are WE??? And why do WE call ourselves the Animal Kingdom??? Well, "WE" comprises of all the names listed below.

This Animal Kingdom also known as Kingdom Animalia consists of 15 endangered species. Each specie is one of a kind. Though all of them show different characteristics, they show a tendency to stay together. All of them can be found in groups. The most amazing fact about this kingdom is that there are no territory fights reported between them. Scientific studies have proved that each of the specie is very unique.

Though there is less interaction of some species at the present but still they are in constant touch with each other. Some of the species still meet on weekends and have a great time. For more information on each of these species read the classification below. These species can be spotted anywhere in Mumbai or sometimes near any tourist spots in India. Read further to find more about them.

Note: All the information given is true to the best of our knowledge. We reserve all the rights for the information provided. Reproduction of this data by any means is strictly prohibited. Do so at your own risk.

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GENUS: Abhijit

AKA: Good Boy, Shahrukh

Likes to call himself as: Ssssharukh

MOST USED LINE: “Abbe aye…”

TRAITS: Only calls up for any computer related issues (I and Anna are his trouble shooting engineers)
Impresses gals with his blue eyes

SPOTTED: In Yahoo Chat Rooms flirting away to glory

ACHIEVEMENTS: Hmmm... I am thinking...

Our Vision After 10 Years: Acting in a film as a duplicate of Ssshrukh Khan

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GENUS: Ali

AKA: Salli, Bulli, Chulbulli and rarely Sheikh Chilli

Likes to call himself as: John Abraham

MOST USED LINE: “Vikhroli Gaon nahi hai”

TRAITS: Slender and heighted like a Bamboo
Likes to enquire about others girl friends
Eager to switch his current job but scared of his mentor Mr. Gala
Likes to take Panga with Rehan (only when he is not around) Uske saamne Bolti Bandh
Master in changing topics and a good actor of "THINKER"
Inventor of a new language which starts with S... Saddi, Sasma, Sesky
Fragile and delicate body (Please handle with care)
Official Bakra of the group
Likes to brag in company of girls (For more info contact Manager)
Sweet talker when he wants any info about a girl

SPOTTED : Vikhroli ki Galiyon mein and Mulund ki Waadiyon mein

ACHIEVEMENTS: Still survives after being tormented and subjected to third degree torture from the group.

Our Vision After 10 Years: Still trying to figure out how did Manager impress so many girls

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GENUS: Ameya

AKA: Thakur, Manager

Likes to call himself as: Arjun Rampal (Do you remember the fashion show—Jaan Leva?)

MOST USED LINE: “Sorry Yaar…..” (In Amrikan accent) and Bhendi

TRAITS: Is the common link between the guys and gals (Mandwali Badshah)
Believes in saying Sorry and ending all grudges
Was the unofficial stud of the college (Hope the gals agree…)
King of Taang Dena- only for guys (Calls up at the last moment to say he is unavailable)

SPOTTED: NY ke sadkon pe eyeing Firangi babes (Sorry Kandu)

ACHIEVEMENTS: Managed to solve the ‘misunderstandings’ between the guys and gals

Our Vision After 10 Years: Author of the best selling book “Managing Gals made easy by Thakur”

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GENUS: Amit

AKA: Prod, Bawa, Nature Boy, Naik Naik and Kamzor Kali

Likes to call himself as: Devgan

MOST USED LINE: “Oh Shit”

TRAITS: The delicate darling of the group (Hence Kamzor Kali)
Single handedly cut a 7 lever Godrej lock with a hack saw blade in just under 15 minutes
Requires thorough ventilation for survival (Needs all the windows open at night)
Stares at any girl with mouth wide open till she is out of sight
Defines Babe as any object which even remotely looks like a girl (Even aunties qualify)

SPOTTED: Trying hard to decipher the coding language in Patni (Somebody please give him a welding job instead)

ACHIEVEMENTS: Inspite being from the Production field (who have never seen computers), managed to find an IT job for himself – Proved that Computers is very easy.

Our Vision After 10 Years: U-shaped Hacksaw Blade Baron and a big name in the market for inventing the U-Shaped Hacksaw blades for unlocking the computer

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GENUS: Anil

AKA: Jhurani, Jumanji

Likes to call himself as: ----

MOST USED LINE: “Bus kya yaar…”

TRAITS: Receding hairline and exceeding paunch (Beer belly) makes him a balanced gentleman Believes in ordering something different from the group (Learnt a lesson doing so)
Fond of Aloos (Potatoes in any form)
Smuggled a pressure cooker full of Pappads to New Zealand

SPOTTED: NA (This specie was last seen at the Mumbai International Airport last year when he was flying to New Zealand)

ACHIEVEMENTS: Undisputed champion of ‘Mind Games’

Our vision after 10 years: Married to the most beautiful girl in New Zealand

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GENUS: Arun

AKA: Kandu, Kandu and Kandu

Likes to call himself as: Arun (To keep himself reminding of his REAL name)

MOST USED LINE: “Mera naya joke suno…”

TRAITS: Inventor of the worst Bakwaas suicidal PJs
Host of many get togethers at his infamous "Hotel Kandu International"
Cannot resist the sight of water. Strips down to minimum when he sights the beach.
Insists on listening to interesting stories at night
Works out with bricks and stones if no gym is unavailable
His spiky hair which is erect in the morning start drooping by the time the sun sets making him prone to asking Baburao type questions
Always lies to his Appa when going out on a trip (Alibaug and Goa included). Instead gives the most Ghatiya reasons like I am going on a college trip
Cannot take any crap about his very good and dear friend Thakur

SPOTTED: Playing imaginary soccer matches on Sunday. This specie will soon be spotted in NY from Monday with his Pati Parmeshwar Thakur.

ACHIEVEMENTS: Undisputed champ of Bakwaas PJs

Our vision after 10 years: Still trying to convince people to hear his PJS

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GENUS: Atul

AKA: Gassey, Professor

Likes to call himself as: Dexter

MOST USED LINE: “Linux yeah hai….. Linux woh hai” (Our question: “Tu Kaun Hai???”)

TRAITS: Most hyperactive
At the center of all plans
Possesses the capability of bombarding the surroundings at will (Demo seen in Goa)
Extremely loyal to any brand that he uses
Likes to talk technical stuff (which goes over our head)
Likes to hate Bill Gates and all his inventions
Engaging people in childish activities
Immensely talented and has the potential to confuse the best of the scholars or IITians around (NASA please note)

SPOTTED: Teaching Linux to people older than him

ACHIEVEMENTS: Has won every technical debate till date (Undisputed champ)

Our vision after 10 years: Inventor of a new Operating System which wont be user-friendly at all

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GENUS: Cedric

AKA: Shatru, shot Gun

Likes to call himself as: Gillespie

MOST USED LINE: “...”

TRAITS: Doesn’t like to share his chewing gums unless you are his really close friend
Rarely seen without a cap
Honest guy who doesn't like to cheat (Yeh baat alag hai... once he gave his full semester on chits) but the next semester... he cleared 12 papers in one go without any help (Ab toh Khush mere bhai??)

SPOTTED: Chewing gum with a cap on his head

ACHIEVEMENTS: Holds the distinction of carrying the most number of chits (142) in the engineering examination hall complete with index and page number for each chit

Our vision after 10 years: Honored by Wrigleys Chewing gum for eating its 1,0000000000th gum

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GENUS: Deepika

AKA: Bhabhi (I hope you don't mind...) Waise bhi you should have a mind to mind

Likes to call himself as: Deeeeeeeepkia (Note: 8 'e's to be inserted between D and P),
Kameeeeeeeeni (Note: 8 E's again)

MOST USED LINE: "Main tum ladko ke saath tiki hoon yeh kitni badi baat hai..."

TRAITS: Warm hearted, friendly, enthusiastic, energetic, enigma (Just added thse words to make her feel better) Now for the truth...
Pesters you until her things get done... (Even my former manager was better...)
Thodi si Senti aur poori Menti hai... hohohoDoston ki Dost Aur Dushmano ki Dushman.... ;-)

SPOTTED: Online 24/7 checking the Scrap Book.... Khud ka nahi re....

ACHIEVEMENTS: The last girl standing in the Animal Kingdom even though all are great Kameenas

Our vision after 10 years: Married to her DREAM MAN... (Should I name him... Should I name him not.... Ek Ladke ka Dil... I mean bahut se ladkon ka Dil Toot Jayega...... heheh)

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GENUS: Denzil

AKA: Denzi, Pao

Likes to call himself as: Devil, Roberto Pawlo

MOST USED LINE: “Chalega...”

TRAITS: “Chehre pe mat jaao..Apni aakal lagaao”. Looks innocent but far from being so.
Got those mischievous look in his eyes… (Gals say so…)
Always up to something… got an answer to every damn question…always a funny one…

SPOTTED: Working HARD in Accenture

ACHIEVEMENTS: Cleared Mechanics I and II in 5 attempts each (Now…. Isn’t that a great achievement?)

Our vision after 10 years: Making sine waves in the Telecommunication World

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GENUS: Glen

AKA: Bababusa, Glen baba

Likes to call himself as: Shiamak

MOST USED LINE: “I still love her”

TRAITS: Spending hours on the phone telling his love story
Adding others Orkut friends (read girls) to his friends list by telling them – I am Denzil’s friend. Gals be careful
Proclaims to each and everyone that he loves only one girl (Won't name her though...)

SPOTTED: Gyrating to Ganesh Hegde’s moves in Shiamak’s dance classes

ACHIEVEMENTS: Managed to impress his Office Crowd with his Hrithik moves in an Office Festival

Our vision after 10 years: Choreographing a Bollywood song for Hrithik or Govinda with all those jhatka matkas and aada teda moves

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GENUS: Manpreet

AKA: Sardar… Only Sardar and sometimes Bobby (Deol not Darling) *wink*

Likes to call himself as: Wasim Akram

MOST USED LINE: Hahahahahah (Doesn’t talk… Only laughs)

TRAITS: Believes in childish activities like pushing and running (Lately escaped public dhulai when he collided into an aunty while doing so)
Goes on a rampage if someone talks aisa waisa about his hmmm… Girl Friend

SPOTTED: Driving his OMNI and evading cattle in the villages of Khar

ACHIEVEMENTS: NIL (If he succeeds in behaving like a grown up that will be an achievement in itself).

Our vision after 10 years: Married (love or arranged can’t say) to some girl and pushing his kids and running around the house

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GENUS: Naveen

AKA: Navandi (derived from Suppandi), Connecting & Builder

Likes to call himself as: Builder

MOST USED LINE: “I’m the man of the moment”

TRAITS: Please give him some time to connect before u expect an answer from him...
Loves to see himself in every picture clicked
Loves admiring his body in front of the mirror for hours
Is the only fitness freak in the group…
Has very good biceps and is currently working on 6 pack abs…

SPOTTED: Doing his second set of crunches in his gym

ACHIEVEMENTS: Gals in a better position to answer this one.

Our vision after 10 years: Having a ‘V’ shaped body with 6 pack abs and 21” biceps (Most likely within a year)

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GENUS: Nirav

AKA: Gala

Likes to call himself as: Gala

MOST USED LINE: “Paise ka mat soch…” (Even though he does)

TRAITS: Believes in Money is everything (Sold Old College Files right from the College Labs and then sold off the inside papers to the Raddiwala)
Gutsy guy who takes all the risks for a friend (Anna would agree)
Cannot express himself when in excited state
Can't resist gals in any form (Poora Ladkiyon ka Deewana)

SPOTTED: Practicing his management skills in Ahmedabad

ACHIEVEMENTS: Managed to impress a gal in 2 days flat (Can’t give away the details)

Our vision after 10 years: Ahmedabad ki logon ki seva karnewala Chief Minister

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GENUS: Parag

AKA: Ambani, Parya, Bharat Shah

Likes to call himself as: Software Developer

MOST USED LINE: “Bahar Jaana Hai Yaar…”

TRAITS: Ali ki Maarna… (Doesn’t everyone just love doing this???)
Possessive about his hair (Closes all the windows of the train when traveling to avoid messing his hair by the wind)
Always seen in designer clothes even if he is going for some classes
Loves Mulund more than his motherland
Is a very Safe driver even on the tough Mumbai streets. Follows Traffic Rules to the T.

SPOTTED: Attending some software classes or a meeting

ACHIEVEMENTS: Overtook a BEST bus in his Maruti 800 cramped with 7 people on the way to Juhu

Our vision after 10 years: Owning the 51% stakes of Reliance and posing for the camera like the late Mr. Dhirubhai with his chin under his fingers

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GENUS: Prashant

AKA: Officer, Public

Likes to call himself as: Uncle

MOST USED LINE: “Chal be.....”

TRAITS: Has this uncanny knack of uttering the most pakao PJ’s at the wrong time (When gals are around)
Tries to be the best photographer around (He seriously needs training in photography)
Loses his senses upon sighting a gal (Now with guys all around him in the army… God forbid kya hoga???)
Has driven the car on footpaths and dividers without killing any pedestrians (An immensely talented Night Driver) – Salman are you listening???

SPOTTED: Undergoing training at the Army Camp in Delhi

ACHIEVEMENTS: Proved physically fit by the Indian Army even with his knee cap, appendix, irregular heart beat and lower back problem

Our vision after 10 years: Sporting a thick mustache with 12 medals on his chest and starting his each and every sentence with… “In 2007, when I was in the Indian Army…”

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GENUS: Pritam

AKA: Pakya

Likes to call himself as: Johnny Bravo, Playboy

Most used line: “Haan Kya?”

TRAITS: Has immense talent in impressing gals over the phone (Also tried other communication methods like messenger but was unsuccessful)
Is the undisputed GURU of Mumbaiya (Punter) language {Tapri, naka, gacchhi, chito chat and the long list continues……..}
Invents best one-liners you can ever come across
Summons waiters by clapping his hands like the good old Nawabs
Knows no area outside Dombivli

SPOTTED: Wearing the Skeleton Tantra T-Shirts at tapris or nakas of Dombivli

ACHIEVEMENTS: He has done it all… seen it all…

Our vision after 10 years: Happily married to an only daughter of a rich businessman

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GENUS: Rehan

AKA: Jaanwar, Ravaan

Likes to call himself as: Salman

MOST USED LINE: “Teri maa ki…”

TRAITS: A strong believer of ‘Action speaks louder than Words’ (Laaton ke bhoot baaton se nahi maante)
This belief gets stronger when it comes to Ali.
Always gets his work done…by gaali or by Ali
Is the official Poongi Bajaoer of the group (Holds the Group Record for the most Poongis of Ali)

SPOTTED: Near Bandstand or anywhere near Reclamation (Note: Can also be seen in places where there is utter chaos)

ACHIEVEMENTS: ENGINEER (Rehan Bhai Engineer)

Our vision after 10 years: Hired by an international call center to collect dues from defaulters (Can use his uncensored language)

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GENUS: Sanjeet

AKA: Bhaiya and Woh (From Pati Patni and Woh fame)

Likes to call himself as: --- (He doesn't get the chance to call himself anything. We just don't let him speak)

MOST USED LINE: “Bolna…”

TRAITS: Suffers from blushes when one stares at him
Has recently taking a liking to trendy T-shirts and Jeans

SPOTTED: On Kandivali platform No. 1

ACHIEVEMENTS: Yet to snatch the Patni status from Kandu (Pata nahi.. Thakur iss praani se kab impress hoga??? – Thakurji kuch kar yaar iska)

Our vision after 10 years: Married (Happily or unhappily) to a gal of his Guruji’s (fathers’) choice with 1 dozen Junior Sanjeetwas (most likely by the end of next year... not children.. atleast the marriage)

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GENUS: Shirish

AKA: Anna, Shetty

Likes to call himself as: Anna

MOST USED LINE: Naansense

TRAITS: Taang Khinchne mein Maahir
Possesses a good sense of humor (Uses it to a very good effect)
Changing jobs at will (Note for his managers: If you believe in loyalty, get a dog)
Sabki Raaton ki Neend Haraam Karna (Many are still unaware of his 4:00 a.m. show)
Doesn’t like to be formal or be respected (Does not believe in Izzat)
Believes only in arranged Marriage (Gals… Sorry to disappoint you…)

SPOTTED: Searching profiles on Orkut

ACHIEVEMENTS: Orkut world ka betaaj baadshah

Our vision after 10 years: Inventor of a dating site called Annapanna.

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GENUS: Tarun

AKA: Ambe, Mand Comps, Adopted by Telecom, Ambelal, Mango

Likes to call himself as: (Girls--- your suggestions are welcome)

MOST USED LINE: Doesn’t talk… Only sends multicast SMSes

TRAITS: Fond of Eating and Sleeping (Our group’s Kumbakaran) Gals here is a tip for you… The way to Tarun’s heart is through his stomach... (Hurry up gals…. Offer open till Tarun lasts) Loves driving cars (Be it Maruti 800 or Scorpio) Yet to drive Rehan’s Innova ;-)
Loves any kind of friendship with gals… (I mean Phone, Chat, etc.) So, all you gals welcome
Always ACTING busy with one thing or the another
Was the unofficial Casanova of the college (I know all the gals will agree…)

SPOTTED: Mostly seen around with girls (Or should we say that girls are seen around him)

ACHIEVEMENTS: Gained 50 kilos in less than 3 months (and the act continues...)

Our vision after 10 years: Sporting a mature gentleman look with a pot belly and still trying to figure out which girl he should marry…

Rehan Bhai Engineer

2006-07-28T08:45:00.000-05:00

4 years....

8 wars....

40 bullets.....

1 Man braved it all....

PROUD TO BE AN ENGINEER !!!

Rehan must be a Proud man today. Finally, his efforts have paid off. A huge burden has been lifted off his shoulders. I know how it feels when you see your name on the Result Board with the "P" on the extreme right. It implies only one thing for engineers like me. PASSSSSSSSSSS!!!

And when you know that it was the last time you are staring at this result board, the joy is enormous. Its almost like winning the world cup with millions of people watching your every move. Each and every moment of the Engineering days flashes before our eyes. The sleepless nights, the last minute study, the copying in exams, the 40 marks barrier, the VIVAs, the file submissions, the drawing sheets (Rehan won't forget this atleast), the assignments, the term tests, the bunked lectures, the pangas with professors, the train journey all the way to Dombivli, the Lassi at Kailash Parbat, the Paneer Biryani at Jaishree, the First Day Second Show at Madhuban and Pooja.

The Animal Kingdom has been through it all. Now, the Animal Kingdom can beam with pride... Finally ... we all are ENGINEERS....

Engineers Ki Toli (Rehan -the guy in Green)

And guys Rehan was so excited over the phone that he promised a party... Don't believe me... Sachhi!!! Main Kabhi Jhoot Nahi Bolta.. ;-p Toh Rehan Bhai... Kab Apni Wallet Halki Kar Rahe Ho???

Caged for Life

2006-07-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

I have always been fascinated by animals. I always wanted to have a pet at home. Be it a dog, a cat or a small rabbit. I would have liked it to be a part of my family. But, my mom doesn't want any four legged creatures in the house.

