Mom, I'm not there yet!!

You ever wonder if you're ready for something that is expected of u? If you do I guess you would fall under the category of being completely normal. Off late, I go through this everyday. And then the day to day things that I do (go through) all keep pointing in the same damn thing, I'm not there yet!

Now, just to give you a brief idea, since I'm 24 now, (well almost) my parents have been pushing me....pushing me to get married! Infact, some of their friends have suggested them a few "candidates". This has probably got them all excited, infact, so excited that my parents are now actively pushing me for it. They have their own theory on why I should atleast start "looking" for girls!

The theory goes like this....I'm 24, a Chartered Accountant, a Company Secretary, working for a MNC bank, earning good money, just bought a new 3 BHK flat, a car and still manage to save some salary. So, basically I'm "settled". So, now.....whats there left in my lifE? Eh? Nothing really....I mean, c'mon, I'm 24...can't I see how old that is?! So I guess its like married at 25, kids after that....and......and......and.....

My dad tells me how difficult it is to find a proper bride out there these days! Same goes for a groom, but since I'm not gay, we dont give a shit about that. I think that apart from reservations about my marriage, that the whole concept of arranged marriage is splendid! I mean think about it for a second, ususally guys/girls who opt for arranged marriages do so cause they are not already in a relationship. So, how do they get married if they've reached a certain age?

Well, the oldies came up with an answer! Arranged marriage! So, here we have a guy in his mid twenties, never got a girl in his life, or couldn't hang on to the one he did. So his parents decided to help him out. I guess that's gotta hurt a bit of personal pride eh? It's like your parents telling you,

"Look son, we think you're terrible with the ladies, let us help you out. We know a fella whose girl is just as bad at picking up guys. We think you two will make an awesome couple. Should we go see them? Besides, Khanna uncle has also recommended that girl!". (Khanna uncle is either single or divorced).

But thats not the point I'm trying to make over here. The point is that my mom has been dragging me to D-Mart (its like my training for when my wife will drag me there) these days and then she goes on picking up stuff that she wants. I hate that place, I find it a drag. I don't know what the hell I'm doing there...and I start making faces at mom, so she asks me to just stay put in one place! Like an order or something! So what I do then is make faces at other shoppers, look around at these men all pulling carts and the thing that saddens me the most is the look on their faces....they are all happy to be there! All happy to be pushing carts while their wives load an unbelievable amount of provisions (its like everyone is having everyone over at their places). I'm not ready for stuff like that....I'm bad at the simplest of mundane things. This makes me realise that I'm far from ready to get married. I can't possibly push the cart, not yet.

My best escape route is my age, I try to get away by saying, "Guys, I'm only 23" but my parents shoot it down saying whatever comes to their mind. Sometimes they tell me that by the time I'll get married, I'll be 25 (like thats really old!). On other times, "Look at Rahul, he got married when he was 22". And most often there is this big dialogue (Oh, I really do mean like a proper dialogue) of why marrying early is good planning. My friends aren't helping my cause too. Two of my friends are getting married this year. Then a few of my relatives possibly know a few "good girls", so all of sudden, ever since I've turned 23, they've been telling me about them. I sat on it...so now, they've gone to my parents!

And it goes like, "I know this one girl, she's fair, good looking and she'd be really nice for you! Plus, she's a Doctor!". And I'm like wow! I hope she's a neuro surgeon, I'd like to take you therE!

Well, thankfully, the matrimonials aren't being considered yet! Wish me luck.

My beloved Mumbai...Part 2

If you're straight reading this "Part 2" then i suggest you read the 1st part. Both these parts are actually the views that i've expressed on a community on orkut. But, nevertheless, these views are my views. They're the views that i feel i have the right to express, a right that the Constitution gives me, unhindered by any other citizen of this great country.

the actual post that i posted on orkut starts from here....

