Things to Do, Before I Die....

There are things that I want to do, to complete in this lifetime, so when I kick the bucket, I have no regrets. This list has a bit of everything, from all aspects of life. Some of these, I feel, are worth dying for....

Here goes....

1. 
   
   Drive from Bombay to Goa, along the Ghats, and spend a week in Goa - a guided tour conducted by my in-house 'Goan' guide, Neeti


2. 
   
   Meet Mr. Ratan Tata in person. Thank him for all that his Group has given us


3. Join Anthony Bourdain for a culinary tour across India


4. 
   
   Open a French - Mediterranean cuisine restaurant by the waterfront - the USP would be that guests would get an opportunity to play Chef for their meals...


5. 
   
   Visit the Golden Temple, be there from dawn to dusk, engaging in sewa


6. 
   
   Drive from Delhi to Ladakh, and have my music CD collection playing in the car


7. 
   
   Buy a Volkswagen Beetle


8. 
   
   Meet Tom Hanks and Morgan Freeman in person


9. 
   
   Take parents back to Kampala and Mwinilunga for a visit. Also show Neeti where I came from


10. 
    
    Spend a week in an Israeli kibbutz, a fun filled week of work....


11. 
    
    Laze in a hammock on the slopes besides the Nakuchiataal lake in Nainital, with my favourite book


12. 
    
    Publish a compilation of my poems


13. 
    
    Hike along the Black River Gorge in Mauritius


14. 
    
    Learn French, bon jour


15. 
    
    Have a greasy porky breakfast of bacon, ham, sausages, without having the guilt of cholesterol


16. 
    
    Visit Christ the Redeemer in Rio and Machu Pichu in Peru


17. 
    
    Do a Serengeti safari


18. 
    
    Do island hopping by boat through the emerald atolls of Palau


19. 
    
    Dance and sing in the rain - perhaps somewhat like Shahid in Jab We Met, I wonder?


20. 
    
    Go on a Victoria trail - Lake Victoria followed by Victoria Falls


21. 
    
    Do a road trip across the cradle of Aryan civilisation from Turkey into Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan - rolling green hills, blue streams and an unspoilt environment


22. 
    
    See Tibet free again - visit Lhasa's Potala Palace


23. 
    
    Meet Dr. Manmohan Singh, Nelson Mandela and Dalai Lama in person


24. 
    
    Open a small farm growing organic herbs and vegetables and raising animals for milk and meat


25. 
    
    Fly in the cockpit of a Boeing 747


26. 
    
    Travel in an Ilyushin IL76 - I am in awe of this amazing beast after I saw this aircraft at Jamnagar airport


27. 
    
    Visit the Sunderbans for tiger spotting, before they vanish


28. 
    
    Feed the elegant beast, the elephant


29. 
    
    Visit the Sun Temple


30. 
    
    Meet all the people, family, friends and colleagues, who have helped shape me, all at one place for a big bash


31. 
    
    Donate my organs


32. 
    
    Learn wine making


33. 
    
    Trek in the Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand


34. 
    
    Gorge on the Nawabi delights of Lucknow, chaats of Delhi, Vada-Pavs of Bombay (in the rain)!


35. 
    
    Observe life as it goes on in the backwaters of Kerala...

But for now, I am enjoying the rain, with nice music playing.....

I'll Find My Way....

First I was dying to finish high school and start college....
And then I was dying to finish college and start working....
Then I was dying to marry and have have children....
And then I was dying for my children to grow old enough so I could go back
to work.....
But then I was dying to retire
And now...
I am dying.........
And suddenly I realized I forgot to live!
Please don't let this happen in life.
Appreciate your current situation and enjoy each day against all the odds.
To make money we lose health and then to restore our health we lose our
money....
We live as if we are never going to die.

My Mom sent me this mail today. And as I read it, the more I realised the futility of the daily grind. Life seems to be like treadmill - you think you are running fast, fast enough to achieve your goals and ambitions, but when you look down, you realise, you are where you started. That's how I felt.

As I was assimilating these thoughts, I looked out of my office window, into the vast expanse of open space, the Mithi flowing, the dark Monsoon clouds and the heavy downpour. What all have I missed in all these years.... I could have danced in the heavy downpour, carefree.

I could have enjoyed each moment of each passing day. I could have been with my folks, Neeti and close family members to share their joys and sorrows, to give, to be a support....

It is obvious that one's career cannot be sacrificed. But at the same time I am an individual who lives for himself and his loved ones. I cannot sacrifice one priority at the alter of the other. I have to find an equilibrium, of living - doing what I love, doing well professionally and being there for my loved ones.