But, this never bothered me. You won’t be surprised to know that my favourite channel on the TV is the Animal Planet and my favourite shows include "The Crocodile Hunter" and the "Most Extreme." My favourite hosts are Steve Irwin and Jeff Corwin from the Animal Planet. And it is no surprise that we group of friends call ourselves the Animal Kingdom.

It’s been around 22 years that I have been staying in Mumbai. There is only one Zoo in the city and I had visited it only once during all these years. So, it was time for me to visit the VEERMATA JIJABAI BHOSLE UDYAN again for the second time. I don't even remember the last time I was there. So, it was time I paid a visit to this amazing place.

My companions were Atul and Glen. The fact is that I and Atul have decided to see all the tourist places in Mumbai. We have seen many people visiting all the places when they visit some new place but the native city is always neglected.

Visiting this Byculla Zoo was a wonderful experience. We first paid visit to the King of the Jungle... the beautiful Lion and then headed towards the other cages. Delight and Grief gripped us at the same time. God did not create these magnificent animals to be enclosed inside cages. They too have a life of their own. They just can't be caged our pleasure.

Its heart breaking to see Hippos swimming about in dirty waters, hyena and leopards stuffed in small cages. One of the most intimidating animals I saw was the Indian Rhino. What a creature it was!!! It resembles more of a Dinosaur than modern specie.

The worst part about the zoos is that some people don't respect these wonderful and magnificent creatures. Throwing stones and teasing these animals is not a act of heroism. I would recommend that the thrown objects at the animals should be asked to retrieve from the enclosures. That should teach them a lesson.

The Byculla zoo also holds many birds including the Pelican, the Peacock, the Peahen, the White Crow, the Parakeets and the Lovebirds. Don’t cage these birds. They own the sky. Let them fly away to freedom. Leave them back in the wild. That’s the place where they belong.

Tag ka Kho

2006-06-29T01:05:00.000-05:00

Just when I was thinking of dedicating yet another post to my dear Animal Kingdom… there came a bully called Kusum Rohra. Yeah, I hate to admit this but I was forcefully requested into writing this post. I was harassed and tormented. Human Rights Council… Where are you??? Even being a part of Non-tagging gang did not help me. Ok… enough of my sad tales… I present to you my taggie post.

My Accent: Right from Bihari (Laloo), Maharashtrian (Baburao) to American(HHH), I can do it all. I can also manage a little bit of Arab (Sheikh) accent too. Quite a talented guy. Ain’t I? If you don’t believe me ask Bhaiyya or Tarun who are my favorite phone victims. Arre Oh Sasur ka naati.. Accent toh ek Gaddi ka naam hai na bituwa??

Booze: What’s that? Actually I quit boozing when I was in 8th standard (Believe it or not). Even in Goa, I lived on Frooti and Frooti alone. To be frank, I once got tunn nned after drinking 3 bottles of Amul Kool.

Chore I Hate: Hmm... After a lot of consideration I guess its polishing my shoes. I love the rugged looks.

Dog or Cat: Both equally. In fact I love playing with both. (Soccer comes close second) Being a part of the Animal Kingdom, I love all animals. And yeah... There are always exceptions (Does anyone like snakes and rats). I also love when it rains cats and dogs like the way its raining now.

Essential Electronics: My cell phone and my PC. This and this digital camera is also high on my essential electronics wish list. (For your information and action)

Perfume: Though I am not too much into perfumes, but yep… I love the smell of good Old Spice.

Gold or Silver: I am not Bappida nor a part of the Underworld Gang to find myself attracted to these metals.

Home: Mumbai (Meri Jaan) and maybe Goa (Meri Jaaneman) in the near future.

Insomnia: Only lazy bumps suffer from insomnia. This word does not exist for hard working people like me. *wink*

Job Title: Telecomm. Engineer. (Finally… My "hard work" of 4 years has paid off... :-D)

Living Arrangements: I come home only to sleep and sometimes maybe to eat my meals. Else I am always on the prowl in the jungle with the Animal Kingdom.

Most Admirable Traits: I don’t like blowing my own trumpet. *blushing*

Number of Sexual Partners: Why this question in the taggie? *raised eyebrow*

Number of times in hospital: Been there many times as a visitor. But only once as a patient.

Phobias: Denzil D'mello ain't scared of anything. He is a brave boy. (Sirf Heights se thoda ghabrata hoon??? Who isn't afraid of vertigo?)

Quote: If it doesn’t kill you…. It will only make you stronger. (Golden words)

Religion: I believe that there is only one God and yep I also talk to Jesus who answers all my prayers. I am divine lucky.

Siblings: One younger brother who looks older to me thanks to his height (6’2”).

Time I Wake Up: Used to wake up at 7 or 7.30. But with this new job which offers me 3 shifts, my sleep timings have gone haywire.

Unusual Talent or Skill: Everyone says that each one of us posseses some or the other talent. But I seem to be the sole exception on this earth. Hey wait... does my bathroom singing and good acting skills qualify?

Vegetable I Love: Its one form of pulses. But its ironice that I don't know its name.

Worst Habit: I am perfect. I am MR. RIGHT. So, no worst habits. (This is one of them).

X-Rays, Last time: Each and every bone in my body is as new as original. *Touch wood*

Yummy Food I Make: Main pakata achha hoon. *Human Bheja Fry*

Zodiac Sign: Cusp between Aries and Taurus. And I don't believe in all this signs vigns. How can a star located light years away affect me?

People tagged to do it: Jisme hai Dum...take it... All are welcome.

Who is Anna?

2006-06-24T04:30:00.000-05:00

Anna - What do you symbolize when you hear this name? Most of you must have already started dreaming about the beautiful Russian Ana Kournikova. Or if you are from South, you must be dreaming Suniel Shetty mouthing those loud dialogues and breaking some bones.

Well, there are no prizes for guessing. Anna is our dear specie of the Animal Kingdom. Though his parents named him Shirish Shetty, we call him Anna because he hails from the famous Mangalore region which is home to many Shetty’s (Suniel, Shilpa, Shamita Shetty included).

(Anna posing for his Orkut Album)

What is surprising to me is why do Shettys have their names starting with ‘S’? Ekta Kapoor may be obsessed with the letter ‘K’, but Shetty’s are in love with letter ‘S’. If you know any Shetty, just try and recollect the name of their family members or their parents. I am sure most of them end up with initials S.S.

Back to Anna. Do you guys know what does name Anna signify? It means Big Brother in Kannada. I and Anna share a thing in common. Changing jobs at will. Though, it’s been a long time (2 months) since we have changed jobs, you cant be sure. From our group, Anna holds the distinction of changing 6 jobs in 2 years. I still remember the day, when I called up Anna to ask his shift timings and he replied, “Maybe, today was my last day.” That’s Anna for you. Spontaneous decisions is what he believes in.

Being a Shetty, Anna does not believe in working under a boss. A true Shetty at heart, he plans to open up a bar soon. We have even come up with a name “Anna’s – the BAR”. Being a teetotaller himself and most species from our group abstain from alcohol I can promise that his bar won’t run into losses.

Though, Anna celebrated his Birthday, 2 days ago on 22nd June, the Animal Kingdom wishes “Janma Dinok Hardika Subhechche” today.

Animals Capture Fort Lohagad

2006-06-16T06:36:00.000-05:00

Note: Help!!! I can't upload the pics on Blogger. Kya problem hai yaar??? Anyways you can enjoy them here. Must add this: Naveen you missed a golden chance of clicking your solo snaps in all possible royal poses.

After a successful trek of Matheran, another week was reserved for yet another trek somewhere. A late night conference call on Friday and plan was all set. As usual, some guys dropped out giving out the same plain boring and gheese peete reasons.

Ali – "Baahar Jaana Hai…" (Trekking is also going out... my friend)

Kandu – Want to rest at home (Karle Karle Rest karle... Tarzan zhad se latak latak ke thak gaya hoga)

Naveen – Want to go out to meet a friend (Kya hum tere dost nahi hain???)

There was no way, we were gonna convince them. So, it was the same group of four (Only exception being Prashant substituting Naveen) who decided to trek all the way to Lonavala to capture Fort Lohagad. The venue and time of meeting remain unchanged. Also, our official carrier was supposed to be an Express train.

We reached Lonavala at around 10:30. After a quick breakfast, it was time to head to Malavali which is just a station away from Lonavala. The trek to Lohagad starts right from the Malavali station. The striking Malavali Bridge transports you across the breathtaking Mumbai Pune Expressway.

The journey to the way Lohagad cannot be put down in words. You have to see it to believe it. The overcast skies, lush greenery, cool breeze and a little bit fog at the top of the Fort made a picturesque view. We were so overjoyed and elated to witness this eye pleasing view. Away from all the noise and pollution of the city, this place is a must visit for all those who haven’t been here and monsoon is the time to be here.

At the foot of the hills, there exits a staircase which takes one to the Bhaja caves. Though we wanted to stopover here too, but time was a big constraint. The road to the right takes you to the two forts. The largest of them is the Lohagad, the Iron Fort, which was twice captured by Shivaji. The neighbouring and smaller Fort Visapur is of much later origin and was built by the first Peshwa.

The only other fort which I have ever seen is the Fort Aguada in Goa. But, with due respect to the Portuguese, Fort Lohagad stands gigantic as a Mammoth compared to the miniscule Aguada.

The way to the top is quite effortless than it seemed. A climb of around 200 long stairs and you stand at the base of the fort. It took us just about 150 minutes to make it here. Right from the Fort Entrance gates to Maha Darwaza steps we were awed by the structure of the fort. If climbing is not enough, just imagine those workers or soldiers who must have built these strong forts with such huge stones and impeccable engineering on the top of these hills. And there were even more brave kings along with his Mawlas who captured these forts. Unbelievable!!!

Imagine these forts standing erect even celebrating its 1000th Birthday. Which other such structure can a civil engineer boast of? So, who were more advanced? Our ancestors or we?

We visited each and every part of the fort. This fort is so huge that it took us close to 4 hours just to complete one trip around it. Right from the water reservoirs to the old canon you can see it all here. And yeah, we also found the place where the main guard must have stood inside the fort. This is because from this particular place, one could get the complete top view of the fort with its walls. Just behind this Main Guard’s platform, there was this small room in the corner which I think was the place where kings must have once planned their strategies. It was a royal feeling.

Just when you feel that you have conquered the fort, you see another part of the fort which stretches far into the horizon. This part is called “Vinchukata” because it resembles “Fangs of the Scorpion”. This place was the highlight of the trek. The way to Vinchukata passes through a narrow ledge. On one side are the rocks and other side is the valley. One wrong foot and you would be gone forever. Then there is a steep slope which further adds to your difficulties. Thankfully, all 4 of us managed to make it without any damage.

It was almost 5 in the evening when we decided to leave. There was no one in sight and we were no Mawlas to protect this fort. There is a sense of achievement you feel when you sit on the fort wall and look at the far villages below. I salute those brave kings like Shivaji who managed to conquer this fort not once but twice without any modern ammunition.

Determination, grit and above all interest is all you need to scale this fort. Maybe we will conquer Fort Sindhudurg next. Animals, what say???

Night stay at a Neral Farmhouse was sponsored by Prashant's would be father-in-law. He had forbidden me from revealing this. Idharich Mistake Kar Diya. He was in the best of his behaviour that day. After all it was the question of impressing one's father-in-law. So, all you father-in-laws there, want to know the truth about your would be son-in-laws, you know where to write in at.

Trek Matheran

2006-06-06T02:04:00.000-05:00

NOTE: I tried uploading the snaps of the trek. But due to some technical issues with Blogger, I could not. If you want to view the album, you can click here.

Commencement of the monsoon, Mumbai heat and a small gang of friends - the perfect recipe for a trek in the hills. And what can be better than starting off with the first trek of the season with Matheran.

It might sound strange but whenever we plan out something it doesn’t always work. I have enough examples to support this claim. But don’t have enough space to mention it all.

Last week… Friday night… I took a conference call courtesy my office. Everyone was included except Rehan and Kandu. They were in the midst of their final semester engineering exams. To help them concentrate, this trip was to be kept a top secret. But Anna spilled the beans too soon.

As usual, the conference call didn’t serve much purpose. Everyone was speaking and no one was listening. In the midst of this hullabaloo, Atul suggested that we go to Matheran. For the first time, we all agreed to Atul’s decision. We have all learnt our lesson well. Every time Atul says something, it never happens. But he is like Mahesh Bhatt. He has an opinion on anything and everything.

Finally the only question on the conference was, “We are going to Matheran. Who is joining us? If anyone is coming, meet us at the Thane station at 7:00 a.m.” With this the conference ended and 4 guys were supposed to assemble early in the morning. I was in the worst possible position. My shift was supposed to end at 11:00 in the night and I would be reaching home only by 1:30. That meant that I would be getting only 4 hours of dear sleep. And a hard trek was scheduled later in the day. Quite a tough day ahead.

My alarm went off at 5:30 and within 30 minutes; I was all ready and standing at the bus stop. Tarun joined me soon. I also called up Naveen so confirm whether he is out of bed and there he was answering my call in a miffed voice. He had just woken up. But since his house is much closer to Thane, there was no reason to worry.

Just as we were waiting for the bus, it started to shower. Wow!!! We thought. This is the best weather for trekking. We were delighted. The journey to the Thane station took us around 45 minutes. And comedy of errors – Naveen came in the same train which we were supposed to catch (has performed this stunt earlier too), I and Tarun were on the over bridge when the train left and Atul the great was still standing in the queue booking tickets for us all.

I was the least amazed as all this happened. All such events occur very frequently in our group. Upon enquiring we found that the nest train to Neral was scheduled at 8:17 a.m. A huge gap of 45 minutes. I could have slept 45 minutes more. But, according to Mr. Atul, a train is supposed to leave in the direction of Neral every 20 minutes.

But, now we have learnt our lessons well. Ignore his suggestions and confirm with others. A journey of around 80 minutes and we were standing on the Neral station. Matheran stands at an altitude of around 800 meters above sea level. It was time to climb. Our journey started off on the tar road. And soon, we got adventurous and deviated from the main road to take on the tracks and the rocks. On the way, a aunty also offered a ride in her Scorpio. Caught in two minds, we politely refused.

The weather was it its best. Cloudy skies and cool breeze blowing made the nature a treat to watch. Huffing and panting, we somehow made it to the top. It took us around 3 hours to make it to the top. The best part about the climb to the top was the fun involved in climbing the rocks like the way they show in action movies. Though not that dangerous, it still is risky. A lose footing and you can find yourself on the ground with some fractured bones.

Apart from Naveen, everyone had it easy. Naveen was literally struggling in spite of his well muscled body. It seemed to us that Naveen had undertaken this trek for the sole purpose of having his portfolio done. At each and every bend, climb and curve, Naveen wanted to have his solo photo clicked. Even in a group photo, Naveen was only interested in how he looked in the snap. It seems he is slowing becoming a narcissist.

Totally exhausted after climbing the summit, we quickly refuelled our body by having a Malwani lunch at a local restaurant. This restaurant was also located 2 kilometres inside Matheran. There are lots of facts about Matheran which one does not know.

Matheran is the smallest hill station in the world.
Matheran is the cleanest hill station of India.
Vehicles are barred from entering inside the town.

The only medium of transport is the horse, hand pulled carts or your legs. And the name Matheran means "Forest on Top" or "Mother Forest" in Marathi.

Even though worn out, a trek to Matheran would be incomplete without visiting some of the famous points in Matheran. So, we went for the Charlotte Lake and the Lord Point. Charlotte Lake is the main source of drinking water for Matheran. And you can view the beautiful Sinhagad Fort from the Lord Point. Tarun and Atul also tried out Rappling near the Charlotte lake.

With the sun setting on the far horizon, it was getting dark in the forest. We also planned to walk all the way down without the use of any vehicle. But hardly, had we passed 2 curves, when we were offered a lift in the open MUV – Mahindra MaXX Pik-Up. It was very difficult to resist the temptation. So, we all hopped in. It was a joy ride. Open on all the sides, the view downhill was breathtaking. It took us hardly 10 minutes to get back where we started.

On the way back home, we were greeted by the first showers of the season with its comrades thunder and lightning. A local dog also got in the train much to the surprise of all the passengers. We managed to capture the event with the digital camera as well as the video recorder. But, the dog seemed least interested. He coolly sat under the seat and got down at the next station. Maybe he was a regular.

The train journey and the bus journey back home had taken a toll on my body. I can still remember those few steps from the bus stop to my home. I was walking with snails pace that even the old were staring at me. My white shirt turned brown and black shoes turned red must have been a sight to watch.

But, that’s the fun of trekking. So, all you guys and gals out there… bring out your haversacks, a good pair of shoes and some determination. Go for a trek. All the pain in our body is worth it.

Goa - The Final Showdown

2006-05-28T08:18:00.000-05:00

All good things come to an end. Every Sunday is accompanied by a Monday. And every fun filled trip has to end one day. And the ending is very sad if it happens to be a place like Goa. We ate Sea Food, drank Frooti and lived Goa during our brief stay here. Now all that was gonna change.

Our train to Mumbai was scheduled to leave Margao at 13:45. By the time each lazy bum was on his feet, hands of the clock showed 11:00. With exactly 165 minutes to go, we had an exciting race against time in our hands. If 50 kms in 165 minutes from Calangute to Margao wasn’t thrilling enough, we also had the local bus travelling of travelling at 20 km/hr. add to the delay.

Somehow, we managed to reach Panaji in 45 minutes. This time, without taking any more risks we took the Super Fast- Non Stop bus to Margao bus stand. Non-stop buses make life so easy for people like us. I hope the BEST also comes up with such buses in the near future.

Peeping into the Camera

A traffic jam in Goa brought our bus to a grinding halt. Though traffic jams are frequent sights on the roads of Mumbai, it is something very rare on the streets of Goa. This was only the second traffic jam we witnessed in our trip. Ultimately, we made to the Margao market at 12:30. Now, it was time for some last minute shopping. Kokam Sherbet, Bottles of Port Wine made way into our already over stuffed bags. A complete teetotaller guy like Ali also had to stash a bottle of Signature and Imperial in his baggage because his boss had asked him to do so. Tauba Tauba!!! Dharam Brasht Kar Diya Ali Ka…

With the last purchase of a box of Perk chocolates for the journey, we started off towards the Margao railway station. According to the locals the railway station was just some minutes walk away. But the scorching sun, over loaded bags and the crowded markets made our walk horrendous. At last, we saw the glimpse of the railways tracks. I, Ali, Anna and Atul were walking at a brisk pace while Kandu, Rehan and Gala were happy taking baby steps.

It took us a little while to realize that the train standing on the platform was the Jan Shatabdi – the train which was supposed to take us back to Mumbai. Our brisk pace soon turned into a jog. Soon, there was a loud whistle and our jog turned into a run. We turned back to see where had the slow coaches reached. But to our surprise, they were nowhere to be seen.

There was no time for us to wait and search for them now. Come what may, we had to reach the platform and get into the train. Running as fast as we could with those bags on our shoulders and in our hands we somehow made it to the platform. We asked the motor man the time for left for departure. “Almost ready to leave”, he replied. Our hearts skipped a beat. “Where were these guys?”, we thought. We found our coach and threw our bags in the upper racks.

