Last weekend, I had been on my way to my aunt’s place for lunch in Kalyan. Having already been late (Getting up at 10am couldn’t make the journey any earlier !!), I was searching for some good valid reasons to explain my aunt for my delay.. And then .. as I was searching for reasons, the Reason came to me as the train stopped at Dombivli Stantion. After about minute or two, when the train refused to leave the station, being a true Mumbaikar, I started doing what we are pretty good at.. I blamed the governmental apathy and wondered when the civic authorities such as Railways would start giving importance to time of we poor civilians.. And as expected, the people around me were of similar kindda thoughts!! With the clock ticking past 1:30 pm, I was getting restless, but then there is no other choice.. Another 10 minutes passed and suddenly saw a group of policemen (Railway Police) barging into the compartments and asking all of us to get out of the train with our respective luggages.. Then they informed that they had received a telephone call stating a Bomb implanted in my train.. All got down in hurry.. But no unattended baggage found in my compartment …and later in any of the other 8 compartments either.. And so finally after 30 minutes of bomb-searching, the Police squad returned empty-handed.. and I resumed my remaining journey towards the lunch!!

All this made me wonder –
(1) Is the Railways/ Police / any such governmental agencies to be blamed for the delay? Apparently the answer is NO.. So let me publicly apologise for my outburst.. They were just doing their duty..
(2) But was the duty well performed?… I think so, because I was alive then to have my lunch and then am alive now to write this blog :-) But then, now I wonder, if I was the bomber sitting in the train with the bomb, I could have also got down with it while they checked the train and then boarded the train again since there was no frisking of the luggages
(3) But again.. Is such Frisking of each luggages/ bags of each passenger of each compartment in each train possible?? I can’t even imagine our plight in such a case. Just the sheer number of people traveling in the trains makes it an Impossible task to do that.. (Also thinking of my lunch, if they actually screened all bags then, I would have been home only for Dinner!!)
(4) So is the Mumbaikar lives Secured? Well, all of us know the answer is a NO… The dense varied population just getting more and more and the transport facilities are the same since ages.. The trains are already crowded with people leaving no other choice than traveling on rooftops and hanging on one finger and one toe on the footboard. Any one bad incident could take away precious lives. The only person standing between your living an extra day may be the bomber who allows you to live for one more day!!

Its really a sad state of affairs and it doesn’t seem to be getting any happier.. The Government is busy making plans for approving costs for new projects and then approving for increase in the budgets due to time delays.. The only thing constant here in Mumbai is “Spirit”.. Well that’s a strong word discovered by the politicians and hyped by the media for the lack of any choices.. Just because a bomb blasted in Ghatkopar, people cant avoid trains as they cannot afford the taxi-fares to office when they are running for earning their daily bread!!

That’s it for now.. I think that would be an abrupt ending .. but given this ‘interesting’ topic, this blog can extend to five-six pages!!! So I just sign off without any more ideas, more thoughts, more hopes, and lots of spirits!!

Bye

down the memory lane..

Date and Venue : 20th May 08, Frankfurt Airport

I was waiting for my flight to bring me back home.. Just been looking around when I noticed this Indian mother with her two daughters sitting quite some distance away. The elder one (seemingly in college) seemed to be searching something on the Internet. Some time later, I saw the mother in tears, hugging n embracing her daughters.. It was quite evident that her daughter had got some success in her exams or something similar

This scene took me back to the day when my CA results were out and The Institute decided to offer me its membership.. To be frank, I was more relieved than happy on my achievement.. Not because I didn’t deserve it but somehow I didn’t feel like “on-top-of-the-world”… Just another happy day!! But the moment I called up mom to give this news, I could hear the choking of her voice.. Later, when I reached home, she gave me this big hug and was crying… Then Dad came and - its not a usual sight to see Dad emoting - n he virtually rushed through the door to me… Ohh… I still cant forget those moments !!! Whenever I think of my results, this is the image that comes to my mind..

Not just this, there are many many such instances where I have lived my successes through them..

