AJ and his pack

I have this dream since i was a kid. Today I have polished and structured the dream ready to be implemented. My dream is to have a pack of dogs. The size in mind currently is to have three dogs. I have already decided on the breed, color and names.

I would start with 'Joey' my yellow labraodor next year. Now that I am moving back to India and have decided to settle there completing phase 1 of the dream next year will not be an issue. Inspired by the dog whisperer cesar milan, I would train myself to become the pack leader and 'Joey' will automatically become the dream labra everyone wants.

Next in the list, 5-6 years down the line would be to get a golden retriever 'Ross'. Ross will come to my family with 'Daddy', the blue American Pitbull terrier, the most handsome of all.

Together we will be a happy, calm, and relaxed PACK....................

Timepass

Warming up with the hope to finish the previous post that I started long long long back!!

Arz kiya hain!!!

Bachpan me padhai ke boj ne dara dala,

Jawani me zindagi ke race ne hara dala,

Fir zimmedari ki soch ne kandho ko jhuka dala,

Kamai ke chakkar ne hume akela kar dala,

ek din yuhi fir bachpan ki yaad ne rula dala!!!

Rich with Culture or a culture that is old and foul??

This post has been in draft mode for close to 2 years now. Posting it finally (spell/grammar check not done)....

Here we go!! I have been thinking a lot about the Indian culture lately. The idea to write this came before the satyamev jayte era, hence the idea is original but some thoughts might have been inspired!! All we ever hear about India is that we are culturally very rich and that every Indian must be proud of our culture. Really???Really???Really???Really???

REALLY???

Before you judge the guy who studied for an year in US and worked in Norway for an year, please read this out. The main problem with many of us is that we are happy FOLLOWING!! we dont think if its right or wrong, we dont care a damn if change is essential or not. Am not totally against the Indian culture and am proud to be called an Indian but am not the kind of guy who believes in blindly following things coz my great great grandfather did/said so. il come to this in a moment, let me start with things i like about the culture.

Yes there is no doubt that India is the most diverse nation in the world, here culture changes when you move from one district to another. the kind of history and stories we have is definitely interesting. the fact that we respect and care for our parents even after we are 18 is a testimony to the fact that we are brought up well. The festivals, the celebrations, the colors, the religions and prayers are definitely things to be proud of.

Then what is it that am not happy about?? I believe our culture is the root cause of many of our social issues. we dont think about it coz we live inside a blanket and probably dont hear about it that often. The magic word that  I hate the most is 'society'. No matter what happens in India i bet society has a role to play in it. People respect are scared of society more than they are scared of the law. In India supreme court is helpless in front of 'The society'.

To start with...

1) Domestic violence. It creeps me out that nearly 70% of indian wives have suffered from the so called pati devo bhava syndrome.. 53% of the cases in medical centers are related to domestic violence..

2) Can you believe the culture we are proud of still believes in Honor killing? You might argue that it is only prominent in North India, but I disagree. This is something that exisits in almost every state, loud in some places and silent in some. More than 1000 people are killed in India in the name of honor. And if we are proud to be Indians we must also be ashamed of things that happen in India too.
A man in the show satyamev jayte said few inspiring words and i quote:
'Even stagnant water becomes foul in days. Culture and belief has to change with time. We have 1000s of temples with Krishna Radha idols. Were they husband-wife? They were mere lovers. You must first throw away these idols if you think your belief is right and justified.'

The Supreme Court of India has abolished honor killing and objections raised by Khap panchayats. The judgement states and I quote:

"

The Supreme Court on Tuesday held that inter-caste marriages are in “national interest” as a unifying factor in a nation where caste system is a “curse”. “The caste system is a curse on the nation and the sooner it is destroyed the better. In fact, it is dividing the nation at a time when we have to be united to face the challenges before the nation. Inter-caste marriages are, in fact, in national interest as they will result in destroying the caste system,” a Bench of Justices Markandeya Katju and Gyan Sudha Misra held in a judgment.