Except for cursing, there was nothing we could do. “All the passengers are requested to board the train as it will depart shortly”, the announcement was being broadcast. At that very moment, my mobile phone stated ringing. “Anna’s dad calling” was being displayed on my mobile screen. Now, we are done for. What was he gonna answer? I handed over my phone to him. “So, you are confirmed to reach Mumbai tonight?”, his dad asked. “Err.. Yes.. I am supposed to catch the train this afternoon”, Anna replied with the train standing inches in front of him.

“Now what??”, we all thought. “How would we reach Mumbai, if we missed this train?” No doubt we all loved Goa. But then we had to answer our parents back home. “Should we take down all our baggage from the train or should we just go ahead. We had the tickets with us. They would contact us anyways and we could ask them to board the train from some other station."

Many ideas were discussed and finally, we thought of taking down our baggage and letting the train go. Dekha… Isse Kehte Hai Dosti !!! But, then all of a sudden Ali spotted the three tortoises strolling on the road opposite to the railway track. They were walking at their own leisurely pace. We called out with a deafening roar. They looked at us and understood our frantic hand movements and curses.

The baby steps turned into an Olympic run. Rehan was giving it his best shot. Huffing and puffing under the heavily loaded baggage, he was a sight to watch. We wanted to laugh at his plight but at that moment, we just wanted him to catch the train. Suddenly, he lost all his steam and gave up. At that very moment, Ali… yes Ali… broke into a run to his aid. He ran all the way on the platform and clambered the over bridge and snatched the bags from his hands. A perfect example of how relay should be played.

Eventually, in true Filmy Style we managed to catch the train at the last moment. After giving them and earful, we managed to find out that all the credit for providing the last minute thrills and adrenaline rush was thanks to Kandu. He wanted to guzzle down a bottle of Breezer on his way. So, they had stopped at a local shop to purchase some bottles of Breezer. And that was not all. He also had the guts to ask the shopkeeper to search for his favorite flavor with the train scheduled to leave any moment. And you know what??? If we had missed this train, he would have been the worst hit. Because his parents were due to fly down from US the day after and he was supposed to be home. Now time to reveal Kandu’s worst kept secret – To this date his parents (esp. his Appa … doesn’t know that Kandu was with us in Goa. According to his Appa, Kandu is supposed to be in Bangalore on his college trip.)

After the thrilling venture it was time to settle down in our seats. It didn’t take us much time to recharge our batteries.

After a Thrilling Finish

Very soon, we were ready to play the game which we taken so much liking to in Goa – Rummy. Rehan started off sleepily and lost a few games. Soon he thought, “Enough is enough” and came back strongly. The final contenders of the winner’s tag were Kandu, Rehan and me. Kandu – the master who taught us this game soon lost to us champions. With the master out of the game, I and Rehan decided to share the winners’s tag.

The train came to a halt at Ratnagiri. To click some more pics, we got down and managed to capture the beautiful Jan Shatabdi.

Jan Shatabdi Stars

Passing through many tunnels, bridges and winding tracks, we finally reached Thane station at around 10:00 in the night. After bidding farewell to everyone, all got down except Rehan. He was supposed to get down at the next station. I can still vividly remember the look on Rehan's face. For the first time in our lives, we saw the emotional side of Rehan. He was wearing that Sabko-Jaana-Kya-Zaroori-Hai look on his face.

At the back of the mind, everyone knew that maybe this is our last trip together. God knows whats gonna happen after one year. Everyone is gonna get busy with their own lives. Some may fly abroad for higher education, some may get occupied with work and some may get admissions in MBA colleges. But, one thing is for sure. Come what may... we will still be together. And this is the promise of the Animal Kingdom.

Dexter Ki Duniya

2006-05-17T13:31:00.000-05:00

Meri Nangi PhotoMat Kheech!!!

Aaj Khush Toh Bahut Hoge Tum...

Bhoot Hoon Main
Scary -- Haan??? So, you guys have seen Atul Chaudhary in all possible moods. Now for some description about this guy. Actually, I had to scan through my entire album to find all these wonderful snaps.

The reason I am taking so much efforts to write about this total useless chap is its his Happywala Birthday today and he is the first guy from our group who has already decided the venue of the place where he is gonna be looted. (Birthday Treat!!!). Norammy, we guys have to drag the Birthday Boy to the restaurants to satisfy our bellies. We all love free food and have monster appetites.

Ok...time for some comedy now. I am gonna put down some of the infamous incidents which have taken place Atul's life so that someday when his children or grandchildren read this small little post...they can have a hearty laugh. So, here I go...

The incident that was witnessed in a local train - The Animal Kingdom was returning from Churchgate comfortably seated at the window. The train started moving and soon the next approaching station was Dadar. We all glanced at Atul. Since he stays in Thane... he was supposed to get down here. But, I guess he was uninterested to get down all alone. So, he planned to get down at Andheri with Anna and Naveen. A bus from Andheri was supposed to get him to his place. So, when Andheri was approaching, all 3 got up to leave. That unfateful day, Atul was carrying my precious album of Goa pics.

While he was standing to get down at the station, he felt something warm on the backside of his shirt. He ignored it assuming it be the hot Mumbai weather. But, later when he got down, he got the shock of his life. Do you guys want to know what the warm thing was??? No clues for guessing!!! It was WAQAR!!! Yes, some sick had puked on him. And the WAQAR was all over his shirt. Poor guy had to walk to the railway canteen and get some water to wash his dirty linen in public at midnight.

The next day when he called up and told me about the story, my first question to him was, “What about my photo album? I hope it is in good shape.” And when the answer was in affirmative I was relieved and started rolling on the floor laughing. I was not laughing because he was puked upon. But because he chose to be puked upon. He could have got down in Dadar... but he chose to travel the longest route and experienced a eeky leaky mouth output.

Atul is the most famous in our group for uttering a famous dialogue “Koi aaye…na aaye…main toh sure aa raha hoon….hum dono zaroor jayenge…” To know the complete story click here. To cut the long story short, he spoke these words when almost the entire group who had planned a Goa outing had backed out and Atul was also asked about the same. It was this moment that he chose to say these golden words. But, a day later he backed out totally disregarding his statement like a politician does after winning the elections.

Seems I have said enough. After some lashings, its time for some goodies. Well, I know Atul since the first year of my engineering college days. Hyperactive, energetic, lively, bubbly, active are the words that can best describe this guy. Always smiling and planning something, he is quite unpredictable. The center of attraction of all the plans...he never misses our group meetings. He sings praises of the product he uses and rebukes all its competitors. When he uses Airtel, it is the considered as the best service provider and now that distinction goes to Trump.

Totally passionate about Linux, he loves to hate Bill Gates and all his products. Armed with loads and loads of knowledge...he has an answer to every question. And I can safely bet that no one can beat him in any technical debate. I don't know from where he gathers this information from, but he possesses tremendous knowledge that can challenge the smartest of IITians. I, Tarun, Naveen bear the testimony to this fact. We have seen him discuss Robotics and HAM Radio with IITians who looked at him with their mouths wide open. An avid fan of Dexter, Cartoon Network and his PC... he can be seen online the moment he is up in the morning.
With talent to go places, he is still stuck with our Nikamma and Awaara Animal Kingdom. We all believe that if he uses his potential in the right direction, there is no one who can stop him. He is the guy in our group who if even selected in NASA will not be surprising. Because we believe - HE CAN.

I guess I have praised him enough to extract a nice treat. I hope he falls for this trap. So, Happy Birthday Atul once again on behalf of the Animal Kingdom. If your party fails to live upto our expectations, get ready for another post that will reveal many more and wicked truths...(Remember Mr. Bombastic???) So...better play a good host... ;-D

Tour de Old Goa

2006-05-14T06:20:00.000-05:00

After spending 4 days on the beaches of Goa, our bodies had taken a severe beating from the blazing sun and the raging waters. So, we arrived at a unanimous decision of taking a day off from the beach and visiting some beautiful places of Old Goa known for its picturesque old churches.

Being our last day in Goa we wanted to make the most out of it. Our tickets were already booked for the next day. That left us with only 24 hours and we did not want to waste a single second of this precious day. And having breakfast meant wasting a minimum of 30 mins. So, we skipped our breakfast and went to the Calangute bus stand to catch a bus which would take us to Old Goa via Panaji.

A one hour ride from the Calangute brought us to Old Goa. On the way to Old Goa or Velha Goa as it is known, we saw the Goa Institute of Management which is located at Ribander, Panaji. The way to Old Goa is simply amazing as you get to witness the Mandovi River. The Mandovi River flowing towards the Arabian Sea is the lifeline of Goa. Both the Old Goa and the capital city Panaji are situated on the banks of the River Mandovi.The majestic beauty of Mandovi River is further enhanced by the beautiful Mandovi Bridge.

Fighting hunger all the way we reached Old Goa. Now, we were in for a surprise. There were no restaurants in sight. But our hungry eyes did manage to find a posh restaurant just near to the Bom Jesus of Basilica Church. I don’t recollect the name of the restaurant but its reception area was nothing less compared to a 3 star Hotel. That intended that I and Rehan go and check out the rates. And we found the rates good enough to have a hearty meal without draining our pockets dry.

After some fishes from the Arabian Sea and the Mandovi River were transferred into our bellies, we set out for the Tour de Old Goa. We started with the Bom Jesus of Basilica Church. This basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier which attracts millions of devotees from all over the world every year. Every 10 years (last held in Dec 2004), the body of this revered saint is taken down from the silver casket kept in the church and kept for public display.

Bom Jesus of Basilica Church

Though the saint died in the year 1552, his body has still not decomposed. You need to witness this spectacle to believe the miracle. This splendid church built in the year 1695 has been conferred with the World Heritage Monument title. The church is also famous for its first and the largest art gallery of its kind in Asia, comprising of many oil paintings and ink drawings. In this world of electronic media you have the luxury of viewing this magnificent gallery here.

After spending an hour in this church we went to the Se Cathedral, located bang opposite to the Bom Jesus Church. Se Cathedral is the largest church in the whole of Asia and was built by the Portuguese. This church is dedicated to St. Catherine. Earlier, it was at Se Cathedral that the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier were shown to the public.

A statue of Jesus at Se Cathedral

After spending some quiet moments in the church, we set off for the St. Augustine Tower located just 10 mins walk away on a hill. Even though in complete ruins after it was deserted by the Augustinians, it still seemed striking to us. With a soaring 46 metre high tower this was one of the largest churches in Goa. Now, it is one of the excavation sites of the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India). Our fascination and investigation helped us discover a cave and a hidden chamber in the ruins. It was quite a treasure hunt location for us.

The location where the fight sequence of Josh was shot

Cave Men

The location where Gumnaam was shot

Even ruins could not prevent the Bollywood directors, who have shot the most famous scenes of Gumnaam and Josh here. After a short photo shoot we went on our way towards Panaji but not before we were duped by a local ice cream seller. He was selling the cones on prices marked higher than M.R.P. We caught him but then our hearts of gold let him go. *Chuckle*

A local bus ride brouht us to Panaji. I have never understood one simple thing that why do locals pronounce Panaji as Panjim??? Anyways, when in Goa do as the Goans do. The last time I was in Goa, I had seen a beautiful church in Panaji in the night. I wanted to experience exquisiteness of this church once again.This is the Our Lady of Rosary, one of the most beautiful churches that I have ever seen. Standing tall on a two storied portico, painted in spotless white with some borders of blue, it is a church you should not miss when you are in Goa.
The most astounding thing about this church is that it's name is not engraved on the church building nor displayed anywhere. The only words engraved on the white building in blue letters are “ORAPRONOBIS”.

Our Lady of Rosary Church

The meaning is unknown to me. After ascending the stairs of the portico, we were at the entrance of the church. As the Mass was in service, we waited outside for sometime. After the Mass, we went in and knelt in front of the altar. It was a moment of calmness and peace.

You can catch a splendid view of the Panaji city from the Church. Well, the origin of the name Panaji or Panjim has many explanations. One of them means “Ponjy” – the land that never floods. As the Church is located opposite a busy road, we sat on the steps and watched the traffic flow. It was a beautiful moment. A striking lavender India Tourism building added to the beauty of the place.

Opposite the Church - Whats our Future???

After a long break, it was time to buy some mementos from Goa and what can beat the Cashews and Wine of Goa. With Cashews loaded in our bags, we sent out for Calangute. On the way, we saw Santa Monica which is famous for its cruises. This time we did not have time to go on a cruise. The last time I had been on this cruise with Tatun and Naveen.

The return bus journey to Calangute was tiring and sleepy. But, it was made memorable by a foreigner. You will be surprised but he managed to surprise as well, especially Ali. He managed to bamboozle us with his fluency of Hindi. When asked, he said that he had been staying in India for the past 20 years and had also taken the Indian citizenship. Something to ponder when you criticize your country.

Back to our rooms filled with excitement and tiredness, we had a quick wash and made plans to visit TITO’s - the most happening night club of Goa. All of us were really excited to dance the night away but our legs were exhausted thanks to our “Keep Walking” Adventure. So, we dropped the idea of pleasing our legs and thought of flattering our stomachs instead. This time, there would be no restrictions. Anyone could order whatever they liked, no questions asked. A royal feast was on the cards. This brought us to a nice restaurant in the Calangute Market which was only filled with firings. There was a pool table too. We only posed with the cue sticks but did not play as it was already late in the night and most restaurants in Goa stop taking orders after 10:00 in the night.

Just imagine this scenario. 7 animals… no restrictions… order to your likes… Wow!!! The orders started flying and every sea food on the Menu was ordered. Right from the Sharks, Squids, Crabs, Prawns and King Fish we ordered it all. Can you believe we also ordered Prawn Cocktail? It was simply amazing. There was a power failure once and this meant we ended having a Candle Light dinner.

Chocolate and Protein milkshakes were ous desserts. The manager of the hotel was a nice guy. He summoned us to his bar. It was a nice bar with the bar stools and all the alcohol in place. We sat on the bar stools and clicked more photographs. After thanking the manager for the quality time, we set off towards the Calangute beach. The beach looks as awesome in the night as it does in the day. It was here that we discussed our future, our plans our ambitions and our friendship.

Late in the night we reached our rooms. It was an unforgettable day for us all. But Anna and Gala won’t ever forget this night. Kyun..Sahi bola na Anna??? We all retired to beds late at around 3:00 in the night… oops rather early in the morning. The last night in Goa had come to an end and a new morning was in the offing to begin a new day for us.

The new day will rise with a new post. Till then… keep discovering… And yes...today is Mother's Day. I think we need to celebrate each and very day as Mothers' Day. Just one day doesn't make a difference. Anyways, I take this opportunity of wishing all the moms over the world and especially all the moms of the Animal Kingdom... A HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY... You all deserve it!!!

Bagha Bagha Sa...

2006-04-16T02:43:00.000-05:00

Day 4 in Goa and that indicated that we had exhausted our limited supply of 3 days from 6 exotic holidays in Goa. With just 2 more days to go, we had to decide the place to visit today. We believe in making on the spot decisions. Be it a holiday or catching a movie. Everything is decided on the spot or just a day in advance. Finally, we came down to 2 options. Either Old Goa or some beach. As, most of our Goan Odyssey was used up Walking… we decided that today was a time to relax on some beach. So, finally we made up our minds to visit the Bagha beach. The last time I was here, I missed this beach.

I don’t think I need to mention but just for records we guys skipped our breakfast again. Walking today was out of question because today, except for a couple of guys nobody wanted to try out the adventure of “Keep Walking”. Everyone thought they had shed enough pounds and were not on a Goa March. Hence, we settled for a direct bus ride to the Bagha beach.

On the way, we were discussing about how the beach would be. I and Kandu were of the opinion that it would be a normal Goan beach with blue waters and golden sands. I know this is a very bad description of any beach in Goa. All the beaches of Goa are indeed beautiful except for the Miramar Beach in Panjim. But, as soon as we reached the beach, all our impressions vanished in thin air. Though each beach in Goa exudes its own charm, Bagha beach is in a different league all together. The Calangute and the Colva beach may be regarded as the best beaches of Goa but Bagha too competes for this enviable title.

The Bagha

The first sight that your eyes caught was the colourful shacks arranged tidily parallel to the shore where the blue water met the golden sands. The beach resembled an exotic Hawaiian shore with lots of people thrown in. In fact the beach was so crowded with shacks that we had to Walk (aha… “Keep Walking Syndrome struck again) down the beach to find a place for ourselves.

It did not take us much time to strip and jump into the waters. Kandu, the Jungle Boy was the first one to dive in. As usual, he can’t resist the sight of water and is always ready to strip down to his undies. Must be some close relationship with water.

The sea is very rough at the Bagha beach. But, not that dangerous. Just the right amount of danger and thrill to have fun in the water. I suppose, this is the only beach in Goa, where I saw people with surf boards and sails. The air is gusty which aids the sea to generate waves at will. The sea resembles more of a wave pool with each wave being generated in seconds. And the wave is not just another wave you see at the beach, but rather the waves here pack enough punch to throw a robust man on the floor.

And all this happens just meters from the shoreline. That is what makes the Bagha beach electrifying and exciting. It was the first time that I was wrestling with the waves and it was knocking me down with careless attitude. Now, just imagine Gala and Ali. They were literally being tossed mercilessly by the sea. To me, Bagha beach resembles a bowl of water which is filled with turbulent water.

After splurging for around 2 hours in the water, we all had ingested enough salty sea water in our lungs. My back too had turned sore with the ruthless lashings of the sea and the pitiless scorching rays of the sun beating on our backs. So, it was time to head to the shore and take some much needed break. Soon, everyone was out of the waters except for …. (Yep…. You all guessed it right) Kandu. He was like a dog rolling in the wet sand and enjoying every moment of it.

As everyone was basking themselves, Atul was working towards his dream. Yep, building sand castles. We have built an adequate amount of castles in the air that can put even the richest of empires to shame. But this time, we thought of building a concrete sand castle. Atul worked towards his Egyptian dream Sphinx while we decided to build another huge one inspired by him.

Soon, 8 hands and 8 feet turned busy in building a 2 feet and castle. We had no idea what we were building but only knew that we wanted to build something really big. Soon, another pair of experienced hands joined us. (Yes… Atul – the Sculptor). The only threat to the huge castle was the destructive Rehan. But, as he was also a part of the workers building the castle, this threat was ruled out.

After toiling in the blazing sun for 1 hour, finally our mound and foundation was in place. And then it was the work of skilled hands of Atul, which gave the shape of the Sphinx to the heap of sand. The Sphinx turned out to be so eye-catching and stunning that it made heads turn.

Builders of the Sphinx

Bagha beach plays a warm host to numerous foreigners, most of them Europeans. They enjoy sailing and surfing here. Also, of the many fun water rides in Goa, the 'Banana Boat' ride is the best enjoyed on the Bagha beach.. The 'Banana Boat' is a banana shaped tube specially meant for people who like thrills and love the feel of adrenaline rushing in their veins. It is a six seated ride, driven by a motorboat. With a life jacket firmly on your shoulders and the lifeguards by your side, you can relax for some time. But then the most thrilling part of the ride is when you are almost dropped in the mid sea.