Mayb thts wat called Love.. pure love.. unconditional love.. They did so much for me n my bro.. taking loads of pains to ensure that we don’t need to suffer any hardships and can concentrate on our education.. Hats off to them.. Love u, Acchan n Amma !!

Living the Madrid Life !!

"I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone"


This "Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day" song lyrics kept my mind busy as I roamed across the Madrid streets in search of nothing... Just wandering across .. being the silent spectator.. watching people pose in front of cameras with big shopping malls, cathedrals, palaces, beggars in the backdrop.. yeah .. even beggars.... here they are really funky.. n even they are artisitic.. Some corners, u see statues of some kings and suddenly u notice that its actually a human being standing still to earn his living !! Also there are various other forms such as orchestras playing on the street and asking for alms..

Madrid sees hoardes of tourists round the clock because of its Meditarranean climate as well as for its city-beauty.. Its a wonderful place with wonderful people .. What really amazes me is their lifestyle.... The working hours and after-work life completely contrasts the Indian style..

Office hours of 9-2 and 4-7 with a two-hour lunch break !!! I used to very much wonder as to what they do for two hours but then once you go with them to a restaurant, you would understand... Picture that against our Indian setting where we rush to lunch in between our work, wen our work permits us !!

Also on weekends, the roads and restaurants are full of people meeting with their family and friends discussing the happenings thruout the week
In India, the only advantage of having a five-day week would be that you can wear come dressed up in casual T-shirts on Saturdays and maybe even an hour late depending on the urgency of work !!

All this makes me wonder - Wat are we making of our lives?? Office and work keeps us busy all days long... Meeting up with friends and loved ones depend on our office work pressure.. How many picnics and outings I have missed because of some assignment that needs to be completed by weekend?? :(

I think we Indian office-goers should seriously start thinking about raising their voices and start the trend of goiing on vacations, not-working on weekends, spending quality time with loved ones..

Let me think of & do something in tht regard.. .. but nywys, firstly let me complete the Project Report as I need to discuss it with Boss tomorrow... If you are free enuf to read this blog, maybe u cld spend it more qualitatively on doiing smthng concrete in this regard ;-)

Hurray !! .. My First Blog ..

Hi folks

Welcome to "sunilpisharody.blogspot.com" .. I am happy you could make it here !!

Wowww... how am feeling on this little new achievement!!.. Have spent too much time reading thru lots of bloggers all across the world.. n been admiring about their writing skills .. so now thought to be on the writer's desk and try putting on the ideas in here... so here I am !!

So wat am I supposed to be blogging about?? Not exactly thought about it as yet...

You may be wondering then why all of a sudden did I feel entering into the Blog-land. without any ideas/ thoughts to share about .... let me give you a reason for the "why-now" :
Because of following reasons:

1) today the 11th May 2008 happens to be my 41st Day in Madrid (21 days on a stretch). Now I dont have any complaints about Madrid.. Its a wonderful city and has been treating me fair enuf.. but still.. miles away from my home.. my parents..my friends...my people..

2) it happens to be a Sunday, a weekend for people to roam around, to be with their near n dear ones, freaking out...

3) I am sitting alone in my hotel room..

4) I dont have any good books to read.. the TV airs only Spanish language.. and my knowledge of that language is restricted to "Holla", "Gracias","Valle".. n such other one-liners...
&
5) u still searching for more reasons, uhhh !

Just happened to read a phrase which said "Every Silence is not a sign of Loneliness".. a wonderful thought.. though I think I cant be really feeling the inner meaning of this one, rite now.. bcos feeling pretty lonely...

Don't worry !! I know its just a phase.. may last for some time.. n then some phone call/ some chat-friend.. n normalcy restored !! ;-)

Now coming back to this blog-space.. this is going to be a space to put down my thoughts as they pass by.... out of the past 25 years on Mother Earth and approx 18 years after learning ABCD, my annual resoultions of maintaining a diary has not crossed the first three weeks of January.. so I am not pretty sure about this online diary.. NO.... But this time.. THIS TIME, I AM goiing to be in here for some really good time...

Thats about it for now.. Maybe would get out to the world outside my hotel for another round of stroll.. :)

Bye bye.. Cheers to life..

Sunil