The court slammed caste system as a divisive factor which promotes families to murder their own children in the name of “honour killings”. The judgment, the court said, is to remind that this still is a democratic nation where a person who has reached the age of majority can marry “whosoever he/ she likes”. “There is nothing honourable in honour killing or other atrocities and, in fact, it is nothing but barbaric and shameful murder,” Justice Katju, who wrote the judgment, observed.

Comparing khap panchayats to “kangaroo courts” where instant justice is meted out without any regard to judicial process of the country, the court said young boys and girls who marry outside their castes fall victims to their institutionalised “atrocities”.

“We have in recent years heard of ‘khap panchayats’ which often decree or encourage honour killings or other atrocities in an institutionalised way on boys and girls of different castes and religion, who wish to get married or have been married, or interfere with the personal lives of people. We are of the opinion that this is wholly illegal and has to be ruthlessly stamped out,” the court said.

The judgment refers to the 2006 Supreme Court decision in Lata Singh vs State of UP which had held that inter-caste marriages are not banned under the Hindu Marriage Act or any other law. The maximum that relatives can do if they disagree with the inter-caste marriage of their children is to cut off all bonds with them. “But they cannot give threats or commit or instigate acts of violence and cannot harass the person who undergoes such inter-caste or inter-religious-marriage. This is a free and democratic country,” the court said.

Taking steps to enforce its judgment, the Bench directed the government to immediately suspend any District Magistrate or Collector and SSP/SPs as well as other officials concerned, chargesheet them and proceed against them departmentally if they failed to act against any instance of casteist violence despite knowing about it in advance or if they fail to “promptly” apprehend the culprits and institute criminal proceedings against them.

The court issued orders for the copies of the judgment to be sent to the state high courts and chief secretaries, home secretaries and director generals of police in all states and Union territories for circulation.

"

Do you think the orders are respected? Are you confident that the cops abide by this law? How many cases have we heard of honor killing with police support since 2006? As part of the Indian culture we are taught to respect. It is shameful that the guy who was on national tv just few months back (satyamev jayte-honor killing episode) was killed last week; and guess what just a day before the murder he had asked for protection and the police did nothing. Here we are facing millions of people who dont respect the orders of the highest authority in India but carry on their own dictatorship with no remorse. I feel the root cause is again the fact that we are resistant to change. "My father and grandfather did this, and i dont care if they were wrong, I will do so too because it is our 'culture'".

3) Arranged Marriage/Arranged Rape
Why do parents feel that its their obligation to get their kids married whether they are ready or not. Why are the parents always confident that the person we choose is definitely not the right one. why do they always talk about the sacrifice they did for us? how is it sacrifice if they are asking something in return? 'we did so much for u, cant u do even this for us?' Even this?? it is our life, 40-50 years you are talking about. It hurts when i see people around me bow down to the pressure/blackmail and kill their dreams. All parents want their kids to be happy, but they afraid to stand for them in front of the society. They are willing to sacrifice their kids happiness to appease society.

There are so many more that I want to discuss about, but these three are good for now. For eg the dowry system and the crimes associated with it, or marrying your uncles son/daughter (prohibited by law). I guess its time for people to change the way they think and the way people close to them think. slowly and eventually me might have a culture to be 100% proud of. How do I react? How do i plan to change? To begin with i will always show society a finger if my decision is valued on the impact it will have on society. Secondly I will see to it that these things dont happen around me. Be it my neighbor, my colony people or my friends.

Hope we see change someday soon!!!

VIZAAAAAAAAA

Visa experience:

