Facts n Fiction

Everything in and around appears so pleasant since last two days. Even as I traveled to office today there was a calming atmosphere all around. The rickshaw driver too experienced it and said to me while driving “Ganpati mein sab kaisa mast lagta hai na” (everything appears to nice/beautiful during Ganpati). And yes it was. Though I am not a hard core believer of religious habits (I am not agnostic either), I have always rejoiced the festival of Ganesh Chaturti . It feels really nice to behold beautiful Ganesh idols, enticing decorations, devout worshippers and cultural songs. I could not stop the urge of writing about this beautiful festival that overwhelms the city for 10 days. I began my fact collection about Ganesh Chaturti and sat to write. Everybody looks up to Ganpati for good fortune and protection. Ganpati is also referred to as Vighna Harta (Destroyer of all obstacles). Ganpati blends everyone and hence no activity (nothing for that matter) begins without alluding to Ganesh...

I received a SMS today morning from my friend asking me about my opinion on the sea water turning sweet. I was fast asleep and I did not have a clue as to what he was referring to. However, the curiosity did not let me sleep, as I was sure it had something to do with some breaking news in the city or in the country may. After gathering all the will power and determination I had I got up from the bed and switched on my TV. I quickly surfed to Sahara Mumbai news channel (guaranteed channel where you can find any overhyped news related to the city) to see if something was happening. It seems sea water near some darga in Mahim had suddenly turned sweet and the whole city flocked to taste that water. The news catapulted so quickly that even Mumbai Mayor went and tasted the water there. People were taking water home in bottles, polythene bags, flower pots, etc. Many attributed this change to some miracle and surprising some thought that it was due to divine intervention. I fail to understand...

I know it’s little too late to write about the supposedly most awaited blockbuster of the year – “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna” . After getting some immediate reviews from the victims of the show, I was dwindling between ‘watch’ and ‘don’t watch’. However, after much efforts and committed decision making I saw the movie (only to be disappointed ofcourse) only for SRK’s run with outstretched arms and Bachchan(s) effect. There were rumours that Karan Johar had matured and this piece of work is much different that his earlier works. Yes surely, none were as boring as this one. The movie does deal with relationships but were loose ended. Meaning extra marital affairs are definitely justified in the movie. However, there doesn’t seem to be strong reason enough for Rani or Shahrukh to fall out of their respective married lives. A loser SRK (in the movie) gives some sense of the protagonist Amitabh in “Abhimaan”. I would have instead preferred at the couples reworking their relationships to attain ...

Come September and you will something distinct in the means of transport for the Mumbaikars and rest. The long history of "Black & Yellow" taxis will fade away slowly, as these will be replaced with modern distinguished looking taxis with technological infrastructure and plush interiors. The project will be implemented in phases starting September. “The Mumbai Taxi Company Pvt. Ltd.” already has 60 permits for these taxis and the demo cabs are ready. The project named “Fleet Taxi Scheme 2006” will have white Maruti Esteems that will be converted to be used as taxis. Some key highlights of this new-age (atleast for Mumbai or India for that matter) cab are: Air conditioning Cushioned Seats Electronic meters Bill printing facility (with fare, time traveled, distance traveled details) Debit/Credit card swapper (to pay your bills) Mobile display unit in English & Hindi (for traffic related information) Support systems using GPS (to track traffic & alert about the tr...

Sunny Deol’s famous dialogue, “Tarikh pe Tarikh” from the movie "Damini" echoed in my ears after I read on CNN IBN website about ‘ 2003 Mumbai Blasts’ verdict getting postponed. After a long wait of 13 years when justice just seemed to dawn on Mumbaikars, the court adjourned the hearing till 12th September. The hearing was actually to take place today (10th August). The resident of the most bombed city, Mumbai, has another wait of about one month when the verdict process kicks off. Not many though were positive about today’s (10th Aug) hearing. The families and relatives of those killed or injured said they weren’t expecting too much out of the scene. And their despair came true by the evening of the judgement day. The then police authority, M.N.Singh rightly said that he was disappointed but not surprised by this delay, as he had seen many of these since day 1 of the trials. Mr. Singh and his team had cracked the blast case within a year i.e. by 1994. However, all that h...

I was watching the ‘KANK (Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna) Special’ promos on MTV and other exclusives about KANK that aired on a lot of channels. Amidst everything, one thing I noticed clearly and felt deeply was that I like something about SRK (Shahrukh Khan, for those of you who don’t know). Though I have liked him in ‘Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa’ and ‘ Swades’ I am not a SRK fan. I have been terribly bitten by film making and the venom is very intense (thanks to my wife, who kindled these instincts in me). I keenly observe the makings of movies, the reviews, and the movie itself (though not all). And all this has probably made me view SRK from a different perspective. As my wife rightly puts it about SRK and Karan Johar – “No matter how or what they are, they have the true sense of presentation in acting (SRK) and film making (Karan)” There was (and is) one thing that I definitely like about SRK – his style of running. Remember when he runs on the wooden bridge over the lake to meet his daughte...