After spending lots of time under the sun and in water, it was time to head for lunch. It was 4 in the evening and here we were… heading for lunch. But nevertheless, we were hungry. After changing into a comfortable pair of shorts, we started walking on the beach. We could see many firangs tanning themselves on the reclining chairs. But, I can’t forget a girl who I saw having a massage on the beach. She was an Indian wearing a pink T-shirt and white shorts. A true Indian beauty.

A quick local Goan Sea Food lunch later, we headed home. All the energy consuming activities on the beach had taken a toll on our bodies. So, we thought of spending a quiet evening on the beach watching the sun drown in the red waters. After having a quick wash we returned to the Calangute beach but Anna had some other work to do. He joined us later. In the meanwhile we watched a German duo play a game of Flying Dish.

The serene atmosphere of the Calangute beach is the perfect setting for any couple to whisper sweet nothings into the ears of each other, for a group of friends to reflect on their past, for a child to play with the sand, for a parent to watch their child play, for a lone lover to dream about his sweetheart.

We failed to realize how time just flew by. After eating some roasted Bhutta (Corn), samosas and a glass of tea, we left to have our dinner. Before we visit any restaurant, we check out the menu. We make sure that the rates mentioned don’t leak our pockets dry. And for this ritual, I and Rehan visit restaurants which catch our fancy and then ask the waiters for the King Fish. After enquiring everything about its length, breadth and size, its time to ask the most vital question on which our dining in that particular restaurant will depend. Yep… The rates on the Menu. The money we were saving was supposed to take us to the Tito's Lounge.

So, after trying out around 3 restaurants, we returned to a local restaurant. This time we turned a little more adventurous and ordered many new Sea Food items like Kala Mari (Squid), King Fish, Crab Xacuti, Fried King Prawn and much more. After dinner, it was time for Frooti. With a Frooti in our upper limbs, our lower limbs took us towards the Calangute beach. We sat there in a huddle, talking about almost all the topics under the sun… rather topics in the universe. From the Bermuda triangle to the Aliens, from the Solar system to our careers we all had opinions on everything. But, one amongst us chose to remain a mute spectator. He believed in the saying… “Silence is Golden…” Can you make a guess who the person was??? He was Rehan… It may sound unbelievable but it is true.

The beach looked so good at night as it does in the day. I wished I could lie under the dark sky forever. But soon, it was time to head home and play a game of Rummy. As normal, Kandu the Master kept losing. Shortly, we retired to our rooms and were lost in a world of our own - The Dreamland. Shhh!!! Let us sleep. I will be back with the rest of the journey very soon. Till then Bagha Bagha Sa…

The Great Thinker

2006-04-06T08:41:00.000-05:00

Almost a year has passed and there hasn’t been much communication between us. The distance between us has also played a vital role. But, this should not in the way especially if one of the guy stays in Mumbai and the other stays in Wellington.

The guy I am talking about is Anil Jhurani. Right from the time, he has flown to New Zealand for his higher studies, he seems to have disappeared. Apart from a couple of comments in the blog, there hasn’t been much news from him.

He was so fond of Aloos (Potatoes) that it formed a vital part of his diet. Also his meal would be incomplete without a customary serving of Pappad. According to our internal sources (Read Ali), Anil had smuggled a pressure cooker full of Pappads to New Zealand.

His personality was complete with a receding hairline, a paunch, stubble and a cap on his head to conceal his hair loss. The kind of image Himesh Reshammiya sports now a days. But no need to worry. Jhurani doesn’t sing.

Always lost in deep thoughts. He spent his nights in front of his PC playing Age of Empires or Commandos. The day before the selection of the Indian cricket team, he spent sleepless nights wondering who should be brought in the team and who should be chucked out. The next day, he would discuss his team strategies with us.

Instead of whiling his time thinking about the Indian team selections had he studied his engineering subjects, maybe he could have been a scientist today. Apart from his extraordinary thinking abilities, he was also a keen believer in ordering something different from the group whenever we went to a restaurant. But, he leant his lesson one day when all the animals from the group pounced on his plate. Poor guy…. Could not get to eat anything… Serves him right.

We are so used to calling him Jhurani or Jumanji that sometimes we tend to forget his first name and this leads to problems when we call at his residence. Just imagine this conversation supposing I call up his residence and his dad picks up the receiver.

I: Hello, Jhurani?

His Dad: Yes, Jhurani speaking.

I (fumbling for words): Err….. Uncle… Can I speak to…… (trying hard to recollect his first name… )

His Dad: (patiently waiting on the other side): Yes…. Who do you want to speak to?

I: Well uncle… I will call back later…. (Disconnected)

His personality was quite a hit with the girls. The Paunch, the receding hairline, the stubble all added to the mature gentleman image. Think Akshaye Khanna from Dil Chahta Hai. I guess by now, he must have won the hearts of many girls in New Zealand. I, Tarun and Anna are firm believers of the fact that from our group Jhurani would be the lucky guy who would marry the most beautiful girl.

Jhurani hasn’t even forwarded any of his pics from New Zealand. The only information we have about him is that he is in Wellington. I don’t even have any of his pics at the moment except for one group pic. So, pop those eyes out of our sockets to sneak a glimpse.

One of the precious pics in my album where the group is together. Can you find Jhurani? Well, there he is to your right... wearing his trademark Red Cap.

Sheesh!!… All the while… I just forgot why I am writing this post. This objective of this post is not to tell the world that we have lost touch with our friend but to tell them that its his Birthday tomorrow. So, on behalf of the Animal Kingdom, I wish Anil… Many Many Happy Returns of the Day.

P.S: Anil, if you manage to read this, do post your comment by clicking on: "__ have said something" on the right side just below this line.

Ga Ga over Goa

2006-04-04T07:02:00.000-05:00

Friendly Note: This post competes closely with my earlier post. A bit long but very exciting.

Yesterday, India played England in Goa. All the leading newspapers carried the pictures of Indian and English players taking a stroll on the beaches of Goa and this brought back all the sweet memories we enjoyed in Goa.

Our third day in Goa. We woke up late as expected. It was Wednesday and Wednesday is famous for the Anjuna Flea Market in Goa. We all decided to dress up in Jerseys complete with shorts to represent the Soccer team. All dressed up in their respective jerseys. I wore the Brazilian Yellow, Kandu – the Argentine Sky blue and white stripes, Anna wore the Red and Black AC Milan, Rehan wore the famous Blue and Black Inter Milan Jersey. Armed with a Football and Volleyball we set off from our Guest House. Only the studs, stockings and the skill to play Football seemed to be missing.

As accustomed, we skipped breakfast and with a pack of delicious Frooti in our hands we headed towards the Calangute Bus Stand. The conductors in Goa seem to be a confused lot. When the bus arrived, he told us that the bus would go to Calangute but when we got in, he flatly refused that the bus goes there. With no option left, we got down at the next stop. For a second time, he again said that the bus does go through that route. But, the hitch was that we had to get down at a cross road and catch another connecting local bus.

So, we boarded the bus and soon got down at the crossroad. After waiting for about 10 mins, impatience got the better of us and we found our legs walking in the direction of the Anjuna Flea Market. On our way, we hitched a ride on a Qualis to another bus stop. Soon, we got into a very crowded bus. As we got into the bus our eyes fell on a beautiful firang with blue eyes. She was indeed beautiful.

I knew at the back of my mind that everyone from the Animal Kingdom had seen her. Our radars work at the same frequency. Very soon, the bus pulled in at the last stop and we disembarked. Upon enquiring, we found that Anjuna Flea Market was a long walk. So, we needed to supply some fuel to our body. Our quest for lunch brought us to a terrace restaurant named Shiva Café.

The ambience was quite good and a cricket Test match between England and India was also playing on the TV screen in the restaurant. We ordered simple stuff like Veg. Xacuti, Prawn Xacuti, Prawn Biryani, Veg. Biryani, Fish Fillets and some Fried King Prawns. And believe me the food was simply amazing. The food was so very delicious and yummy that we insisted on meeting the Chef. His name was Prakash. The manager of the hotel called out the Chef and told him about us. We shook hands with him and praised him for cooking such brilliant stuff. It must have been a proud moment in his life when someone praised him for his work in front of his boss. We highly recommend the food from this restaurant.

After lunch, it was time to head to the Anjuna Flea Market. On the way there, we had to pass through many barren fields. Playing football and drinking Frooti on the way, we reached the Flea Market. Anjuna Flea Market resembles a riot of colours. You will find everything here…right from a sea shell ring to electronic items. The Anjuna Flea Market is open only on Wednesdays and if you are good at bargaining, then you can walk away with good stuff at throw away prices.

Mere Desh Ki Dharti

The flea market is a heaven for hardcore shoppers to bid on wonderful blends of Tibetan, Kashmiri and Gujarati trinkets and handicrafts, European snacks, cassettes of a noisy brand of music called 'Goa Trance', artificial ornaments carvings, T-shirts, Hawaiian shorts, hats and slippers.

I and Atul bargaining at the Anjuna Flea Market

Anna and Rehan bought a pair of slippers while Ali bargained unsuccessfully for a bracelet made up of beautiful stones. Except for a handful of Indians, I could only see a sea of foreign tourists who were too engrossed in their shopping spree. After spending some time in the market, we finally reached the Anjuna beach which is more famous for its rave parties organised by the hippies.

There wasn’t much to do on this beach. It’s a rocky beach. So, going out in the sea was out of question unless you wanted cuts and bruises to adorn your body. The beach is not that great as compared to the Calangute and Candolim beach. It was almost 4:00 in the evening. There wasn’t much time left. So, we headed straight towards the Vagator beach. Vagator lies to the north of the Anjuna beach which is separated by a hill and some rocky stones.

On the Anjuna Beach

We thought of walking all the way to the Vagator beach. But what we did not know was that there were many a hills and sharp rocks full of marine life to greet us on our way to Vagator. One of the most amazing qualities which we found out about each other during our stay in Goa is our special ability to Keep Walking.

Anjuna Rocks!!! (L-R: ME, Rehan, Ali, Nirav, Kandu and Anna)

Walking…walking…. asking for directions…puffing and panting…we soon found ourselves on the top of a hill. Then few more steps we were back on the ground again. A few more strides and we were on top of another cliff. The trip to Goa was getting better and better by the day. We were visiting all those parts of Goa where no one ever ventures. The view from the top of the cliff was picturesque. The endless beautiful ocean had its arms wide outstretched as far as the eye could see.At this place, we found a woman who suggested that I try out the hair beads. The price she quoted made me reluctant. Who would go for hair beading for 500 bucks? But then, a little bargaining and she was ready to do it for a meagre 50 bucks. That’s the power of our bargaining. She gave me a demo and my long black (ghane kaale mulayam baal)hair did not seem to like that.

So, we resumed our journey. Soon, we could see lots of film equipment. Obviously there was a shoot taking place on the Vagator beach. When we came close enough, we saw many pretty models in white flowing outfits taking a breather. It was an ad for some bike.

This beach was deserted apart from a few Europeans lazing around for a sun tan. But, what we saw a little distance away lit up our eyes. No..No…it was not a babe or anything… It was a Volleyball court complete with a net. Imagine, playing beach volleyball on white sands near the sea. It was owned by a resort. Soon, money changed hands and a mere 100 bucks later, there was a competitive volleyball match in progress.

With me, Ali, Kandu and Anna on one side and Rehan, Nirav and Atul on the other side the game was bound to be exciting. But, with Tom and Jerry (Rehan and Ali) in the opposite teams the game turned more interesting. With continuous swears floating around; it was a game not to be missed. When Ali missed a point, Rehan scored with his mouth and when Rehan missed a point, Ali was all over him.

Also, there was another game in progress. They all looked professional Firangs representing their nation. Our country's pride was too prestigious for us to play and lose against them. So, we continued our game. But, even then the only spectator on the beach was watching our amateur game thanks to the entertainment provided by Rehan and Ali.

The game drenched our body in sweat and we went to Mother Nature to have a quick wash in the sea. This part of the beach was known as Little Vagator. The main Vagator beach lies further north. Little Vagator looked more like a bay or a private swimming pool. With just a handful of foreigners thrown in, this beach is perfect for relaxing after a hard game of Beach Volleyball.

The sea water is very brownish and not idle for swimming. But, just perfect for lazing around. The Chapora Fort lies somewhere on the hill. But time inadequacy did not even allow us to have a sneak preview of the fort. All the action had made us hungry and we went to the resort again. The resort was owned by twin brothers. One of them was Charlie and he sounded more like Sachin Tendulkar. Ayla…

Everyone ordered Milkshakes except for Rehan and Kandu. They were in the mood for mischief. I ordered Papaya Milkshake while the rest of the group ordered Chocolate Milkshake. The sun was setting, the tanks had been refuelled and it was time to head back home.

Yet again, we stuck to our anthem… Keep Walking… Ali’s Torch light Mobile as the only source of light and somehow we made it to the road. But, all we could see was foreigners cruising on the roads on their rented two wheelers. After walking a long distance of around 2 kilometres, we purchased 2 bananas for each one of us and continued our walkathon.

On the way, we got to see one of the rarest sights ever seen in Goa - A Traffic Jam. The most amazing part about this traffic jam was the distance the drivers kept between their vehicles. If the same distance was kept in Mumbai, an auto rickshaw could easily squeeze in. Somehow, we passed that never ending queue of traffic jam and managed to catch a bus which dropped us a little ahead. After that our walkathon resumed and finally we managed to reach the Calangute Market.

In the market, all eyes were set on Kandu. He was guilty of not contributing any money for the Goa trip. Every day he made his escape by reasoning with us that since his parents were in US, the money hadn’t been credited to his account. Today, we stood outside the ICICI ATM and waited anxiously for him to come out with crisp notes. But, as we had anticipated, he came back Khaali Hath…. Kya samazhke aaya tha? Ki Hum Khus Honge… Sabasi Denge..Kyon?

Making him feel guilty all the way, we reached our rooms. But, it had no effect on him. He will always remain that way – SHAMELESS. After a quick wash, everyone was ready for dinner. We all settled for a Chinese cuisine. The dinner was total contrast of the lunch we had in the afternoon. The water was unhygienic and the food was bland too. Nevertheless, we still managed to finish off 3 plates of Veg. Hakka Noodles, 3 plates of Veg. Schezwan Rice between the 7 of us. Quite an achievement considering the taste of food. Another warning: Never eat Chinese in Goa. It’s a shame to eat Chinese in a land which offers amazing Sea Food.

Our Dil was still demanding MORE…. So off we went to the local store and all ended up picking 1.5 litres of Frooti and those who did not get their hands on Frooti picked up 1 litre Mazaa. This was gonna be our fodder to spend the night.

Frooti Maniacs

Now, it was time for some entertainment. As usual Ali was the CHOSEN ONE. With all his extraordinary Abla Nari poses, he managed to keep us in splits and then we had Kandu too with his stuuuuupid questions. There is one special thing about Kandu which I would like to point out. With his spiky haircut he visualizes himself to be Hrithik Roshan. But to be frank he resembles Will Smith. His spiky hair which is erect in the morning start drooping by the time the sun sets. And with this, his sanity goes for a toss and he behaves abnormally. It is we who have to bear him. Just 3 days in Goa and I was finding it extremely difficult to answer his bhadde sadyal maryal sawaal. Hahahahah… Kyon Kandu??? Am I not right???

Kandu was the most excited animal from our group. Barely had he seen the sea and there he was standing stripped down to his undies like Mowgli. He was supposed to be in Bangalore for his educational visit to ISRO. But, he chose to be in Goa by lying to his Appa. God forbid… If his Appa reads this post… Kandu will be dead. I wish somehow, his Appa manages to find this post on the internet by just typing in two key words in Google “Kandu + Goa”…. That’s it… All his hidden secrets will be revealed. Beware of Google… Kandu.

But it’s thanks to Kandu’s guts that we managed to get all the photos scanned. That night, we played yet another round of Rummy where Kandu – the Rummy Guru kept losing. Yet again, we played late in the night with a huge bottle of Frooti in our hands. Anna and Nirav had a good day ahead of them. Their secrets will be all revealed in my next post. So, don’t go away. I will be right back…. Here in the Animal Kingdom.

Last Day of Goa Carnival

2006-03-29T08:00:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Read this post only if you have loads of time in your hands. This is one of the longest posts you must have ever read and I am sure that if I try, I can come out with a book on our Goan Odyssey.

Our second day in Goa was on 28^th Feb and today is 29^th March. It’s been exactly a month and yet it seems we had been to Goa long time back.

The plans were all chalked out. Being an experienced campaigner of Goa, I suggested that we visit first go to Dona Paula and then visit Aguada Fort later in the evening. 7 guys… 2 bathrooms… and Atul…the bombardier… Getting late was bound to happen. Once Atul - Mr. Bombastic visits the loo, he turns it into a horrible gas chamber with all the poisonous gases. From next time, Atul will be the last person to empty his bowels filled with vicious gases. I guess, if anyone is locked inside a loo after Atul performs his ritual, even a sadist murderer will commit to his crime. Hum toh fir bhi bachhe hain.

Let me get back some better topic. Well, add to this nuisance some lazy bumps like Ali, who wake up only they get a dose from Atul who just bombards some obnoxious gases from his swelling belly. Sometimes, Atul does use his Weapon of Mass Destruction quite effectively. But Atul, beware of Mr. George Bush. He can attack and invade you anytime.

Finally after an hour, everyone is ready and one of the rooms turns into a busy make up room with all the guys applying a generous amount of Sun Screen Lotion on their faces, hands, shoulders and feet. Here, Rehan won hands down by applying so much lotion that he resembled a cricketer who applies Titanium Oxide on his face.

The second day in Goa and it was already noon before we finally made out way out of the rooms. Total wastage of precious time. This is because we are used to staying up late in the night and then getting up late. The last time I had been here with Tarun and Naveen, we were used to sleeping only for a few hours. We came home early in the morning just to have a quick wash and change our clothes.

With the sun over our heads, we started thinking. I don’t know why… but our group always does this. We always stand in the sweltering sun and start thinking. I guess we all must have been Jadoo (Aliens) who drew their power from the sun in our earlier births.

There is a Punjabi Dhaba bang opposite to the Calangute beach. So, we thought of skipping our breakfast and having brunch instead. The food was good enough. As Chicken was a strict NO, we had the opportunity of trying out each and every other dish. But, still I, Kandu and Rehan could not resist the tasty omelet. So, we ordered omelets along with Keema, some Punjabi Veg. items and Jeera Rice with Dal Makhani.

Now, it was the time for some dessert. So, each one of us picked up Frootis (our fuel) and headed straight to the Calungute bus stand. After being sent from one bus to another, finally we found the bus that would take us to the Panjim city, the capital of Goa. Since the bus was scheduled in the next 10 minutes, we had a brief Photo Session with all of us posing and the bus conductor willingly acting as the world renowned photographer by giving us instructions.