Appointment time:815
I rchd at 715...by 730 i was in and waiting for my turn for the finger prints collection...my token no 97.. i was called to a window in 5-10 mins were a family of 4 wer alrdy standing...they made me wait the longest today..no photographs..den ran to get the pictures etc etc..by he time my finger prints wer taken token no 130 was being called..i cursd the family a lot :P aftr all this at 815 i rchd another building where interviews wer tking place..i was sitting in front of counter 20-25..1guy and 4ladies wer the VOs in those counters..i have always been rejected if the interviewer was a lady...the worst was in the 7th round of a companys interview..damn!!it hurts..so got scared..have 100prcnt record with guys :P il prolly be a hit in a gay club..bt ladies dont like me initially :P :Pwas praying and looking at the guy hoping hel call me..but no...i got counter 25...the worst lady...khadoos..chewing gum...mid 30s.. decent looking..there wer 3guys in front of me..1st guy went...rejected..he stammered and was nervous...he had learnt his answers and was using technical terms..bt ws nervous..2nd guy went approved...3rd guy wnt nervous..meanwhile in the next window i heard a gal telling my dad died and mom has breast cancer so i have been taking care of her..all my attention went there... :P i was like, plz no emotional drama here..VO was a lady and she was touched..den she askd y r u going 2 US for 2yrs..who will tke care of ur mom..i thot her plan backfired :Pwas anxious to know wat would happn to her wen my VO strtd shouting at the guy bfre me..dont lie to me...then she typed something for 3mins...and finaly said nxt time dont lie..nd returned the passport...so far till me Rejected, approved, rejected, Ajeesh..was a lil tensd..went to her said good morning madam..no reply..was thinkin whose face did she see this mornin :P
VO: why UC? (the frst few words i spoke came out badly..i was a lil tensd..lady interviewer, 2guys rejected, no reply for good morning madam, she looked into my eyes..and i knew i have to pull myslf togdr fast..nd i did..only for dose 5secs of nervousness she looked at me..for the remainder of the interview she dnt look up)
Aj: brrrrrrr
VO: what odr admits?
Aj: brrrrrr
VO: How will u fund?
Aj: loan+dad
VO: whats ur dad?
Aj: (thought of saying human being...but) brrrrrr
VO: salary per annum of dad?
Aj: brrrr
VO: what?
Aj: Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Vo: pointing the number with her fingers :p
Aj:yes
VO: collateral for loan?
Aj: was thinking which language was i speaking..cz she dnt get what i was saying for the prev question..so in those thoughts i missd her question :p
Aj: sorry?
VO: collateral?
Aj: brrrrrrrrr want to see the docs?
VO: didnot even say no..jst waved her hands..
Aj: thinking again y cant she smile..
VO: brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... 1week
i jst heard 1week and saw that shes keeping the passport.. assuming it is approved , i said thank u and got out f there:) I finally tamed the LIONESS :)
Was out of the consulate by 850.. thanks all for helping me out.. :)
special thanks to the psycho and the girl for entertaining me during the stay at consulate..the psycho was weird...he kept staring at my docs..wen i hid the docs ws staring at my token..dont kno wat he was doing..roaming here and there asking when his chance will come..his tken was 140..the helper askd him to chill...:P the girl, like she mugged her course material mugged up the VI tips(have a smiling face..people watch u) too..she was smiling all the time.. :P damn it smile only wen needed...she was smiling while sitting, while standing, while walking :P
moral: only confidence mattrs..if u think u r nervous..postpone the VI.. i read smwer that they keep watchn u all the time..its bullshit..i did a research wen i was there..not many cameras pointed at u...atleast in chennai..no 1 cares bout u..VO is alws busy..so dnt b sitting there wit a fake smile...save it for the VO :)

The much needed break from LIFE!!!

