Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Unshakeable faith

While taking an autorickshaw from Juhu to Bandra, my Swedish friend Bjorn and I had an interesting conversation with the driver, who was initially driving like a maniac. "I have been driving since 1983 and I have never hit anyone or gotten into an accident," said Ramesh, who originally hails from Pune. We told him that we didn't want to be part of the first such incident.

His reply was full of references to God. He said God creates and it's his responsibility to look after his creation. Which is why, this humble auto-rickshaw driver has a flat in a chawl (something like community housing for poorer people). He said his fear of God prevented him from ever cheating a passenger and God rewarded him by giving him enough money to educate his 2 sons. The elder one is an accountant and the younger one an engineer and both of them have their own homes and cars. Ramesh said God also rewarded him for not drinking alcohol.

It's amazing how strong and unshakeable Ramesh's faith in God is. I hope this faith will keep him happy in the future as well.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Patrick Ewing theory to romance?

Bill Simmons, an ESPN sports-writer came up with a theory and named it after Patrick Ewing, my favourite basketball player of all time. According to Simmons, whenever Ewing was hurt or in foul trouble, the rest of the team would come together, pull up their socks and do better than they did when he was around.

He applies this to romance and says...

"Can the Ewing Theory apply to romance?


You betcha. Everyone has one friend who got dumped by their girlfriend/boyfriend, sending them into a tailspin. You worried about them and their well-being, you logged major phone time with them, you wondered if they would ever bounce back... and then, boom! Your friend started working out, dropping 15 pounds and suddenly looking better than ever. They also started going out three times a week, rekindling all their old friendships; within time, they had completely regained their mojo. And inevitably, when they finally started dating again, their new flame put the old one to shame. That's the Ewing Theory in a nutshell. "
 
We're just going to have to see if it works out like that :)

Monday, April 25, 2011

Seeing the city through an outsider’s eyes

A friend of mine from Boston once remarked about how Labernum Road in South Bombay reminded him of Berlin. A friend from New Jersey said he saw a piece of Barcelona there and a Swedish friend felt he was in Ipanima in Brazil.


I am privileged to have visitors from all over the world and when I do get sick of life in this city, I get fresh perspectives on how nice Bombay actually is.

Yes, the long set of stairs down to Banganga from Malabar Hill is really nice as you get a stunning sea view before you enter the tank area. There is an interesting spot near Banganga, which has a huge collection of cats. Again, this was something I only noticed when a visitor pointed it out to me.

In terms of variety, energy and oddly enough, pockets of sheer beauty, very few cities in the world can actually compare to Bombay. We have arguably the most beautiful railway station in the world in Victoria Terminus, amazing seaside promenades, stylish art deco, neo-gothic and heritage buildings. And yes, we also have the slums and the homeless people and the crowds.

In all fairness, it’s a tough job getting bored in this city.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The greatness of Dr Ambedkar

Although Dr Martin Luther King Jr was inspired more  by Mahatma Gandhi, decades before the civil rights movement in America gained momentum, there was a man in India, fighting for the rights of the downtrodden outcastes of Hindu society.

The so-called untouchables were subject to the worst kind of hatred and humiliation and never really considered human by the caste Hindus. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar dedicated his life for the principle of equality. I am ashamed to say that I don't know enough about this great man as I can't think of too many popular books or movies about him. Yet I can't help but be proud of this national hero who helped bring dignity to masses of tormented people.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Hope for the Rani Bagh Garden in Byculla thanks to Jairam Ramesh

I have never been a big fan of India’s Environmental Minister, Jairam Ramesh. The best way to describe him would be how the wonderful Gurcharan Das put it to me in an interview in Delhi last month: That Ramesh seems to be Greenpeace’s Environmental Minister.

Ramesh seems intent on stopping projects like Lavasa that do more good than harm for India’s environment, while at the same time, seems to be totally indifferent to the fact that pollution in the country gets worse with each passing day. I think what he lacks is a proper macro approach to environment-related issues, while at the same time hogging the limelight for big-ticket projects.

Having made such an assessment, I would like to complement the minister on his initiative to save the Byculla Zoo, one of the last green spaces in the island city.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/mumbai/Byculla-zoo-makeover-stuck/Article1-682575.aspx
 
The sprawling zoo and the wonderful museum and gardens near it, are among the city’s best kept secrets.


The Rani Bagh or Jijamata Udyan is where you will most of India’s British-era statues. They were apparently moved there in the middle of the night in the 1960s. I guess it’s better to move them there than to destroy those like some did to a Lenin statue in Moscow in 1991.

I do think the gardens and the zoo need to be maintained as well as the wonderful Victoria and Albert Museum (I refuse to call it the Bhau Daji Lad). If the state government wants a large zoological reserve, then they can build it somewhere in Raigad district, on the Maharashtra mainland.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Andheri in 1981

There was a time, when J.P. Road was known as Versova Road, for obvious reasons. There was a time when it was unsafe to walk beyond the Dhake Colony, as thick forests separated 7 bungalows from the rest of Andheri.


There was a time when the only way to get from Bhavan’s College to Nanavati Hospital was via S.V Road. The area around the now-defunct Raj Kumar Hotel was bordering on lower middle class but there were a couple of glorious bungalows that stood out and were reminders of the time when this suburb was a picnic spot.

You could hear the sea breeze from my home in 1981 and the same cool breeze would bring temperatures down even in the warmest May day.

I envy those people who lived in a less crowded and polluted Bombay. The city lacked “luxuries” like malls and multiplexes but I somehow doubt that kids in 1981 had less fun than the ones who now eat at McDonalds and watch Japanese cartoons dubbed in Hindi. I envy those who could swim in the waters off Juhu Beach.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Of Celebrations and Exams


It was impossible for me not to get sucked into the just-concluded World Cup after the quarter-final stages. You couldn’t watch television or read a newspaper without being bombarded with news and hype.

As a result of India’s splendid victory, the whole country celebrated on Saturday, in what was possibly the largest mass party on earth.

Although I wasn’t a Scrooge on the night that India won, I didn’t fancy getting drunk and going for the Italian exam the next day in such a state.

Of course, when there was a painful wait between my written and oral exams, I preferred to talk about cricket with my classmates rather than what my answers were to some of the more difficult questions.

And I did not go easy on the champagne after my Italian exam, which went as well as I could have wanted.