Soon, we were in the bus, 7 guys occupying all the 7 window seats of the bus. A 40 mins journey brought us to the Panjim Bus Stand. Again armed with a Frooti to beat the heat and the thirst, we took another bus which took us to Dona Paula. Dona Paula is hardly a 15 mins bus ride from Panjim. This time we had a tourist Map of Goa in our hands. The scene at Dona Paula was simply exotic.

(from L-R: Kandu, ME, Rehan, Atul, Anna, Nirav, Ali)

History goes that the beach is named after Dona Paula de Menzes, daughter of a viceroy, who threw herself off the cliff, when refused permission to marry a local fisherman, Gaspar Dias. 2 small statues have been erected at the place in the memories of the lovers. But, now both the statues are in shambles failing the test of the sea weather.

This story attracts many tourists and they come here just to feel the sweet pain of love. This beach has also been the location for many Indian movies such as the Ek Duje Ke Liye. I must admit that we all were awed by this scenic beauty of the place. The rocky cliffs and the deep blue sea just add to the splendid view.

After a quick photo session and spending some more time, imbibing the serenity of the place, we left for Panjim from where we caught another bus to get to our next destination – The Fort Aguada. But this time it was not an easy ride. There was no direct bus from Panjim to Fort Aguada. So, we had to get down at a crossroad and wait for another bus or hire a cab or auto. But, thanks to a kind driver of a local sight seeing tour bus, we got to our destination comfortably. It was he who told us to visit a nearby Lighthouse to the west end of the Fort.

We all were exited as it was the first time in our lives that we were visiting a Lighthouse. It was always one of my dreams to see how did the Lighthouse function. My dream came true after paying a nominal entrance fee. Myself and Kandu were the first ones to rush to the top. After climbing 3 storeys and finally an almost 85 degree ladder we were on the top of the Lighthouse. Apart from the caretaker and a foreign couple there was no one.

Lighthouse View

There were huge circular discs inside the Lighthouse which were made of Prisms to reflect a powerful beam of light. The view here was amazing. It was like feeling “Top of the World with your Friends.” As it was getting late we decided to hurry up. We also had to visit the Aguada Fort.

The word Aguada comes from Aqua which in Portuguese means Water. The Fort Aguada also played the role of a water station where the ships refueled their water supply. One of the buildings in the Fort has also been converted into a jail which is the largest jail in Goa. But, this Fort is more famous as the place where one of the famous scenes of the Superhit Film Dil Chahta Hai has been shot. 7 creative minds, a camera and a superb location make a very good combination. After posing from all the angles possible, we thought of heading home.

Dil Chahta Hai Pose at Fort Aguada

But wait… We had to cross 3 beaches to get there. The Sinquerim, Candolim and finally our home beach – The Calangute where all the action was gonna take place. It was the last day of Goa Carnival and the special guests for the evening were the Colonial Cousins. But before getting there, we had to cross a small jungle. At last…We were in a place where we belong – Animal Kingdom in the Jungle.

After crossing the dense ghana jungle and having some Sugarcane juice, Pani Puri and yummy Bhel Puri on the way, we reached the Sinquerim Beach. Hotel Taj is situated across the Sinquerim beach and the Aguada Fort. The beach stretches uninterrupted all the way from Sinquerim, Candolim to Calangute. It is on this beach that you can witness the bulky carrier River Princess which was washed to the shores one stormy night in June 2000. It a treat to the eyes but an ecological threat to the marine life. And let me tell you your trip to Goa is incomplete without watching this beauty.

River Princess at the Sinquerim Beach

Finally, we started walking toward Calangute after admiring the beauty of the beach, the setting sun, the golden sands, the sea breeze, the blue waters, the lovely shacks. Kandu was the only one who wanted to get into water. So, he stripped down to his undies and started playing in water like a small kid plays in bath tub. Walking on this beach transported me back to last December when I had come to Goa with Tarun and Naveen. Naveen in his search for a rave party had made us walk the entire distance in less than an hour. But, this time I was strolling at a leisurely pace.

The sun was setting and it was getting dark. We had to increase our pace because once it gets dark you can’t see a thing beyond 5 meters away from you. And the matters are made worse by the howling sounds of the wind and the sea. So, its better to stick to your group or the chances of getting lost are pretty high and this is what happened. We were all walking in a group except for Kandu and Rehan who had a different discussion in hand. All of a sudden, they started running past us. We were confused. So, even we started chasing them. I did not imagine that Rehan would run so fast.

While chasing them, on the way we also saw a UFO in the sky. We called it an UFO coz it was not a plane nor was it a falling star. It was an astounding sight. When it disappeared from our view, it was run time again. Finally puffing and panting we reached the Calangute beach. It was crowded to the brim. Here, we caught up the 2 Bhagodas.

A huge stage was put up on the beach near the entrance and an excellent band was performing LIVE. One of the best LIVE performances I have ever seen. It’s a pity that we don’t know the name of the band. But they were playing par excellence. Their performance was so good that even we were left wondering whether it was LIVE or recorded. But, it was LIVE indeed.

The crowd was going crazy and the band was belting out some cool racy numbers. Elvis Presley’s A Little Less Conversation was simply amazing and had the crowd go mad. But, we were too tired to move our legs. But nevertheless we were swaying to the music. There were many pretty girls around and were radars started working. After some time, a beautiful foreigner started dancing in front of us. When she was just about to approach us, her guide took her away dashing all our plans.

Kandu and Gala were the most disappointed. Soon, the performance came to an end and the fireworks covered the dark sky. The colorful fireworks bursting in the sky had everyone hypnotized. It was as if all the people were under its spell. The firework act went for non-stop 15 mins. After that it was the turn of the special guests of the evening – The Colonial Cousins. But, to be frank, I think that was a bad choice. The energetic Remo Fernandes, Euphoria or the Band of Boys would have been a much better choice to enliven the last day of the Carnival.

So, we came back to our rooms, had a wash, had our dinner at the same Punjabi Dhaba and then came to the beach again. On our way back to the beach, we bought 2 decks of playing cards. By the time we reached the beach, the atmosphere was all changed. Most of them seemed to be on a high after sipping some local Fenny or Vodka. There was some close body dancing going around. Most of the Indian Guys had pataoed Firang babes to be their close body dancing partners. We envied all those guys and cursed them to hell.

We all started searching around for Firang babes who could give us company. The trick what other guys followed was pretty simple. Just start dancing to a Firang babe and then she does the rest. So, everyone started looking around. But the bottom line was that no one had the guts to go and talk to a gal. Sab saale Fatoo Log and Bol Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan. So, there we were standing in the middle of the beach like LOSERS.

Hanging out there, we were ruing all our lost chances. Drained, exhausted and weary we were all planning to get to our rooms, but Kandu, Gala and Ali were adamant on staying back. And that night, Ali delivered the dialogue of the day – “Chal Yaar – Ek Last Try Maarte Hain. Nahi Hua Toh Gharpe.” But, his last chance never came and finally,we had to drag him home.

Discussing all the things we did today, the hot topic of the night was the Night at the Beach. Truly, we never got to do anything, but then we had a good time. We are used to being Losers. Ab toh Aadat Si Hai Humko Aise Jeene Ki… Kandu then brought out the cards and taught us to play Rummy. And let me add this for the record. I won the first game while Kandu Lost. Saala Loser.

Anyways guys… I doubt if anyone has read all the way down here without skipping 4-5 paragraphs. But then, I had to put this down here because maybe some years down the line, when we all read this, we would recollect all these special events of our life.

I am almost at the end of the 4^th page in Microsoft Word. I guess, I have to stop now. If anyone finds a longer post than this one, please let me know. Else I am planning to apply to the Guinness World Records for my great achievement.

VIVA Goa Carnival and the Animal Kingdom. More parts to continue. Keep watching this space for more fun.

Johny Bravo from Dombivli

2006-03-26T03:15:00.000-06:00

The much awaited Go Goa endeavour has been put on hold but the bashing continues for another of the specie of the Animal Kingdom on the auspicious occasion of his Belated Birthday. This time it is Pritam Shanbhag, the guy from Telecomm who celebrated his Birthday on 23rd March, the famous day when India lost the World Cup Final to Australia in 2003. Pritam has always been famous in our group for using some really innovative words, dialogues and nick names in his vocabulary. Likes to call himself Johnny Bravo, Playboy… has also been involved in one of the famous controversies in college by using the Yahoo messenger. Can’t give away more details.

There is so much to talk about this guy that I don’t have an idea as to where to start from. Okay… let me put down whatever comes to my mind.

There was a small restaurant near the Dombivli station named Jaishree. Party, treat, hunger, whatever the reason, this place was always infested by the Animal Kingdom to grab a quick bite of some mouth-watering Paneer Biryani or simple Vada Sambhar. It is here that Pritam had this unusual way of summoning the waiter. He just used to clap his hands a couple of times, the way the Nawabs or the Maharajas must have done in the olden times to summon their kaneez or slaves. It was a sight to watch. Two claps from Nawab Pritam and the waiter was at our table to take our order.

Pritam stays in Dombivli and has taken so much liking to this place that he has must have been out of this place hardly a couple of times with us. He never ventured out of his territory. For him, the world ceased to exist outside the boundaries of Dombivli. School, Junior College, Engineering College, Classes, Khana, Peena… everything in Dombivli. I think he should be made the brand ambassador of Dombivli. Always seen singing praises of his home city Dombivli, he even claims to have seen a shower of hailstones in Dombivli.

During our exams, when I, Tarun and Kamzhor Kali used to stay in a rented apartment in Dombivli, Pritam often came to our room for late night studies. He never ever stayed in the room alone. He accompanied us each time we went down to have our dinner even if that meant he had to carry his books along and study in the restaurant. He was scared of staying all alone in the room claiming that one of the flats in our building was haunted. Saala Fattoo Pritam.

Pritam was not used to a cold climate. It has also happened that one late winter night, Pritam came dressed in muffler, monkey cap and so much winter dressing that I asked him..."Is it snowing outside??” He looked like a perfect Cleaner who plays Chamcha to the Truck Driver.

He also hold the distinction of puking on an innocent dog after he was high one New Year Night with his friends. Eeks!!! I can’t just imagine the plight of the poor dog. He must have waited till the monsoon to get rid of the powerful stench and find a mate for himself. One more thing I can recollect about Pritam is that he used to study hard for the exams but then late in the night started making chits just because he wasn’t confident enough. And the best part was he never carried the chits in the examination hall… not because he did not want to cheat… but because he couldn'y muster enough courage. He has also appeared at many VIVAs (oral exams) with formulas and answers tattooed all over his palms and forearms…

Most of the times Pritam could be spotted wearing Tantra T-Shirts with Skeletons on the front.

(There is Pritam... with 2 muskeeters... spotted with a Skull T-shirt)

His witty one liners made such an impact on everyone that after a few days… that dialogue was on the lips of everyone. This post would be incomplete if I don’t put down his one-liners and nick names… So, I present to you some of the one-liners he used quite frequently.

“Haan Kya???” – Said this when anyone made tall claims or said something which was hard to digest
“Chitto Chat” – A term he used for the Chits he made
“Padatsheel” – Neatly
“Maandi” – Lap
“Gachhi” – Terrace of a building
“Tapri” – A Pan shop
“Saala Ghulam Log” – a term dedicated to all the students from Computer and Production branch
“Prod ET Bhai Bhai” – Used this line many times only one day when he was high. This line is yet to be repeated.

And how can one forget the nick name that Pritam conferred on Amit (Bawa) - Kamzhor Kali. This name is gonna haunt Bawa forever.

So Pritam... Here is Animal Kingdom wishing you a Belated Happy Birthday.

P.S. When and Where is the rocking Party??? Plz. Not Dombivli this time.

VIVA Goa Carnival

2006-03-19T05:50:00.000-06:00

I am back from where I left off… I am here to put down the feelings, the emotions, and the fun… the Animal Kingdom had in Goa on paper… It’s a bit difficult… but nevertheless I will try my best. If you want to check out the Goa Album click here.

10 tickets were booked by Atul. 3 Neech guys backed out viz. Navandee, Kamzor Kali and Cedric. The reason was common – leave not sanctioned. So 3 tickets had to be cancelled and 7 return tickets to be booked. Aur iss nek kaam ke liye… the chosen one was Atul. But even I accompanied him this time.

So, this time everything was in place. The night before the journey we stayed at the Hotel Kandu International. The chances of anyone sleeping with Anna, Rehan and me around were very dim. Also, we had to get ready at around 4:00 in the morning.

Early morning, empty roads and rickshaw drivers make a dangerous combination. Two auto rickshaws dropped us at the Thane Station in 15 minutes. Kanda Bhajiyas, Batata Chips and some hot tea consisted of our breakfast. Some Vada Pavs and Samosa Pavs were also packed for the train journey.

5:45 in our clocks and all started getting impatient. A wait of 5 mins and our official carrier to Goa stood on the platform. It was a beauty. The Blue and white coloured Jan Shatabdi – one of the fastest trains in India. It was gonna cover a distance of around 500 kms in just 8 hours. Breakfast in Mumbai and Lunch in Goa.

(L-R): Ali, Nirav, Atul, Kandu, Rehan and Anna. I am the photographer.

After settling into the comfortable cushion seats, everyone dozed off. It was the result of staying up the whole night. The train journey was fun all the way. We all stood at the door and Atul behaved like a school kid by howling into each and every tunnel that our train passed.

The railway canteen guys dished out yummy items and we tasted most of them. Apart from getting stuck into a tunnel for around half an hour, the journey was fun all the way. We had originally planned to get down at Margao but some last moment decisions made us get down at Thevim at around 2:30 p.m. Our original plan to stay at Margao was cancelled because we decided to try out some shacks near the Calangute beach. The Calangute beach is the "Queen of beaches" and all the action happens here.Calangute seems to be a distortion of the local word 'Koli Gutti', which means land of Fishermen.

As Calungute is nearer from Thevim, we alighted here. Thevim is close to Mapusa. Hey guys… now for those who have never been to Goa… I suggest that you have a look at this Map of Goa.

Finally, we were on the Goan soil. It felt so great. The air was so different. Away from all the noise and commotion we were in a place which has a charm of its own. Be here to believe it. After striking a deal with the local taxi driver for 350 bucks, we found ourselves at the Calangute beach. I and Kandu had been to Goa before but we had never seen this part of the Calangute beach.

Soon, with the help of this taxi driver, we tried out a few places for our stay but they all turned to be on the expensive side. All our search attempts turned out to be futile. Finally, my knowledge of local language Konkani managed to get us 2 good rooms for just Rs. 3000/- for 5 days. Spacious rooms with 5 beds. More than what we could ask for.

(L-R): Kandu, ME, Anna, Ali, Nirav, Atul and Rehan.

After having a quick wash, we left for the Calangute beach. It was just a stone’s throw distance from our Conria Guest House. We took a long walk in the evening, had a light snack of tongue tickling Prawn Xacuti (a local dish) and some Prawn Chilly. Hmm… The taste still lingers in my mouth.

It was 27^th Feb, the second last day of the Goa Carnival. After watching the sunset, when we came to the street, the Carnival parade was over. But a live stage performance in the Calangute open ground was flocked by localites and foreigners alike. A lady on the stage sang non-stop for an hour and still managed to make people sway to her songs.

Our first day in Goa was almost over and all of us were feeling the pangs of hunger. I, Rehan and Kandu were interested in trying out the Goan fish curry. Our search for a cheap dinner brought us to Sarvesh Café, the name Anna and Ali won’t ever forget and won’t let us forget too. I, Rehan, Kandu and Atul settled for the Fish Thali while Anna, Gala and Ali tried to be adventurous by ordering the Veg. Chinese noodles. Chicken was out of question as the deadly Bird Flu Virus H5H1 was floating around.

The food arrived and started disappearing quickly from my plate. But, Anna’s eyes told us some different story. Later, we found out that the noodles served to them were bland and minus salt too. Here, Rehan was showing his kind heartedness by giving me slices of his fried fish. Soon, Kandu also followed suit. With the amount of food in my plate increasing, my voracity also increased. 5 mins later, I found everyone ready to go. But I had my hands and my plate full too. Halfheartedly, even I got up to leave but not before finishing off everything from my plate.

Anna was not charged for his noodles. And after tasting those horrible noodles, he vowed never to eat from that hotel ever again. Warning- So, guys if you ever visit Calangute market, stay away from the Sarvesh Café.

Once out of the Sarvesh Café, Anna headed straight to the Supermarket and bought a 1.5 litre bottle of Frooti. Yep, he did drink the whole bottle. Finally, after a discussion of the places to visit the next day, we dispersed to our rooms. I, Kandu and Gala in one room and the animals in the other. There was a cunning logic of Kandu behind this which I will reveal in my next post.

The day was over, the night had begun, and we had retired to beds with a beautiful dream to begin. The remaining part of the story will be unfolded soon. Keep watching this space for more action…

The Builder from Comps!

2006-03-07T05:00:00.000-06:00

Look at the smile on his face... If you are a regular reader of this blog you would have guessed the name of this Animal by now.... If not, let me introduce to you Naveen D'souza... the guy thanks to whom we had so much fun during our college days. He is next only to Pritam and Ali for providing us with so much entertainment.

Well, you might be wondering why I am writing a post on this guy. Well... it is because it’s his Happywala Birthday today. And everyone knows that I never miss an opportunity to strip the guys on their birthdays. So, today is Navandee's turn and he will be more than happy to show off his body. Hmm.... Navandee is what we call Naveen. The name Navandee is derived from Suppandi... the famous character from Tinkle. Not only does Navandee act like him but he liked this name too. So, we continued with the same name.

Apart from Navandee, he is also known as Builder (his passion for body building ... he is currently working on his 6 pack abs), Connecting (because it takes him time to understand things... by the time he understands everyone else is on some different topic) and Mand Comps (do I need it describe more...). I only recollect these names at the moment.

Naveen, Tarun and I know each other since our school days. A decade year old friendship that still continues to grow. We three shared the same school, same engineering college and same workplace. Tarun and Naveen still share the same workplace. Being with him for so long... has given me the opportunity of witnessing some of his funny antics... I wish to share with you all... I am sure after reading all these incidents will bring a smile on your face. So without wasting any more time here I go...

The second semester exams were being conducted and Shirish was busy studying Chemistry which was scheduled for that day. Suddenly, he saw Naveen reeading from a Physics book. Seeing a Physics book in Naveen's hand on the day of Chemistry exam rang alarm bells in Shirish's body. He asked Naveen the reason for reading Physics. Naveen calmly said, "Today we have Physics exam. Chemistry is scheduled day after tomorrow." Confusion was sowed in Shirish's mind by the great Naveen. Without wasting any more time and praying to God.... Shirish opened the time table and heaved a sigh of relief. Now, it was Naveen's turn to panic. Poor guy did not even have a Chemistry book in his bag. Somehow he borrowed a book and started reading. But could read only one page in the entire half an hour journey.