10 days and 4 metros, i tink i was living a dream. i call it the tale of 4metros :) dec 22 i ws in mumbai and today the 10th of jan, i rite ds from Delhi. dec 22 lunch, i ws a frustrated man, wt no hope in life. the rain had pissed my ass off. the fungus in my clothes made me feel miserable and helpless. nd then the journey began.aaj hosh me aya hu. i feel nothin ws real, i feel all was a dream. i boarded d flite to mumbai on 22nd.it was an indian airlines flite. i got the emergency window seat.definetely felt like a govt vehicle.d seats wer dirty.push back sucked.more than anything the broken window freaked me out.it ws fixed using celo tape.i slightly thot that it was my last trip evr, specially wen i saw d 55yr old air hostess.there 4 of them.i finally rchd mumbai.my fav city. had to spend the whole nite dr.d airport ws awesome. ccd servd drinks.needed nothin more.came bk to chennai the next day.the second metro on the list.ws tired wt no sleep last nite.had a good sleep. had dinner at sea crest. wnt on bike came back in car.ws special. d nxt day i ws in pondy.visited matri mandir.it had changed a lot nd ws nw an awesome place.dinner at grt wsnt good.dnt like d place or food. kala jamun got ovr by d time i rchd desserts.i ws pissed.d next day ws at pasha. ws d frst time i ws goin 2 a pub.it ws grt nd funny at the same time.saw a tharki uncle there.OMG.lust ws in d air..hehe..flew down to kolkata the next day.3rd metro.met chinku nd titash.saw a movie wt dem..had a good time at kolkata.drove more than 150kms on road.if u want to come back alone aftr a drive in kolkkata..dnt look straight look left nd right.cz vehicles come frm ny dirction to attack you. travelled in metro wt mehta. it ws awful.it ws normal local train wt automatic doors..hehe..no ac in station..really looked like d oldest metro in india..lost badminton game to titash.its ok, it ws a close match and it ws d frst time in zillion years i ws playing d game..31st nite wsnt dt exciting..had dinner wt frnds, came bak home by 11..watchd tv nd slept..5th jan sat in rajdhani.ws excited .d train ws on time till kanpur, 6th jan 530am.i ws happy.got ready nd sat dwn.bt the train took 14hours to cover the next 4hours.it ws dissapointin nd frustrating.even cycles wer overtaking us.there ws a gal nxt to me frm assam, horrible..chaat dali mujhe..bagal wale uncle se itna frndly hui as if padosi ho..d frst dng dt came out of her mouth ws rajdhani ka suffer sbse borin hota hain..who askd u dumbass.. she ws starin at me a lot..finally said ki"am gettin attrctd to dt round dng of urs..i ws shoked.. bt dn realized it ws dt round.. dn strtd tinkin wt is round in me? as a matr of fact itna mota hua hu ki full ek round hu ab.. it seems she ws talkin about my locket.. :P pure safar me chaati..to top it all she got an assamese couple nxt to us..strtd talkin in assamese..bihu chu chi cha..blah blaha..d guy ws delhi asaamese association head or smdng..gv her hs card..nd dy continued..blu bhsbd wmdw jefe..smdng smdng..pure safar me upar,ncihe side se bengali sunke pak chuka tha..and nw assamese too..awsm.. d fog ws at its best. i did tink of getting dwn couple of times nd taking a cab..rchd delhi at 4pm.had lunch at a chinese rest .wnt to india gate latr.india ggate ws good.dnt gt ny patriotic kinda feelin as rashi asked, but did get a good feeling being der. cdnt c nydng else due to d fog.the next day we wr supposd to go agra 2 c d taj nd do wah taj. :P got up at 330am to find out that the train ws 5hrs late (wch ws latr cancelled),the fog had left us with 0 visibility.nothing ws seen.smhw we rchd d highway nd strtf ollowing the cars ahead.d cabbie took us to bikaner house tellin ul gt buses to agra frm here.wn we got dwn ppl said u gt buses to rajasthan here as a mattr of fact.we took an auto, he took us to chandni chowk, to a travel agent.d guy said agra aaj band he.i ws surprised, hw cn a city b closed.sm vip function at taj mahal but still.. :P we cnfrmd it wt odr agent too. so wah taj karne ka sapna paani me..530am, visibility upto 50m, nd we wer at chandni chwk..chai piya nd wnt to a gurudwara in frnt of us.ws nice.my frst time.ws a bit tensd ki kch gadbad na kardu nd pit na jau sardaro se.almst did dt wn i read sm guru's name nd laughed. sm sujamal kinda name tha, jodha akbar ka sujamal yaad agya achanak..hehe..we dn wnt to red fort.we wr at d gate bt cdnt see it cz of d fog,gate ka foto liya nd agya..dn we spnt sm time in d metro.awsm.ekdum vides mafik.kabile taareef metro.. :) got down at d famous CP. had breakfast at McD nd left fr vasant vihar.we had to kill time nd movie ws d best way to do it.saw rocket singh.hall me dr wer only d 3 of us. VIP type feelin ayai.. had lunch at that mall nd left for qutub minar.nice place.purane raja log bhi awms buildings banaye the.again kabile taareef.. :)