How do I do it is the biggest question that bothers me now.

I know my destination and I am sure I will find a way to it, someday.

Till then, I remind myself that I don't want to die with with regrets of not being able to do what I wanted to.

Bombaypolis Moments.... Part 4

"Mall ratting" is the in-thing now. The established malls are having amazing footfalls , while the newer ones are struggling to survive. The crowds throng malls, on weekends, not only for shopping, but also for window-shopping, "timepass" and live shows....

I often wonder what proportion of the foot-falls in a mall would be genuine customers? Very few, I guess. That's why stores are not able justify the cost of their existence in malls, are rentals remain high. That's why stores barely survive for about a year and then move out....

In womenswear boutiques, males always have a harrowing time while the women spend hours and hours on their "retail therapy". This photo shows a chubby kid, sitting beneath hangars of women's wear at the Biba store, visibly very bored and irritated, while his mom and sister shopped away to glory..... It was a scene I would never forget....

Little kids have a great time mall-ratting - demanding balloons, ice-creams, toys, Happy-Meals, etc. This little boy was thoroughly enjoying his Happy-Meal and Coke outside one of the malls at Goregaon. All this, while this patiently waited..... Such things are a treat to watch.
But, all this if you are lucky to get parking space for your car....

While we may have graduated to glitzy glass and chrome malls, foreign brands, designer wear, fast food chains, some of our communities remain extremely sexist, with a marked preference for the male kid. One can see such a discrimination by practised by supposedly well educated parents. I came across these interesting stickers during a recent routine medical test at a suburban laboratory recently.

Yes, pink or blue, we still love you.....

With the onset of the Monsoon, Bombay has suddenly become very pleasant and green. More on that in the next edition of Bombaypolis Moments.....

Bombaypolis Moments.... Part 3

Bombaypolis Moments is back, with the third in the series of mobile grabs.
Commuting in Bombay has always been and continues to be a pain, especially when you have to pass over large potholes on roads considered the best in the city. I have heard of people developing bad backs, women having abortions because of bumpy rides. Is the BMC listening?

Traffic jams have always been a part of life in the city. But the rains make it worse. Expects traffic snarls all through the day. Trust me, it could take you as much as 2 hours to cover a stretch of 2 kms. I have been through it.

Two traffic menaces one has to be careful about - the BEST buses, which are the bug red bullies on the road - they don't even think twice before braking hard just a few inches behind you.

And who can ignore the autorickshaws. They come out of nowhere, like swarms of bees (black and yellow), with noisy drones and get right into your path. What the hell is lane driving?

The Bandra Worli sealink is ready and to be opened shortly. But will it do any good when you are sure to expect jams at both the Bandra and Worli ends?

If you are brave enough, have strong bones and need a massage, travel by train. Its the fastest. But the uninitiated can get minced to the bone, like sardines in a can!!!!

Bandra station is never this empty, except after 11 PM. Wish train rides during the day would be as convenient as at this hour.

For those who choose to walk, another menace lurks on the streets - stray dogs. Sometimes they really get aggressive with hapless pedestrians, without any provocation. Animal lovers may not like, but the menace needs to be stopped.

And who says jams are only on the ground? Ever tried landing into Bombay airport at any hour? You are sure to find "jams" in the sky too with endless hovering..... That's what they call going around in circles!

Air Force One, Singh is King, etc. etc.

Air Force One is here. During an interview to CNBC earlier this week, Obama was pursued by a persistent fly. Obama reached out and swatted the fly. Fly swatting is fine, but what about swatting out the Taliban and the al Qaeda from their cave hideouts in Af-Pak? How the hell can he do that when he coolly lets out terror suspects from Guantanamo Bay into exotic locales like Bermuda, as The New York Times reported earlier this week? Perhaps, he thinks these guys deserve a paid vacation, right?



Our Prime Minister is truly a King. Without battling an eyelid, he told Zardari that terror from Pakistan has to stop. Finally someone from India had the guts to do it. Zardari apparently is so pissed off that he has decided to give the NAM summit a miss. That is what has to be done. The Prime Minister has again proved that Singh is indeed King..... But there will challenges ahead and best wishes to him to tackle the challenges that he would face ahead.

I was saddened by the off-colour jokes that our FM channels have been playing about Shiney Ahuja allegedly raping his servant. Whether it's true or not, I am not going to debate that. Rape is indeed an heinous crime, but till the accused has been proven guilty, he remains an accused. Who has thought of the trauma that the families of both the accused and the victim would be facing now? But the media in a grave display of insensitivity goes on and on ad-nauseum.