As luck would have it, the seating arrangement for the Chemistry exam was such that Naveen would be sitting right in front of me on the second bench from the last (second-last)... This way I could dictate him half the answers and I did that. The exams went well and then Naveen said his famous dialogue, "For the Physics paper... I will try to score full marks... After all I got extra time to study." Soon, the exams were over and the results were out. When we saw the results we could not stop laughing. Naveen had cleared the Chemistry exam but his dreams of scoring higher marks in Physics were dampened. He had just managed to scrape through. The moral of the story is - Copy and Pass Comfortably than Slog Hard and Just Pass.

Tarun was the sole witness to the second incident. It was a hot summer day and he had to go to the Diploma College to collect some Journal papers. Now, our Engineering College was located behind the mountains amidst the desert and the Diploma college was miles away. The road to our college had no shade or shelter whatsoever. If you carried a chicken to our college, it was bound to get roasted on the way. As, it was urgent for Tarun to go and buy those Journal pages, he thought of borrowing a bike. Soon, he got the keys after telling a guy from his class that he is a good rider. After, the truth was something else. So, Tarun handed over the keys to Naveen and asked him to drop him.

Little did Tarun know that Naveen had just learnt to ride the bike. It did not take much time for him to realize this. On the way to the Diploma College, Naveen did a Wheelie (For those guys who are unaware of what a Wheelie is... have a look at the pic below).

This made Tarun lose his balance and he fell off the bike but balanced himself. He stood next to Naveen who asked him, "Arre.. Why did you get off the bike?" Naveen had no idea that he had performed a wheelie dropping Tarun. The moral of the story is - Never sit on the bike with a guy when he himself does not know that he is performing some stunts.

I have many more incidents to share.... but kya karen???? There is a lack of time and space. But, don't worry guys. There are many Birthdays in quick succession and yes... how can I forget the Goa Carnival and all the fun the Animal Kingdom had in Goa. Will keep you all updated about the blast we had in Goa. VIVA GOA CARNIVAL... Till then Keep Guessing...

Goa... Here We Come...

2006-02-26T14:55:00.000-06:00

You know what guys... The time has come... The G-Day (Goa Day) has finally come... We are all ready to rock GOA... Right here Right now I am at the Hotel Kandu International. Some species of the Animal Kingdom viz. Rehan, Ali, Anna, Nirav, Kandu, Atul and last but not the least... Paichaan Kaun???? Arre ME re... :-D are having a blast here.

Tandoori chicken, Chicken Lollipop, Chicken Tikka, Reshmi Kebab, Seekh Kebab, Chicken Afghani, and our favourite.... hmmm.. Pizzas.. were not here. But we satisfied our hunger with a few vegetable sandwiches and a huge family pack of Vanilla icecream bought by none other than Nirav Gala.

We are missing Kandu. Kandu is busy packing his bags in the Living Room while we are having fun in his bedroom. Loud Music playing, Photo shoot being conducted by Atul and now Rehan has gone to the Living Room to call ... Paichaan Kaun???? The rest of us are impatiently waiting for the clock to strike 4:00 a.m. We have to reach Thane station to catch the Jan Shatabdi.

Everyone is dreaming about the lovely time we are gonna have in Goa. The lovely golden sands, clean beaches, blue waters, wine and music, red sunset, pretty gals (expecting firangs), and oh yes.... the Goa Carnival. We all are deciding and chalking out the plans coz we dont want to waste any time making plans in Goa.

Today is 26th Feb 2006 and I started blogging on 25th Feb 2005. Its been exactly a year and to commemorate the success of this blog, we are all going to Goa for the Goa Carnival. Another excuse to ENJOY for the Animal Kingdom...
So, all you guys... by the time you read this we might have reached the beautiful beaches of Goa. Yeh masti jo yahan chaloo hai.... Kandu ki Mummy ko nahi hai pata...

The story in Goa will unfold after I come back. Hopefully it will be as exciting as last time... Ambe and his connecting chaddi (Naveen) will miss all the fun.... We will be back in Mumbai on March 4th (not sure yet... some of us including me are planning to settle there)...

A Shy Guy from Comps...

2006-02-23T06:00:00.000-06:00

I have known this guy since the last 10 years. Almost a decade. Both of us went to the same school, same junior college, same engineering college and believe it or not – same work place as well. I must say Tarun has been lucky all these years to enjoy my company. As they say… All Goods things come to an End… and it did one fine day when I left my work place.

Well… this post is not about me… It’s about the B'day Boy Tarun… Tarun Amembal.. Lovingly (Pyaar se…) we also call him Ambe (derived from his surname), Mango (English translation of Ambe), Mangolal (another Hinglish term fro his surname), Lambu (thanks to his height), Comps (from the Mand Computer Branch) and many more…

Tarun has been THE most famous guy in the college campus. There is hardly any student in the college who does not know him. Atleast, he was THE most famous guy amongst the girls. According to the Animal Kingdom statistics there were (wait lemme count) 4 gals who were mad about Tarun. I don't want to begin a new controversy by namimg the gals. Hmm… For the guy who did not have to try too Hard...

He was also the first guy in the college who stripped on the stage in a fashion show event. Hold on gals… he just stripped down to his waist. I wish I had that snap so that I could put it up here. Tarun has been my room partner during our 4 years of engineering college days in Dombivli. I along with Bawa have been witnesses to his funny antics. One of them happened late in the night when we had newly shifted to our room.

That night, we were in deep slumber, when suddenly Tarun started blabbering something. Bawa asked him what was troubling him so late in the night? Tarun replied, “Shampoo Upar ke shelf mein hai…” We both were confused. Asking him the same question again gave us the same reply. So, we asked him, “Shampoo kyon chahiye?” And the reply we got was, “Fir bhi re…” This marked the end of the mid night conversation and Tarun went off to sleep as if nothing had happened.

Exams or no exams - it made no difference to Tarun. He was always found dozing. And when he was awake he was always found eating. So, you can say that eating and sleeping were his favourite hobbies. Another of his famous incident happened during our exams. Myself and Bawa (I am not sure about him but I surely was) were studying hard as usual. And Tarun was dozing off as usual with a book dangling pre cautiously from his hands. This was nothing new to us. Whenever he sat down with a book, this was bound to happen. Either the book would fall down or his head would bang against some object. And then Tarun would glance at both me and Bawa. If he found neither of us watching him, he would continue to doze off but if one of us had been a spectator to his stunt, then he would simply take off his spectacles and go to sleep after telling us, “Bahut neend aa rahi hai yaar… 15 mins mein jaga de…” But we knew that waking him up would be a futile attempt.

If I go in detail describing his sleeping incidents, a minimum of 3 posts can be dedicated to this guy alone. But I can’t resist describing one more incident. Tarun will kill me for this. But here it goes. Once Tarun and his dad had gone to check out a room for our stay in Dombivli. The room was devoid of any furniture except for Tarun’s favourite furniture – The BED. His dad asked Tarun to stay in the room while he went down and purchased something. When his dad returned, he found that Tarun had locked the door from inside. Even repeated ringing of the bell failed to open the door. Finally, the neighbours came to the scene on hearing the commotion. Upon knowing the story they asked his dad to peep into the flat through their balcony. Thankfully the flats in that building were built in such a way that the 2 flats had adjacent balconies very close to each other. When his dad peeped inside, he found Tarun lost in his dream land and snoring his way to glory. Little did his dad know that even a wait of 5 minutes acts as chloroform and puts Tarun to deep sleep.

Well, to be frank no matter how much Tarun slept, he always managed to clear his exams with flying colours. This only indicates 2 possibilities. Either Tarun was very smart or the portion of Computer Engineering was very simple. Since the former seems unlikely, I guess Computer Engineering is very easy. Hahahaha ;-D.

Right now Tarun is in San Diego and maybe missing the Animal Kingdom. But I know what he misses the most. Pani Puri….. So, here I present to you...

The EATER...
The DOZER...
The POSER...

And Tarun... he cant escape hungry animals waiting for him... We all are waiting for him to return so that we can celebrate his Birthday in style... 24th Feb... the day Tarun was born. So guys, after we come back from the Goa Carnival, we have one more party waiting for us and this time all the expenses will be borne by Mr. Tarun Amembal (Comps guy- adopted by Telecomm). HOLLA to this one...

The Room War!

2006-02-11T00:32:00.000-06:00

Well…. I am back guys… I wasn't gone into hibernation… but was just busy and loaded with work… Well… enough of dumb excuses… the real reason was that whenever I sat down to write a post… my good old friend Mr. Yahoo Messenger showed a friend online… and that was the end of the post and start of a marathon chat.

But today… it won’t be that way… coz it’s Saturday morning and my computer clock shows 9:30. All the animals must be snoring away… Sab aalsi log… Let the sleeping animals sleep…

A special note to my 2 friends who have tagged me… Mallikbhai and Rathna… Hey guys… gimme some time and I will respond to your tags… At the moment, I want to dedicate this post to my room partners again…

This post is another from the Series of my post “The Room Partner”. I had already warned my room partners… So, I thought this is the right time…

After staying in the Pigeon Hole for a long time… we (Anna and I) decided to break free and find a new room near our college… Tarun decided that he had enough of staying in that pigeon hole and travelling from Mira Road to Dombivli was a much better option. Soon, thanks to Ameya our Manager, and courtesy his uncle, we got a room close to the Highway. This room was definitely worth calling a room.

It was time for us to shift our luggage. Our luggage was the same… One big bag of Engineering Fanatic Books with some Text Books thrown in for mental satisfaction and one small bag for clothes. Our room was located on the 3^rd floor and Ameya and Sagar were to be my new room partners. Apart from Sagar, the 3 of us were from the Telecommunication branch. Sagar was a student of Chemical branch. As usual he had to bear the brunt of our jokes on Chemical branch and our continuous harassment.

Apart from my room partners, our next door neighbour was a comic character too. The whole day we could see him smoking cigarettes. I think if he stopped smoking one day he would contribute to 5% less air pollution and 10% loss to the Tobacco industry. I can imagine him like the Steam Railway Engine who continously chugs along by letting out a trail of smoke behind. I had nic named him the CHIMNEY. Forever Smoking.

Well coming back to my room partners, I can vividly remember an incident that is very difficult to forget. Actually there are many... but this one is special. As usual, all of us were err.. studying (Seriously... Animals...Believe it or Not). That day, Sagar seemed to be in the Keedas mood. First he started off by throwing a piece of paper around. We rolled the paper into a ball and threw it back to him. This continued for some time till the paper balls grew bigger and bigger in size. Finally, Sagar upgraded to a newspaper missile and started throwing it around.

This time, all of got into the mood. We started throwing all that we could find on Sagar. But he managed to find an old TV showcase cover and used it as a shield. We were left exposed to his missiles in a tiny room. Suddenly, Ameya got a brainwave and shouted…”Saala …Chemical….Telecomm pe hamla kar raha hai…” This is a famous war cry of the Animals group and it was enough to launch a Telecom army. This war cry is very much similar to “Akraman….” Or as “Marathi Manoos Jaga Ho…” is for the Marathas. And as soon as Ameya gave out a war cry… we got up fully charged against a feeble Chemical guy. And poor Sagar was terrified. He knew that Ameya had uttered a line that had spelled his doom. He just got up and ran towards the kitchen. In the meanwhile, Ameya picked up my smelly sock and put a roll of paper in it. Then swinging my sock like Sourav swung his shirt at the Lords… he started running after Sagar.

Sagar just managed to close the Kitchen door and was successful in keeping us out. We were like those hungry lions waiting to pounce on a terrified lamb. Banging the door, shouting, yelling and stomping the floor, we are just at the peak of the excitement and suddenly we heard our door bell ring. Pin drop silence. We all ran to the Living room... adjusted the matresses and picked up a book each and sat as if we had been reading since ages. Ameya opened the door and saw a furious CHIMNEY standing at the door. He just peeped inside with a cover of smoke. All of us were panting and sweating profusely with a book in our hands. He asked Ameya, “What was going on?” And Ameya just managed to utter, “Nothing uncle…we were busy studying.” He just gave us a warning and left. After the door was closed... we all burst out laughing.

All the Masti from the ringing of the door bell... adjusting the mattresses... to us running around to find a book, and opening of the door by Ameya hardly took 10 seconds. But the best was yet to come. We noticed that all of us were sitting with a book in our hands but all Anna had was a newspaper in his hands. Saala Anna nahi sudhrega re tu…

Happy Production Day...Err Happy Birthday BAWA!!!

2006-01-18T04:30:00.000-06:00

"Nahi sudhrega re BAWA tu..." This famous line from Vaastav was one of my favorites. But Amit too took a liking to this line and started calling me BAWA. But as luck would have it, the tables turned and the people in college started thinking that his name is BAWA. Kya sahi bola na BAWA? To this day many students in the college think that his real name is BAWA.

Bawa is worried that one day all the people will forget his real name and start calling him BAWA. So, friends lest that happens..let me write down his name here in the post which will serve as a reminder to his great great grandchildren. Just imagine how happy they will be..when they stumble on this post and manage to find the real name of their great great Grandfather. So, for the records here it is... I solemnly pledge that Bawa's real name is Amit Naik.

Well, that reminds me... he is also called NAIK - the Real Hero .. (derived from the hit movie NAYAK). Apart from Naik and Bawa he is also called Kamzor Kali, the Nature Boy, Prod, Devgan, Nasheele Aanken... the list goes on...

All his nic names have been derived from some or the other incident that has happened in his life.

Kamzor Kali - Always gives this famous excuse of having some fitness problem and misses most of our group meetings... But now, he seems to have worked on his fitness and joins us most of the times. This title of Kamzor Kali was conferred on him by the nic name specialist Pritam.

Nature Boy - He was given this title during one of our engineering exam days. He always needs to keep the balcony sliding window open to breathe fresh air. Also loves Rains and never closes the sliding windows when it rains... He is also seen spending most of his time in the balcony admiring the scenic beauty of the surroundings. Waah! Kya style hai!

Prod - This title exists for the simple fact that he is a Production Engineer. As the major shareholders of Animal Kingdom are from the branch of Telecommunication Engineering, there was always this tussle between Telecommunication and the other engineering branches. And I don't need to mention who emerged the winner all the time. "Telecommunication" branch has always and will always be the "KING". Without missing this opportunity let me proclaim it once again... "Telecomm rules...Comps (Computer branch) and rest all branches sucks"... Three cheers for the Animal Kingdom. I also feel proud of the fact that we have adopted an animal from Comps. Everyone knows who he is...Pehchaan kaun? No prizes for guessing... Its Tarun.

Devgan and Nasheele Aankhen - Both these nic names share a close relationship with each other. Can you guess how? If you are a Bollywood fan, you must have guessed it by now. Bawa oops Amit has this nasheele aankhen like Ajay Devgan and they always have a yellowish hue which make him look as if he is Fultoo Tulli. He was also called Devgan coz his hairstyle resembled Devgan's. All the hair pulled from one area to cover another area.

I guess I need to stop now... If Bawa reads this post he is gonna run after my life. After all its his Birthday today. So, all the animals out there... give Bawa a standing ovation... "Happy Production Day Bawa....Err..HAPPY BIRTHDAY Amit..." Here is a cake dedicated by the animals to Amit. Isn't the Black Forest for the Animals tempting???

New Year Story...

2006-01-05T00:00:00.000-06:00

This post seems more like a continuation to my previous post. Somehow, we animals always manage to get out of the ruckus unharmed and unscathed. This is one of our specialties. We know how to make the best out of worst. I think that's what FRIENDSHIP is all about.

I know most of you, if not all, planned your New Year Bash in advance. But, this does not happen with the Animal Kingdom. We believe in making plans at the last possible moment. This reminds me of Naveen's famous dialogue during his engg. college days and it continued even till our Goa trip... "I am Man of the Moment." I think that this should be the punch line of the Animal Kingdom.

Anyways, without wandering any further let me come to the point. This time we decided to plan out our New Year Bash a week in advance. And the people chosen for this Nek Kaam were Atul and Kandu. As I was engrossed in my work, I did not get to interact with these guys.

Finally the D-Day arrived. Everyone was excited to know about the plan. Especially, I was the most excited after spending my last New Year in Goa. Even this time I wanted it to be happening like last time. I know Goa is in a different league and Naveen and Tarun will agree with me.

I did not have to wait for long. Rehan called me early in the morning and said that Atul, Kandu and he had decided that we would be hanging out in Marine Drive. They had planned a dinner at Bade Miyan. Hmmmm!!!! My mouth just waters thinking of the mouth watering Seekh Kebabs they offer. After the dinner, we planned to catch the last train to Thane and spend the night at Kandu's place. His parents are in US and we surely know how to make the best use of an empty house. So, the plan was fixed and everyone agreed except for a couple of guys. This was nothing new for us. We are used to this. Last moment Tang.

Only Anna's case was genuine. He had a shift late in the evening and could join us only after 5:00 in the morning. Poor Anna!! When everyone would be celebrating the New Year, he would still be slogging hard. He was supposed to join us later in the morning. We knew that nobody is gonna sleep. I too had a shift that day and was supposed to join the rest of the gang somewhere in Churchgate.

Finally, I thought that this is so unlike of us. We never plan out things and here everything is in place. All I have to do is just get out this office and join the pack. I thought that nothing could ever wrong with this plan. It was foolproof. But Kandu had some other plans stored for us. It was to be revealed later in the afternoon. And he did not waste much time in revealing his blockbuster plan of the evening.

The plan was to spend the night out in Essel World where we just had to pay an entry fee and there would be all the rides and music on the floor. I agreed to the plan. But, suddenly, I started getting calls from the rest of the gang saying that this is the most ridiculous plan they had ever heard. I then reverted back to Kandu and Rehan. But they convinced me that we would have a blast at Essel World. I agreed to their plan and managed to convinced others too.

So, the guys who were supposed to welcome the New Year were Rehan, Kandu, Atul, Ali, Naveen (confirmed his presence at the last moment - lived to his reputation of Man of the Moment), Amit (Bawa), Prashant, myself and guess who??? Parag - the man himself. Even I could not beleive my eyes. Maybe, Reliance decided that their boy should bring in the New Year with his useless friends. I wonder there is no political motive behind this. ;)

The venue decided was the Borivili station and we had to meet at 7:00 p.m. Being a veteran at such meets, I knew that nobody is gonna turn up even by 8:00. But some novices like Bawa came running it at 7:10 thinking that he was late by 10 minutes. Hahahaha!!! Now, he has learnt his lesson. Naveen and myself were the last ones to arrive. We arrived at 9:30 sharp. Maine mere dost Tarun ki parampara nibhayee.

Even after arriving there, there were discussions being held as to which will be the best place to welcome 2006. Ali and Parag were of the opinion that Essel World was the worst place to enjoy while Rehan and Kandu thought otherwise. The rest of us were just mute spectators to the Lok Sabha assembly. Rehan was the Loudspeaker for this session. And finally when Rehan was frustrated, he asked his trade mark question, "Kaun Kaun Aa raha hai?" And that marked the end of the discussion. Everyone just caught a rickshaw and went to the place where we could catch a ferry to Essel World.

As soon as we got down from the rickshaw we were in for a shock. There was a serpentine queue for the ferry service. The last serpentine queue I ever stood in was for the re-evaluation form submission in the Mumbai University campus 4 years back. This time we were in no mood to stand in such a long queue. It would have taken us approximately 90 minutes to reach the ferry. Then the ride and then the Essel World passes queue again. So, we had to drop this idea of going to Essel World. I never saw Ali so happy in his life.