[to be continued from chennai]

d nxt day had to catch a train to moradabad at 530.aaj to jyada fog hona hi tha.aaj highway pe bhi kch nai dikhrahatha.smhw d taxi driver took us .wahabhi khatrnk fog.cdnt c nydng fr more dn 40-50m. left fr station at 445 expcting my train to b on time,cz last 1week it had been on time.i ws tinkin ki it ws jst a special train, hw cn it b on time wn all odr trains r late or cancelled.i gt d ans d day i travelled.but usidn 1hr late tha..wch ws decent considering that trains wer min 5-6hrs late.d pilot ws awsm.wo masti me apna chalta tha.mtlb nai use fog nd visibility ka, horn non stop marta tha nd chal deta tha.it ws on odrs part to move away frm d track,rajdhani should hire him. :) d initial plan ws dt ki hum usdin wala hi safari karenge bt dn seein dt all r reachin late we thot wel stay inside(dhikala-best place in jim corbet to stay) nd go for safari on 8th.we rchd moradabad at 1030.ate nd took a cab fr ramnagar at 145.rchd dr around 330.we got 2rooms at dhikala fr 5.d pblm ws odr 5 wr reachin late. wn we found dt d room charges we 5k nd also dt we wont be able to see d odr 5 at safari d next day, we decided that we will stay outside wt dem.canclld d room nd wnt to a motel near by.it ws good.tent nd camp fire nd ws cheap too. d cab driver took us on a safari dt evenin at 7.we saw deers.it ws exciting as it ws our frst animal.latr dy lost der value as saale har jagah dikhrahethe.we stoppd d gypsy at a place nd drank.mast jagah thi.neeche nadi upar hum..:) we wnt back, camped nd strtd drinkin..the 10 of us wer animesh,nitin,paroksh,anurag,saket,rajesh,pratik,ravi and akshay.drank nd ate a lot.bt chadi nai cz it ws freezing cold der.phat ke hath me agyi thi.d last time ds term rchd d height in my life ws wen i ws in 9th nd ws about to be rusticated. ds time it ws worse.new height achieved by the term :P..ws wearing 2half sleeve t-shirt,1full t-shirt,1shirt,1-baniyan,1-jacket.fir bhi fat rai thi.imagine hw cold it wd hv been.d next day wnt fr a walk nd also to take print out of our retrn tikt wt anurag nd animesh.d walk ws nice, thand me.had samosa,gajar halwa,tea,jalebi.ws a nice exp.nw it ws time fr d safari..we hired two gypsys..strtd d safari at around 2.. thode door jate hi ek mast jagah thi..kind of an elevated place wt d river view niche ki aur and d odr end also had jungle. we wer lookin at the deers wen we suddnly heard a roar. we halted and aftr smtime we hear 2 roars. d guide told it ws d tiger mating roar.awesome..halka sa roar tha but jungle goonj utha..paroksh at that moment askd"do dy use protection?" hehe.. it ws funy.i sugstd we wait.sex ke baad pani pine to aaenge nadi main..hehe..guide told ki a tiger cn have sex 75times a day..awesome capacity.. tiger is my sex god.. i wonder hw mch cn a lion do.. thode der wait kiye we gt restless nd moved on..kafi lamba programme tha tiger couple ka nd we dnt wana distrb.. bt it ws a bad decission..aage bs hathi,langoor,murgi dikhe..overall the safari ws good bs tiger bhi dikh jata to maza aata.. we rchd bk around 6..hisaab nd all hua nd odrs left..bs hum 5 the..our train ws at 950, station jake pta chala 1hr late..we wer worried wdr wel rch delhi alive cz sleeper me tha tikt.. i ws wearing 1 banian,1 inner,2tshirts,1shirt,1jacket..fir bhi thand se kaap rhatha..station me ek swedish uncle mile..he ws in india frm 60's..he spent his honeymoon in srinagar..bht jalaya wo hamari..few of his dialogues jisne hamari jalaai:

