Last Sunday, despite my tight schedule, I made it a point to visit Mahim, Tulsi pipe road where a 2 day Wall project was happening in Mumbai. In case you are not aware of, the project was scheduled for 15th and 16th August, 2009 to commemorate our Independence day.

The project is brainchild of some enthusiasts who could not see this wall (from Mahim to Dadar running along the western railway line in Mumbai) becoming an open urinal & a place for paan spitting. They approached BMC and offered their services to paint this stretch.

BMC agreed,  provided Read the rest of this entry »

– Now we have a doctor playing tennis. I mean Dr Sania Mirza.

– Saina is going to Malaysia to play in World Super Series Masters. Note the spelling.

– Parvathy Omnakuttan is world 1st runner up.

– Girls now do not want IT guys as their life partners. I think they read my post. Girls, go for army men !!

Photograph Copyright : Cuckoo

— I read this wonderful letter, obviously in Marathi to dear Raj Thackeray. He doesn’t seem to understand any other.
Dear readers, if you understand the language, enjoy it. And no, I will not translate it for you. Reproducing the first 2 lines here.

“priy raj thackeray,
me tumhaala priy mhantey hyaacha artha asaa naahin ki tumhi malaa priy ahaat. me zari osama bin laden la patra lihile tari hi priy osama asech suru kareen.”.

Hmmm, maybe I’ll translate this bit, just this bit. OK ?

“Dear Raj Thackery,
I addressed you as dear but that does not mean you are dear to me. If I were to write a letter to Osama bin Laden, I would have started in a similar way.”

– Read Firoze Shakir’s poems for policemen of Mumbai and others. He had left the links on one of my posts. Thank you Firoze saheb. Shukriya.

http://www.firozeshakir.com/?p=4372
http://www.firozeshakir.com/?p=4392
http://www.firozeshakir.com/?p=4393
http://www.firozeshakir.com/?p=4396
http://www.firozeshakir.com/?p=4397

– India won the test match. Yayyy !! It was Dhoni’s 4/4 and despite centuries in both the innings, Andrew Strauss’s innings was overshadowed by Indians.

I think in first inning Dhoni & Harbhajan’s partnership played an important role otherwise we would have had to face a challenge of 450+ runs. India’s second innings had highlights of three players.. .. Sachin’s 41st century with the winning stroke, Yuvraj’s confidently cemented place in Test matches and our Jaat yamla pagla diwana Viru’s whirlwind inning which also won him Man of the Match award. It was him who showed others that the match can be won instead of a boring draw.
I particularly liked his first six which was over point area.

I very much remember one of his interview a few years back (when he was not so confident with his spoken English). He was asked how he plays such carefree innings. He had replied casually in simple words “Mujhe to itna pata hai ki agar ball mere paas aati hai to mera kaam hai use boundary ke bahar pahunchana, wahi uski sahi jagah hai”. Arrey shabaash mere Viru !!

Non-Hindi readers, please excuse me on this… it is difficult for me to translate all yamla, pagla, diwanas.

– Musings is also heading for a double century. Just one short.

Yayyy ! In fact, double Yayyy !!

Current Song:- Haye Haye Ye Majboori, Ye Mausam aur Ye Doori - Lata

Today I read a post on superstitions on Bellur’s blog.

Hmmm.. Nothing new about it. I know people are superstitious but looks like this mini train doesn’t want to be left behind.

Have a close up. I clicked it on my way to Elephanta caves.

Note:- In India people hang lemon & green chillies in their vehicles to drive away the bad omen.

Technorati Tags: India India Shining

When Abhi replied to a query of Confused Sam on my other blog, it reminded me of a small town called Ghoti. This picture was taken at the same place last year on Diwali day. As we were stuck in a traffic jam, I had nothing to do except click click click..
It was nice to see the vibrantly coloured Indian deities on a hand-cart getting sold for as less as Rs 25.00.

Current song- Aicha, Aicha, Passing Me By – English version

Technorati Tags: India India Shining

Have you ever traveled like this ?
Imagine waking up on a Monday morning in Chembur, Mumbai to find a massive Boeing 737 parked calmly outside your house !!

Yes, it’s true !! A scrapped 75-foot-long Boeing 737 belonging to India’s private airline Air Sahara, minus its nose, tail and wings and placed on a trailer, has been parked in on the Chembur road off the Mumbai Pune highway when it was en route to Delhi.

The plane has become the centre of attraction with people coming from all over the city to take a look.
The common people have been fascinated with planes and never seen one so closely so it is fun to see an airplane on the roads when one is only used to seeing cars and auto rickshaws.

Not only them, some homeless people found a better use of it by converting it to a makeshift kitchen. And some even strung a clothesline where the plane’s wings once were.
The quick ones with business mind found an opportunity to whisk away some parts of the plane until the police arrived yesterday to guard it and cover the luggage hatch with a piece of cloth.

Well, it all started at about 3 am on Sunday when the driver of a giant trailer carrying the fuselage of an Air Sahara plane out of the city asked for directions to the Mumbai-Pune highway. The aircraft was headed for Delhi where it will reportedly be used at a flight training academy.

Someone pointed the driver towards a left turn, which he trustingly took, only to end up driving past Duke’s factory at Chembur to a point of no return. Entering a road off the main highway, the driver found himself hemmed in by two-storey buildings, garages and small shops, unable to turn the 75-foot monstrosity around. After that all the three people (driver, cleaner, helper) fled from the scene.

And the Mumbai’s Traffic Police seems to be at a loss as to how to move the mammoth aircraft, which is sitting on a trailer wedged in a bylane off the Eastern Express Highway, with hardly any space to manoeuvre.

Yesterday evening i.e. on Thursday evening, the Traffic Police met with UTC Carriers who is transporting the plane to discuss how to move the plane from the location. The deputy commissioner of Traffic Police said it will be moved at a time when there is relatively less traffic, in all possibility at late night, and is likely to be taken to Khopoli.
However, the facts state otherwise, as the enormity of the aircraft and the width of the lane may make the whole endeavour a difficult proposition.
As the trailer blocks one lane there has been traffic congestion on the narrow road. Rush of onlookers have also been steady since the word of an unusual sight had spread.

I can not help myself saying “Ye Hai India Meri Jaan !!”

Current song- Run Away – Linkin Park

Technorati Tags:- Mumbai India India Shining

NO !!!

YES !!!

Technorati Tag:- India India Shining