Then we were back to the square one. No back up plans. We were still wondering what to do. Then we did what we were good at. Man of the Moment decisions. We took an auto back to Borivili station. Almost 11:00 in the night we reached the ST Stand. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would be standing at the ST on the New Year's Eve. But, thats what our plans are all about. Unpredictable like us.

We had just one scary thought bothering us. We should not be stuck in this damn ST at 12:00. Now, everything seemed Ok to us except spending the New Year in this damn bus. This time God was with us. Even the thick traffic could not stop us from reaching Dara's Dhaba. But, the place was so crowded that I was left wondering, "Are they distributing free food here?" Dejected we left for the adjacent Hotel Western. The scene was no different here. I could now see everyone catching a glimpse of their watches to check out the time. Upon enquiring, the waiter told us that we would only be getting the tables early next year.

We had no other option but to wait there. But as usual we guys are used to such kind of popatgiri. And there always seems to be fun associated with such popatgiri. And this is what we all enjoy. At around 11:45 we got a big table and finally we welcomed 2006 in great style. We all stood up and sang...Happy New Year to Us... And we clapped, we cheered, we jeered, we hugged and we wished each other... 2006 WAS IN and WE WERE OUT enjoying ourselves.

After the arrival of the New Year it was time for us to depart to some place where we could stay. And what better place than Hotel Kandu International. But there was one more hurdle. It was almost 1:00 in the night and the last bus left just under our nose. That was it. We were left with no option other than hitching a ride. It was me who started first by waving my thumb, then my hand, then both the hands. But, nobody took pity. Whoever did, was going the other way to Gujarat. Finally, we managed to convince an auto driver. And he turned out to be the First Good Samaritan of 2006 for us. He managed to cram in 7 guys along with himself. Just imagine 8 guys in one auto and that too - only for 150 bucks. Thanks to Prashant's bike, he and Naveen left on the bike.The auto driver also posed for a group photo with all his passengers.

Somehow, we all manged to reach in one piece. From there on, the REAL PARTY started. The same Masti, the same Keedas. Nobody slept till 6:30. And then Anna, made his grand entry. Anna is a store house of all the Keedas and its contagious. We managed to click some brilliant photos. All those who slept were the worst sufferers. Naveen was the first. We put a towel garland around his neck, a bottle on his chest, some flowers by his side and lit a candle. That was an awesome shot.... "Naveen in the Coffin". The same trick was repeated for Prashant as well. This time a helmet was also added in the frame.
All the photos were clicked using Rehan's Nokia 3230. Isn't the picture clarity and our photography amazing? If you are impressed, you can give us the contract for birthday parties and weddings. But we are funeral specialists.

And after a total entertaining and enjoyable time spent together we left for our homes... We had to catch some sleep...Though we enjoyed ourselves to the max, we missed the other species of Animal Kingdom who missed out...

Tarun - must have enjoyed in San Diego
Manprit - Slip Disk Error. We missed his Siddhu laughter tracks. He is the original.
Sanjeet - Some inevitable problem
Thakur - In New York studying HARD
Cedric - Problem
Pritam - Working hard
Nirav - In Gujarat

Hey Guys... all this while I just forgot one thing... Belated HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! ;D

When Some Things Go Wrong...

2005-12-21T01:30:00.000-06:00

Before I start.......Let me wish all the readers of this blog a

I don’t know if its just a mere coincidence or is it planned by the God above? It’s happening for the second time in a row. We always plan out for a Tour-de-Goa for New Year celebrations and something has to go wrong with greater part of the species of the Animal Kingdom. The last time we planned out… we started out with 9 guys and at the time of departure we ended up with only 3 guys. And those 3 guys included myself, Tarun and Naveen. Rehan and Atul at the last precious moment managed to get a job and we cursed them to hell. This part of the story has become so famous that we have dedicated a post to this story. Click here to have a look at the comedy of errors.

But this time the tables have turned. The trio, who enjoyed in Goa last year have got new assignments. Tarun has been sent overseas to San Diego for his HP project from his company. He is scheduled to return only in the first week of March next year. To know more about his story in Amrika click here. Naveen and myself managed to repeat the performance of Rehan and Atul. Yup!!! This time we got new jobs. Last time we managed to give creepy reasons and escape... but this time we are not gonna approach our new bosses with some weird reasons. We both have already done that performance last year and we don't wish to repeat our Oscar award winning performance again.

But this is not the only reason of canceling out the trip to Goa. The two most excited guys this time who were planning out the Goa trip have made themselves unavailable. The reason???? Rehan managed to perform a stunt on his bike that has landed him on the bed with bruises and a black eye. Nothing serious. And Ali… Uska Kya Kehna!!!! Today he is departing to Hyderabad for his job venture. Happy Journey Ali!!! BYE… BYE… (Say this to the tune to V.I.P. ad jingle). Atul is already out this time coz he has his eyes set on his target. He is planning to give the GATE to enter one of the most esteemed university in the world -- the IIT Bombay. Best of Luck dude. Do well and make us proud!!!

Finally, the last year’s experienced campaigners to Goa have decided to land in Goa for the Goa Carnival, which will be held sometime in March. So, Goa be ready….we are coming again…. And before I conclude this saga of betrayal and frustration…. let me spread a little happiness and joy around.... I will do this by wishing Rehan and Ali … Many Many Happy Returns of the Day… So guys if you want a Shandaar and Jaandaar treat from these 2 guys, rise to your feet and wish them. After all this occasion comes once in a year and the treat comes once in a blue moon.
Here is a tribute to their Tom and Jerry friendship. We all know who is Tom and who Jerry is. Anyone having doubts can have a look at their nanga punga picture again. The smile on Rehan's face says it all. Do I need say more???

P.S. Wishing Rehan a speedy recovery. Saale… Get well soon… We have to rock the 31st night this year. And no more of your bike stunts please. :)

Room Partner

2005-12-04T08:40:00.000-06:00

This post is the sequel to my earlier post "The Room". Special apologies to Mr. Arvind Khutkar for divulging his room secrets. No hard feelings !!! Please take this post sportingly. And all my room partners beware!!! You are NEXT!!!

Afer shifting our books and more books and a handful clothes, to our new room, myself and Tarun wondered how are we gonna manage living in this room. The room was so small that I just had to stretch my arms and I had half the room to myself. We racked our brains and came up with some good plans to utilize the room to a maximum extent. We did not want even a inch of space to be wasted. Every inch was precious in our room.

And now we also had to share our precious space with another guy. We did not have to wait long to meet our room partner and it took even less time to befriend him. He mixed with us as salt in water. He stood at 5' 4" and must have weighed at around 45 kgs. He ranked in the top 30 of some biological studies in India. We called him Plant doctor when he was around and Ghas Phus ka doctor behind his back. His name was Mr. Arvind Khutkar.

He was the perfect specimen of a bachelor. You just had to stay with him for one day to find that out. When he got his salary at the start of each month, he would take me and Tarun out for dinner. He spent money like there was no tomorow. As the end of the month neared, he was broke. I still remember those days when he used to go to bed hungry. When we asked him if he wanted us to bring him something, he would decline politely by saying..."I am not hungry"...He believed in the saying... "Dine like a king at the start of the month and starve like a beggar at the end of the month".

Even if Arvind went to bed hungry, he did not fail to apply some face pack on his face. He did that almost every alternate day. He was more metro sexual than Mr. Shahrukh Kkkkkkhan himself. He spent almost one hour in front of a small hand held red mirror every night. He liked to admire his face. I still remember that day when Tarun knocked off that mirror and it shattered to pieces. But, this did not deter the poor guy from admiring himelf in the same broken mirror. Hmmm.. I guess ..Old habits die hard!!!

Even if Arvind was one of the toppers in his college, he did not behave like one. He was a cool guy. He taught us to play guitar. But there was one habit of this guy, which i can recollect even to this day. As everyone knows, we bachelors are lazy bumps. But this habit of Arvind, was the height of laziness. I would suggest: Don't try this at home!!! Whenever he had any paper in hand after eating something, he would simply roll the paper and drop it on the floor. Then, with the talent of Ronaldinho he would kick that roll of paper under the sofa. GOAAAALLLL!!!!!

At the end of the month, there were many such balls in the 'goal'. Long live the unique skills of a talented soccer player.

Animal Kingdom in Water Kingdom

2005-11-19T04:30:00.000-06:00

Before I start, special thanks to Orange for making this event possible. I also take this opportunity to apologize Kandu (Arun) for not informing him about this outing. SORRY DUDE!!! And the other guys who missed out were:
Pritam: Various interviews scheduled and a medical test on the cards too
Sanjith: Couldn't convince his boss
Manprit: Tried to convince us instead of his boss

Last Saturday, the animals decided to get away to Water Kingdom - Asia's largest theme Water Park, courtesy Orange. Orange came up with a scheme which distributed free entry passes to its customers. Now, since all of us did not use this service, we decided to do some cheating. And the partners in crime were Tarun, Rehan and Naveen. They arranged for the extra SIM cards and the latest bill statements. Thanks pals... this free trip would not have been possible without you all.

It was decided that the group will meet at Mira Road station at 9 in the morning. For the first time, myself and Tarun got the opportunity of meeting at a convenient place from our homes. As usual, Naveen was the last one to turn up with Anna. Anna and Atul had turned up from their night shifts. Rehan was hungry as usual and so decided to hog in a nearby restaurant. There were two new members joining us this time....Prashant and believe it or not!!!!! Kamzor Kali aka Bawa from Prod.... I guess he cleared the fitness test this time.

The group of 9 soon split into three groups. 5 got into Tarun's car, 2 on Rehan's bike and the other 2 on Bawa's bike. It took us around half an hour to reach our destination. The trip was made more memorable by a small mini train which took us to Water Kingdom.
Getting free entry was easier than we expected. Nobody checked our mobile phones for the SIM cards. Once we were in, we changed to nylon shorts. 6 of us wore the rented ones.

Brrr!!!! This is what happened when we all went under the shower. The water was icy cold. Somehow we got out and headed straight to the Wet Atlantic - the world's biggest wave pool.
After diving and playing with the waves, we headed straight to the 90 degree slide. There are 2 such slides both adjacent to each other. One is bright red and the other bright yellow. The only difference between these two slides apart from the color is its structure. The red slide has a curve and a steep drop while the yellow just has a steep drop. So, when you go down a yellow slide you literally experience free fall. Its one of the most thrilling spine chilling slides. In local language - FAADU. You lie down on the slide on your back, fold your hands to your head, cross your legs and whoosh!!!! Within 5 seconds you descend from a height of a 4 storey building to the ground. Its really difficult to keep your eyes open when you are coming down at such a high speed. Another best part about this yellow slide is there is no queue. You climb up and slide down. No wastage of your precious time. This is the reason we mustered up courage and tried it a second time. This slide is recommended for those you dare to defy gravity and believe in the saying "Time is Money".

(The red and yellow slide is in the background)

After the 90 degree, we tried out a slide known by the name Black Demon. As the name suggests, this slide is a huge black circular pipe and it lives to its reputation. As you slide down screaming at the top of your lungs, you keep awaiting the next turn and the steep curves. Its very much similar to a Black hole which sucks in everything. Every second of the 30 second ride in the Black Demon is full of suspense curves and beware!!!! one steep drop.

After experiencing all the thrills in less than half an hour, we headed to the other 2 slides. I don't remember their real names. We called one Bubbly and the other one Lazy. You can see Bubbly in the above snap. Its dark blue in color. The slide down the Bubbly is so slow that you almost stop midway. In the other slide, you need to use a tube. This slide gives you the feeling as if you are out on a mission. All of us tried out both the slides twice each.

After the Black Demon it was the turn of another thrilling slide. In this slide one had to lie down on the mat on one's abdomen. There are 6 such parallel slides. At the push of the button, the mats are raised and one goes down the slide.... face first.

This was my favorite slide.

The next ride which we were all so excited about was the Adventures Amazonia. Its a stream of 3 rapid rivers. But one was closed down this time. One needs to sit on a tube and then you find yourself drifting down the river. The ride is very bumpy and your bum is literally taken for a ride. This ride was so much fun that we found ourselves in the queue once again. This time we decided to take the second route and make a tube train by each person holding the legs of the other. The ride was more fun this time, with our tube train chugging along the Amazon's bumpy river. We tried out our experiment one more time till we all had enough fun.

Our next destination after enjoying all the slides and the Amazon river was the Rain Dance Discotheque. The DJ was belting out great Bollywood dance tracks. We had a great time grooving and gyrating to the music. It was a experience in itself. After draining all our energy we found ourselves back at the wave pool again. After having a quick snack of samosas and bhutta, we decided to laze around in Drifting River. This river is a never ending loop of slow flowing water. Each one of found a tube and lazed around in the river like rich business tycoons on some 5 star holiday resort. This pool was the perfect place to play pranks on one other by turning the tubes upside down. Poor Ali was the worst sufferer.
After some prank time, it was time to get the body some much needed massage. So, we headed straight to the vibrator pool. The pool was shallow with hardly 6 inches of water. There were some vibrators at the end of the pool. We all lied down in the pool for a soothing massage. The smiling faces in the below picture says it all.
The massage session was soon followed by a quick shower after which, we all left Water Kingdom with clothes on our bodies and a smile on our faces. After reaching Mira Road, we all went to Tarun's house to celebrate his dad's birthday. We even managed to sing a birthday song for him. The cake treat was followed by a dinner at Hotel Western on the Ghodbunder Highway.
(Left-Right): Myself, Rehan, Prashant, Naveen, Tarun, Amit(Bawa), Ali, Atul & Shirish(Anna)

The night stay was planned at Anna's house, as his parents were out of town. And we guys never miss such fantastic opportunities to host a Bachelors' Party. This is what I call.... "A good weekend with even better friends".

Animal Kingdom Rules!!!

The Room

2005-11-09T22:37:00.000-06:00

After getting admission in one of the the engineering college in Dombivli, I began my search for a place to stay with a roof on the head somewhere around the college. This was because commuting to and fro from home to college was like a trek everyday. My parents wanted me to be an engineer and not a professional trekker. So, they suggested that I rent a room and stay in Dombivli.

I was thrilled at this idea of staying away from home. Imagine staying in a place far away from your parents. I could do whatever I liked, no one to nag me and living life on my terms. In short, I could live life KINGSIZE.

So, myself and Tarun rented out a room somewhere around Dombivli station. Our room was a secret hideout in itself. The narrow entrance of the building was well concealed by line of shops. Our room was further hidden in the dark alley on the third floor. If it was not for pure observation, you would find it difficult to say that our room even existed.

Our room resembled a pigeon hole and it was divided into two compartments by a hollow wooden partition. The room was painted baby pink. Each compartment of the room had a balcony. But the balcony served no purpose as it opened just within a handshaking distance opposite to our adjacent building. The buiding was not painted in years and wore a dull gray cement color.

The kitchen in our room was sort of a stock room with the tin drums neatly stacked along the length of a wall. The room wore a dark and smelly look. I could sense the mice peeping around from their holes.

The loo was in bad condition too. There were muddy footprints all over the floor. The sparrows had made their nest here too. Now, imagine your private place being invaded by someone.

It is not all. You are yet to meet my and Tarun's room partner. He was my first ever room partner. You will meet him in my new post. Till then..... keep guessing.

Amul - the Ads of India

2005-10-17T07:55:00.000-05:00

Baaaju!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now its time for women to step aside.... coz.... the fairer sex is being ignored and men are being wooed in the beauty industry.... for the first time in the history of the mankind...

Com'on gals!!! We men need to change with time.... No!! No!! I am not praising the new "Fair and Handsome" fairness cream for men launched by Emami ... In fact, this is what Amul has come up with .....

This is what I like about the Amul ads..... Their ads are not just a source of amusement but they also make us aware of the controversies surrounding us....Somehow they always manage to bring a smile on the faces of people.... All the credit for this utterly butterly girl goes to Mr. Sylvester daCunha, the then managing director of an advertising agency, ASP, in the late 1960s.....

From the late sixties to this day... Amul ads have come a long way.... What continues to amaze me is the catchy lines they use..... Hats off to all the brains behind the Amul ads for coming up with something new every time.....In fact, Amul is ready to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for being the longest running ad campaign ever....

I am a big fan of Amul ads... Its my dream to make such fantastic ads..... May my dream come true.... Amen...

P.S. All the guys who want to get amused can click here. I promise you wont be disappointed...

And the Oscar goes to...

2005-10-09T09:40:00.000-05:00

The recent Indian film sent to the Oscars seems a Paheli to many.... It has raised hue and cry from each and every corner of the country. The choice of the jury members is being dissected by all the movie buffs across the nation. I don't understand what this brouhaha is all about. What difference does it make if we fail to win an Oscar? And why the hell should we be worried about winning an Oscar??

How does one decide that Oscar is the best award one can get for his contribution in making a film?? What makes us think so?? Let us face the facts....

Hindi film industry is the largest film industry in the world. Hindi films are watched by millions of people in the Asian subcontinent and the craze is being caught in U.K. and other European countries as well... On the other hand Hollywood movies are watched by a selected few... No one can compare the audience level of these two film making industries.... The Hindi film industry has half the world as its audience...

No doubt... the quality of films produced by Hollywood supersede those made by Indian film makers... Also many of the Hollywood movies are remade shamelessly by the Indian film makers....But the point is ... why should the Hindi film makers vie for an Academy award when the Hollywood audience hardly acknowledges the efforts put by other film makers outside U.S.A.... I just want to make my point... "We don't need Oscars to prove that we make good films to the West...." Don’t you agree??

Let your Hair Down

2005-10-02T09:05:00.000-05:00

It’s been a long time since I have heard the musical sound of scissors chopping my hair. Yes, this time I am growing my mane. I never thought I will be growing my hair at any point in my life. But yes.... I did want to go bald once .... Just imagine the cool breeze blowing and soothing your bald palate....

I always wanted my palate to be shiny and so dreamt of applying lots of oil on my shaved head to make it shine like a sun in the clear sky.... I wanted that shimmering effect... But alas!!! My dream never materialised......

After joining a call center I met a guy called Jai.... He was a kind of guy who had this mischevious smile and believe me... he lived to his reputation.... I bonded with him pretty soon... I guess thats the reason they say.. "Birds of a feather flock together"..... I always love doing Keedas....

Now, Jai with his pony tail looked like a perfect punter on the prowl for doing that Keeda Masti...He was the one who inspired me to to grow one pony myself..... But then there was a problem.... my hair is curly... its like a dog's tail... No matter what you do.. it always wanders in direction of its own...... So, I was about to give up this idea of growing my hair but then decided against it....

Months passed and my long hair came under severe criticism.... everyone from my family members to my friends had an opinion on it...... My mom was the one who I feared the most..... After all she had warned me.... "Denzil... you tie a pony once and it will be easier for me to chop that pony off....."

Poor me!!!! I was scared.... had night mares at night....What if my mom really did that... "Main toh kisi koh apne Baal dikhane layak nahi rahoonga"....... Thank God... she did not do that.... It's been close to 8 months now.... I have visited the barber only once during this period....and this is how I would have looked if I had been to the barber....