1)i saw 3 tigers yesterday (y dnt we go yestrday :( )

2)i have seen 9 tigers here in total (tigers bi saale firangio ko darshan khoob dete hai)

3)everybody i meet in india is an engineer nd ds smdng wt computers

4)we r 9million ppl nd we hv to compete wt all u

5)i saw bengal tiger in sunderban

6)i hv been to ranthambore, nice place..u shud go

that ws it..the train came nd we departed..kch der baat kiya..latr al decided to snooze..mine ws upper..raat bhar dhangse sonai paya..bht gandi thand thi..i ws tinkin ki il die..bachunga nai..fir dn thot ki aur kya pehnu..itna to pehna hu..ndng cn be done..jo hoga dekh jega..latr i found dt all odrs wer tinkin d same..rchd delhi around 540..gurgaon gya nd slept..woke up at 12..left fr chennai at 8..flite late by 30mins..rchd chennai at 11..ekdum man nai tha aaneka..chennai,logica,garmi yai tha man me..i got d last row in flite..evry 5mins sm1 wnt to d loo nd d flush sound dstrb my peace..d seat vibratd too..cdnt sleep.. came to receive d luggage on belt 5..man me tha ki time lagega..usually mere sath hota hain..bt to my surprise d 3rd bag ws mine..i cdnt believe my eyes..bt den there u go..it ws so hot in chennai dt i had to remove all but 1 tshirts..mera bas karta to wo bhi utaar deta..

so that is it.. 4 metros, 9states, lotsa love and whisky, little adventure, few chopas, frozen ass, 0 visibility nd finally chennai...my trip ends.. i feel it ws a dream.. hope logica shuts down soon :)

From pondy to Kolkata

COMING SOON...will it ever? :P

a gr8 beginning to the diwali weekend... ma trip to pondy

Back after a long break........
ma last trip to pondy.......
it was an experience... a bitter and tiring one.. i strtd from office at about 415 430..it ws raining from 2 non stop. roads wr flooded.. rchd ramapuram quickly,tnx to GIK, our admin, he dropped me at ramapuram. stood dr fr 30mins waitin fr share auto.no 1 ws willin to go. guindy ws flooded nd jammed.. auto guys wr askin fr 200 300...finally i got a share auto nd he took us by anodr route.. via olympia tech park.wt normally takes 15mins took 1hr..530 i rchd olypia..had to gt down nd push the auto.. water touching ma knees.. i could c a street frm dr wr watr touchd chest level.. i left d auto nd crossd the road as the buses to pondy could be caught at the odr side of the street.. while i crossed i realized water level ws thigh high. i felt as if i ws caught in a flood..orissa or bihar werevr..bt it ws pathetic.. 530 i boarded the bus drenched...just 2 ppl standing i ws one..it ws really frustrating...by walk frm olympia to le royal meridian, it used to take 10mins max...dt day i rchd le meridian by 730... d bus just dnt move..while i ws smwr between iit nd guindy..the bus again caught in a nvr ending jam...i got down..i met a guy in a cab..he had to catch a flight at 830..it ws 730..he ws tensd..he askd me wdr he cd rch..i said no chance..u btr reschedule ur flight.. he ws cursing the traffic..he 2 had strtd at 430 like me.. poor guy...
frm guindy to iit in share auto 10mins...dt day 1hour and 30mins.. i rchd iit by 9...to top it ma cell wnt out of battery charge.. by the time i rchd tiruvamyur the bus ws packed.. no space to move ur feet 2... 4 hours in bus nd i ws still smwr near vgp.. wt usually takes 1hour frm ramapuram.. i saw the time when we reached kalpakkam 1015...i knew it ws andr 1hr15mins..i ws alrdy dead.. back ache, knees pleading fr help nd support.. i ws helpless.. cdnt do mch.. i rchd pondy by 1130...gt dwn took an auto drctly.. 10mins by walk..bt i dnt hv the strength to even stand.. rchd home nd i fell.......................................................heaven...ma knees wr happy...back ws pleased... felt as if i i came from bangalore to chennai standing... hell of a trip....