"to my mind the congress lacks the political will to really investigate these terror attacks or any terror attacks for that matter.

all that the congress does is minority appeasement. the congress lacks the political ability and worse yet, the will, to fight terrorism. repealing POTA was the first of its acts to concede to terrorism. then, again, failing to execute mohd afzal, or rather leading the way in his clemency appeal was the next sign of not wanting to let go of its minority appeasement tactics. (the Honourable SC found him guilty and had ordered for his execution.)

but, then, having said that, how many can really find faults with these tactics.
when sanju baba was sentenced to 6yrs of RI, many of his "fans" said it was too harsh...the man had done his time..and all the usual melodramatic crap....but i'm sorry...wasn't this man in possession of AK-47 rifles that were used by the terrorists. How ironic, or rather unforgivably fitting (not for a second do i not sympathise with the victims of, or feel aggrieved by, the acts of last night) , that yesterday night, the terrorists used the same AK-47 rifles to unleash terror?!

When, scores of (young) men and women------fans as they call themselves, of this movie-"star" and some ppl who all of a sudden changed their lives to lead the peaceful, non-violent, all forgiving life, wrote into countless newspapers as to why sanju baba had to be forgiven-----they lost the right, in my mind, to the find faults with the system collapse that took place last night.

By literally propagating his freedom by referring to the "changed man", these ppl have sown the seeds for the posterity to suffer from. As a nation, we have time and again failed to have a general sense of natural justice prevail over us. We pardon the jehadis (afzal), we free our "stars" (sanju baba), we neglect our real problems, instead focus on the non-issues really..and we're the educated ones, not the jst literate ones, mind u!

what good is education, where the will to learn and evolve is lost?we applaud the man who changed Indian Railways in 4yrs..invite him to our IIMs (of all places) to deliver lectures, yet so easily forget the involvement of the same man in a fodder-scam...yet forget how after yrs of being the incumbent of the post of CM, Bihar still remains an under-developed state. dont we then for a second wonder, how could this man really pull it off? shudn't we?

how many of our leaders are really and truly worthy of representing us in the House...let alone, how many of them face charges and etc etc...

ive seen many ppl in this community support the MNS and sighting reasons that are at best childish...with an attitude like this, how far can we really go? how can we really be secure? if all we desire is to fight the bhaiyyas and the non-mumbaikars (so to call them), why will our elected representatives bother doing anymore?

we take pride in being the voters of the largest democracy in the world...but then, well, how many virtues of democracy have we really got imbibed in us? to start with, have we (got) tolerance? and, i guess, it jst ends there, right there!

many ppl oppose capital punishments.....many ppl who say that the afzals have children, well, what bout the ones who died? these terrorists, if caught, shud be most definitely hanged. if they're not, may be months frm now, u cud have a plane hijack with a demand for release of the same terrorists!

u know, its really surprising that for an educated bunch like ourselves, its really that god-damn difficult to learn from the past, ignore divisive politics, look beyond religion, colour, caste and focus on delivering justice to the aggrieved."


PS : Portions of this post have been edited as considered appropriate. But a no point have i altered the essence of the post.

My beloved Mumbai...Part 1

we all say that mumbai is resilient and will come thru this...im sure the ppl will...

having said that fortunately ive nvr had to be at the wrong end of these acts of terrorism..but i know a few ppl in person, some family frens, who've lost their loved ones...

it happened in the ghatkopar blasts...then the zaveri bazaar blasts..then the train blasts...the best bus' blasts...now these latest...

but to say that mumbai is resilient in the fact that the ppl go to their offices the very next day is to misinterpret the whole situation in the 1st place...theres nothing more insensitive to say about them...this is not resilience...this is helplessness....given the choice (which ive had today) id like to stay home (something that the govt has advised itself...also does make sense) but not everyone has really had the comfort of stayin indoors....

some ppl jst have to go to work as they really have no choice...its what they have to do for a living and with the latest attacks, the whole security system, or the lack of it, is transparently brought out. everyday that i take a train from ccgt to my place at nsp, a 1.5 hrs one-way journey, i do get scared cos u can nvr be sure, if theres a bomb in the train or not. what confidence do we take if our 24X7 patrolled train stations are such soft targets of terrorism?

ive personally seen the metal-detectors...manned posts...but whats the use if these ppl are going to be sloppy or not upto the task?

we've got to look beyond divisive politics...for instance, look beyond the bhaiyya barrier...
politicians divide us, they win our votes on basis like the bhaiyya issue..the SCs, OBCs etc...and we pledge them our votes..
terrorism is no longer confined to the middle east or kashmir or africa...its spreading like a virus...
we have to vote for candidates based on real issues and not issues that stem or originate or culminate in divisive politics.