Now... its become a trend for the guys to grow their hair.... You can find such long haired guy species in any of the call centers...... Its very typical for any call center guy to have long hair.... Most of them are in the race to grow their hair just to get that rockstar look...

My new hairdo has even earned me a new nic name from my manager .. "CURLY" ... Tell you what??? My manager is jealous of my long curly hair (ghane mulayam kale baal).... You know why??? Simple... I think you guessed it right....

P.S. I charge nominal fees for featuring in Shampoo advertisements.

Game Over...

2005-09-21T05:30:00.000-05:00

Cricket may be your religion and Sachin may be your God..... but I don't like your religion and I dont like your God.... I dont care what you think about me and I dont care a damn...

No.. I am not insane.... I may sound very sarcastic... but then that is what i feel about this game taught to us by the Englishmen..... Cricket according to me is nothing but pure waste of time and money....

People shirk work for watching a cricket match on the television..... Hockey is our national game.... but even then the focus is always on cricket.... All the other games like Football, Hockey, Athletics take a beating....

You may have your own views about cricket.... For you it may be the greatest game ever played... But i just dont love this game... When India wins a cricket match..there are celebrations all around... But did you ever pause and think... "How many nations play this game?" Hardly 12.... And despite of that.... India is not the No. 1.... Just look at the population of India.... How many medals do we win in Olympics??? One every four years... After winning a lone medal... we all feel proud.... Have you ever thought why do other countries with a population half than ours like France, UK, Germany win so many medals??? It is because in India...all the youngsters want to grow up and become Sachin Tendulkars or Rahul Dravids...... but no one ever dreams of winning a gold medal in Olympics for our country????

Com'on India... wake up... its time for us to promote other games... Have a look at other Indians who are making their mark in other sports....

Watch out for Narain Karthikeyan....nick named "Fastest Indian in the world".. he drives a F1 car.... the first Indian to do so... considering the fact... there are only 20 seats in the world... he is among the top 20.... and he is also the first Indian to score 5 F1 points... and one of the best debut drivers having a good season...

Watch out for Sania Mirza... she plays Tennis.... is the first Indian to break into the top 50....currently ranked 34th.... and has the potential to break into top 10... has a big (both male and female) fan following.....

Watch out for Anju George.... She is a long jumper..... Has won a bronze medal in World Athletic Championships.... she is also the first Indian athlete ever to win a medal in a major international competition.... she achieved this distinction when she won a medal in Paris...

Now guys.. did you realize.... what did you miss out... you missed out these guys making their debuts and making it BIG..... now just keep a watch on them.... you dont know... when they will say... "CRICKET ----- GAME OVER"

One Night at the Call Center...

2005-09-10T03:05:00.000-05:00

When the city dozes off at night.... a small section of the city starts working.... No..no.. I am not talking about the FBI.... the secret agents... the terrorists..or the Gurkhas.... I am talking about a new generation of youngsters who work in the call centers.....

Working in the call centers implies working with the overseas clients.... the work pressure is high..and the probability of losing your cool inversely proportional to the IQ level of the person on the other side of the call... I would like to describe one of the interesting conversations that took place when I was working in a call center....

Note: All the names have been changed to protect identity and embarrassment

Me: Hello, my name is Denzil. I am a help desk engineer for Microsoft process. How may I assist you?

Julia: Hi.... I am unable to hear any audio on my computer. I don't know what the problem is....

Me: Thank you for describing me the issue, Julia. Before we proceed to resolve this issue, can I ask you a few questions?

Julia: Oh Sure, Denzil. Ask me what you want to.

Me: Thank you Julia. Can you tell me since when are you facing this issue?

Julia: It happened right after I installed that damn SP2.

Me: Okay, Julia, it seems that your sound drivers are not updated. We need to update them.

Julia: Okay, lets do it.

Me: So Julia, do you have the audio driver CD with you right now?

Julia: I think I do. Just wait a sec till I get them.

Me: Sure, Julia.

(After 2 mins)

Julia: I got them. Can you tell me where do we insert the CDs in the computer?

(I was shocked... What???? She doesn't know where to insert the CDs.... or is she kidding???)

Me ( with a puzzled look and tone) : Julia, do you see the CD-ROM in the tower? (A Tower is the CPU cabinet)

Julia: No. What do you mean by that?

Me (confused like a kid in the streaptease bar): Okay, Julia. Do you see a small push-button on the tower? when you click that, a tray is ejected. This tray is the CD-ROM.

Julia (in an icy cool tone): Oh.... I know this Denzil.

Me (letting out a sigh of relief): So we need to put the audio driver CD in this tray.

Julia (with arogance): I can't do this Denzil. I can't.

Me (with WTF look on my face) : May I know the reason, Julia?

Julia (in a cute childish tone): That is because it is my Coffee Cup holder.

Me (banging my head on the wall): SOMEBODY STOP ME!!!!

Talk to Me!!!

2005-08-28T06:15:00.000-05:00

The war is ON!!! Its really ON!!! Never before it was so easy to stay in contact with friends..... But now... with the launch of a new Messenger... Google Talk things seem to have changed...... After all the big name messengers were blocked by my company firewall..... finally I can chat with my friends again.... I was sick of that IP Messenger.....

As we all know, MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger are the two big daddies of the internet messenger world. Rediff Bol is a just another new born.

Well, when I started chatting, mIRC was the hot favourite among youngsters like me.... Then slowly, I shifted my loyalty towards MSN. Chatting on MSN Messenger was fun because I could invite my friends in a conference.... Later on..I began to like Yahoo. It was because when none of my friends were online..I could go into one of the chat rooms and have fun chatting with complete strangers from different parts of the world....

After chatting with my friends, here are my some of my observations about the chat machines we use today:

Name : MSN Messenger 7.0
Why Yes: Winks which occupy half the screen, Messages can be sent in one's handwriting
Why No: No chat rooms

Name : Yahoo Messenger 7.0
Why Yes: Indian Audibles, Launchcast Radio, Stealth Settings
Why No: Bad Conferencing facility

Name : Rediff Bol 7.0
Why Yes: Indian Chat rooms
Why No: Dhinchak Skins (Purple...Eeks)

Name : Google Talk (BETA)
Why Yes: Cute interface, Small in size (Size does matter)
Why No: No invisible mode, No conferencing

But I must say that Google Talk is the best of all the messengers available today..... Its because it has a cute interface.... and it looks cho chweet!!!! Also, it can be hidden any time when your boss comes around for his usual rounds..... But I would like to add some featues to Google Talk like the Mr. India mode.... I mean..the Invisible Mode..... Also, the addition of the conference facility will be an added advantage.....

So guys.... if you have not yet downloaded Google Talk ....what are you waiting for???? Click on the link and start talking..... I mean chatting...

Yeh Jodi Hai No. 1

2005-08-18T02:35:00.000-05:00

Whenever I think of dedicating a song to my friends.... the 2 songs that come to my mind are: "Yeh Dosti...." from the film Sholay..... and "Dil Chahta Hai...." from Dil Chahta Hai itself..... The message that both songs convey is the same..... "Friendship is everything..... We laugh... We cry (to be frank...Boys don't cry.... I put this word..just to rhyme) We fight.... but the next moment we are still friends..... and we are always united..."

This is what friendship is all about...... Sharing...Caring.... Enjoying each other's company.... Fighting..... Having fun..... Bitching ( yup.... if you girls think..its your domain...you are all mistaken).... Playing..... Planning trips and ditching at the last moment ( Remember..GOA)..... Planning trips and going together ( Alibaug).... Partying (Bandra).... making a Bakra out of someone (Ali).... watching movies (First Day... any show)...... Bunking lectures together..... catching the same local train..... taking admission in the same engineering classes..... ordering the same food in the restaurant ( so that nobody steals food from your plate).....

But here is a pair from our Animal Kingdom..which was always inseparable....

On 9th of this month (August) ---- KANDU the guy in Italian T-shirt (made in India) celebrated his birthday.... and today (18th August) ... THAKUR the guy in Blue T-shirt is celebrating his birthday..... Well, these are not their real names.... Yeh to hum unhe pyaar se bulate hain.....

Hey guys.... WISHING THAKUR MANY MANY HAPPY RETURNS OF THE DAY!!!!! and KANDU....BELATED HAPPY RETURNS OF THE DAY.... Now, Thakur (Ameya) is leaving for the USA next week for his further studies..... Best of LUCK.... dude...... Wahan jaake desh ka naam roshan karna!!!!!

Independence Day ... We the people

2005-08-14T13:52:00.000-05:00

Happy Independence Day to all the Indians in India and Indians in other countries as well!!!!!

I had no intention of writing a post on Independence day..and believe me....this is not a post on Independence day..... All of us know what Independence day is all about.... for us teenagers its just another holiday to freak out with our friends.... By the time we get up on this day.... the flags would have been hoisted... the national anthems would have been sung... the Prime Minister would have given his speech ( most of us are still confused whether its the PM or is it the President who gives the speech at the Red Fort on this historic day)

Well... do you remember when was the last time you sung the national anthem??? No... (Besharmi ki bhi haddh hoti hai yaar!!!) .... I too dont remember..but i think it was when i was in 10th standard.... maybe... I am not sure....

Ok... lets forget all this.... Tell me how many of you know the national symbols of India??? No..no...no.. this is not a quiz.... I am just checking your general knowledge... There are just six National Symbols ...

1. National Flag
2. National Emblem
3. National Animal
4. Natinal Bird
5. National Tree
6. National Flower

Just scratch your brains for a while... i.e. if you have one.... Else you can cheat and look at the answers below.... The answers are :

1. National Flag --- Tiranga (The simplest one... those who failed chullu bhar paani mein doob jao)

2. National Emblem --- Three lions visible and fourth one hidden from view ( Check out the cover page of your passport or if you dont have one... borrow a coin from your Dad)

3. National Animal --- Tiger ( Its not Lion or Elephant as some of you thought)

4. Natinal Bird --- Peacock ( White Dove is a peace symbol you nut!!!)

5. National Tree --- Banyan ( Not Ashoka yaar.. whats the matter with you??)

6. National Flower --- Lotus ( You will only think of Roses... all you romantic types)

Now that I have shared so much knowledge with you guys..... Do me a favour... Write down these answers on a sheet of paper 10 times and paste it on your bedroom wall...

That will make sure you never forget this!!!!

Life in 944 mm

2005-07-31T10:32:00.000-05:00

It seemed like a normal boring day at work....... I was working as usual inside my air-conditioned office .... unaware of the outside world..... suddenly my friends started complaining that their mobile service provider Orange was out of network.... I whipped my cell out of the pocket.... Thank God Airtel was working....

Rumours started making rounds that there was water logging everywhere...... This was enough to make me stop my work.... it was not because I was worried how to get home..... but it was out of sheer excitement.......

Finally, we decided to stay back in office and spend our night here..... I was not new to this idea..I have stayed back in office a couple of times before.... the only difference being this time I had company to stay back and no work pressure..... YIPPIE..... I thought this wil be a night to remember.... 26th July 2005...

But my hopes were dashed.... not because my Manager loaded me with work.. but because one of my friend... (should I name him...should I not)..TARUN.... was feeling sleepy.... Rest followed suit.... My other colleagues were watching the most acclaimed film of the year SARKAR

I had already watched it... had nothin else to do... so thought.... maybe I can finish off my pending work... yup this is Denzil....workin when no one else is.....I worked till 3:30 in the morn..and then dozed off in my chair...

I did not know how three hours flew by...Tarun, Pratichi and myself got up early in the morning (6:30)and walked all the way to the BEST bus stop... the bus frequency was bad....and the buses were crowded as if it was 6:30 in the evening... So gave up the idea of catching the bus... Walking all the way was the last thing on our minds....(LazyBums!!!)

Thanks for Pratichi and another girl... a kind lady offered a lift in her QUALIS ... It was a ride I will never forget... We saw some amazing sights on the way.....2 feet fish crossing the concrete road...(Beleive me ...I am not exaggerating)..... Cars parked in the Aarey Jungle.... looking as if they are coming out of the jungle... a 10 feet ditch right in the center of the road.... I wish I had the digital camera to capture these moments...

Well.... by now everyone knows the hardships...the island city Mumbai had to go through.... This picture says it all....

944mm rain in a single day.. a record of some sorts.... well, I want to thank all the people who helped us to reach home safely... and all the people who helped each other when help was needed the most... Long Live ....Mumbaikars!!!

Good Old Days

2005-07-18T06:15:00.000-05:00

It just seems like yesterday...... But its been a year now that we friends have graduated from the college..... We have cursed the college and the crowd out there.. we have cursed the professors....the staff... the building... the principal.. everyone I can remember.......

On the last day of the college life ... I can vividly remember the date... 27th May 2004..... (How can one forget that day in his life???) ....... it was the last day of our college as well as our tough engineering life..... We all were on Cloud Nine......

We clicked a group photo that day in the college campus..... When I was going through my old mails..... luckily I found that photo yesterday...... Here is it for you to see.... Its one of the rarest photos in my album......

Lemme name the guys in the photo....coz everyone has changed now except for couple of them....
Standing (from Left to Right).... Parag (hiding behind me) , Myself , Cedric (with his trademark Cap), Nirav (with his elbow resting on my shoulder), Atul (the happiest one), Ameya (with his hand in the air), Vinay (serious. must be thinkin about the results), Anil ( matured gentleman pose), Manisha (yeh naya rang kaunsa hai???) , Sheetal
Kneeling or Sitting (Figure it out yourselves)(From Left to Right)... Abhijit (our Shahrukh), Shirish, Manprit ( Sardar with all 32 teeth on display) and last but not the least Ali (Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai??)

This pic brings back my college memories... some good and some bad... Bad memories are meant to be forgotten and the good ones to be cherished forever....

Alibaug Adventures

2005-07-10T06:50:00.000-05:00

Whenever you do something silly, you must have often heard people saying... "Alibaug se aaya hai kya??"..... Well, I often thought what was so different about the people in Alibaug.... Then finally I got a chance to see them... Yes.... the species of the Animal Kingdom decided to the visit the so called happening place in the monsoons....ALIBAUG...

Majority of us were going there for the first time.... so we were all excited as usual... We hired a Scorpio coz we knew Nothin else will do..... We literally had a blast in the SUV.... The songs on the CD player were played to defy the decibel limits..... The hot favourites were the "Dus.... Just Chill.... and Kevin Little's Turn me On"....

The journey was fun all the way.... As soon as we reached Alibaug.... the hungry wolves in our bellies started howling... But as our luck would have it... all the hotels were closed.... but our hungry eyes spotted a small eatery...named Hotel Akshay...

The hungry pack settled in the seats and started deciding what should be eaten to satisfy the hunger....then finally the lone waiter showed up saying that only Keema Pav and Bhurji Pav was available... The orders were given... and the poor waiter started dashing in and out of the kitchen.... the plates full of food disappeared with the speed with which he got them..... the hotel manager had to go to the market coz all the pavs in the hotel got over.... Can u beleive that??? .... after filling our stomachs..... we went ahead and finally got a place to spend the night in a small bungalow....near the Kihim Beach.....

As it was early evening...we played a game of football on the beach..it was Reds Vs Blacks.... The match was similar to Brazil Vs India Soccer Match... The Brazilians here were the Reds...The teams were so named coz of the colour of the apparels worn....I dont want to get into the details of naming the players...

Finally after challenging our stamina.... some guys went to the market to get some samaan and the rest stayed back..... The night was Fultoo Dhamal... AWe made a bakra out of someone... I dont want to name that guy...While he was dozing off..... dreaming.... We just gave that guy a toothpaste massage on his body....and then we also clicked some photographs.... the poor guy had to take a bath at 3:45 in the morning....

After the mission was accomplished..we went back to sleep.... Woke up in the morning.... went to the beach for a stroll and then started our journey back home.... The return journey was fun too.... We got down from the Scorpio a couple of times to click some nice photographs....
The exciting weekend was utilised to the maximum extent possible... and finally the Animal Kingdom returned to its Jungle.....

No Smoking!!!

2005-06-24T06:30:00.000-05:00

Suddenly the air seems less polluted... there has been drop down in the suphates floating in the air.... No it is not because of the rains... It is because many youngsters have stopped aping our HEROS on screen...and as a result stopped SMOKING WHAT A JOKE!!!

According to a recent law passed by the Censor Boards... the characters are not allowed to smoke on the screen...If they do smoke then a message should be flashed on the screen saying "Smoking is Injurious to Health". According to the Government the youngsters smoke coz their idols on screen do so...

I don't agree with this new rule... It is not because I smoke... In fact I have never smoked in my life and I hate Passive smoking... But even then I want to ask you whether you think this new rule will bring down the smoking rate??? I don't think so...

What do you think about all the action movies where the Hero kills the Villian and thrashes the goons coz they did injustice to him and his family when he was a small kid... Doesn't this influence the youngsters to take up Guns and kill their enemies????

What about the Item Numbers they show on screen??? Doesn't it tempt the youth to visit dance bars??? Is this less harmful than smoking???

I think the Government just wants some cheap publicity.... If it is really concerned about Smoking.... then let them hike the taxes levied on Cigarretes and other forms of tobacco... What Say???

The Birthday Boy

2005-06-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

On this day.... many many years ago.... .... an Animal was born in the jungles of Animal Kingdom...... He was named SHIRISH -- meaning Flower or Rain Tree .... (name meaning courtesy -- Google ).

So the ANIMAL KINGDOM wishes Shirish MANY MANY HAPPY RETURNS OF THE DAY!!!

May you inaugrate your new venture "ANNA's -- THE BAR" soon.....

Now comes the question everyone was waiting for..... "WHEN IS THE PAAARRRTTTTYYYYY???"

Jaane Kyon?

2005-06-17T11:30:00.000-05:00

Has it ever happened to you that you watched a movie and then wondered why doesn't this happen in REAL Life???

Well, it has definitely happened to me..... Here are some of my expert observations which I would like to share with you all:

Disclaimer: The writer is suffering from mental imbalance. The contents of the post are extremely insane. Read it at your own RISK.

1. Why doesn't the HERO\HEROINE ever brush their teeth in the morning?

2. Why doesn't the HERO pay the autorickshaw or the taxi fare when he gets out of the vehicle while chasing someone in hot persuit?

3. Why doesn't the HERO\HEROINE get a cold when they get wet in the rain?

4. Why doesn't the HERO show any bruises on the body the next day after a bloody fight with the GOONDAS?

5. From where does a HERO learn his shooting skills? coz he can shoot the GOONDAS without wasting any bullets.

6. Why does the Rich Guy have to fall in love with a poor Gal?

7. Why does the HEROINE look so fresh and her night dress is all neat without any creases even after waking up in the morning?

8. Why do the detectives wear long coats and a hat if they don't want to get noticed?

9. Why does the best friend of the HERO fall in love with the best friend of the HEROINE?

10. How does the HERO manage to sing so well to impress his girl?

Hey Guys... don't kill me for my insane comments... coz U all know Main Aisa Ky0on Hoon!!!