Popat Jhala Rey...

From the time when I started my journey to London and amidst making lists of “what-to-do” and “what-not-to-do”, one thing that constantly sprawled my mind was to see the “London Stock Exchange” (LSE), I am kind of obsessed with stock markets. Also, a close friend cum stock market analyst partner of mine had battered enough LSE into minutest of my brain cells. I had to see the London Stock Exchange, one of the largest stock exchanges in the world!

My busy and tiring schedules kept pushing my LSE plans away, and they had now drifted so much that the expiry day, last Thursday of the month, was fast approaching :-]. I had to close my call, not that I would have been indebted to huge sum, but rollover is something which I had never practiced.

Tuesday morning (yesterday), I decided that I will go and see the London Stock Exchange. Out of terrible excitement and curiosity to see the London Stock Exchange, I had finally located it on the road map. In the evening, after completing my day’s work, a little earlier than the usual time, I started walking towards the LSE. I had no clue where I would be landing, yet I stared walking in the direction that seemed to be the easiest; walking in the obvious direction is a rare possibility, as my aptitude for navigational signage-map directions-road orientations is pathetic. Cruising through the lanes across and near London Bridge, gazing at the architecture around, and exchanging few smiles with the hurriedly walking people, I walked to my will, frequently looking at the map, which at some points made no sense to me. The weather was pleasant and the cold breeze didn’t make me feel tired; it was somehow an enjoyable saunter.

St. Paul’s Cathedral was a significant landmark; the map showed that the LSE was just behind the St. Paul’s Cathedral, and near some Paternoster Square. I reached St. Paul’s Cathedral (the Cathedral is huge and amazing), and again started taking turns around it trying to locate the exchange. Some signs showed that I was in the Paternoster Square but I could nowhere find the LSE. I stared, in confusion, at the various structures there.

“Aya hoon toh dekh ke jaaonga”, I thought and in utter desolation I walked up to a guard and asked him about LSE’s location. “Sir, this is very much the place you are looking for. That’s the building; it’s the London Stock Exchange”. I turned to the direction of his finger tip; I was standing right at next to the LSE. “Chaila, jhala ka popat”, popped off my lips looking at that glass building that looked more like a shopping center (yes, they do trade there..but…), for me it nowhere looked like a stock exchange, perhaps I was prejudiced with what our Bombay Stock Exchange looks like. So what!

The BSE indeed looks awesome and is noticed quite significantly the moment you enter South Mumbai; it forms a part of Mumbai’s wonderful skyline. Wandering around BSE is an amazing experience; I get a different kind of high in that vicinity ;-).

I was so terribly depressed and embarrassed looking at that shiny LSE structure, I had traced it with so much excitement and high hopes, all in despair though.

Another such awful popat experience was visiting the Buckingham palace. Trust me, our Mysore Palace looks much more artistic and architectural than this abode of Her Highness, at least I did feel so. Look up Google images and find it for yourself :-D