Just an FYI. Got a phone call from both the friends. They're safe, in another part of Mumbai. Luckily they'd gone to meet relatives in Andheri where they heard about the attacks. They decided to stay back so they're safe. 
I'm relieved.
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Mumbai under attack!
@ 2008-11-26 – 21:59:39
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Terrorist attack in Mumbai! Foreigner ALERT!
@ 2008-11-26 – 21:38:59
They seem to be asking for passports and picking their hostages. The best hotels of Mumbai are under terrorist attack and the police is unable to defend themselves or anyone. The best of the officers have been shot dead point blank.
Who ever is in Mumbai, please be careful. May God bless the souls of those dead.
These seem to be planned attacks since they knew which places should be attacked at what time and how. They have opened fire randomly and killed more than 120 people among which some are foreign nationals.
I'm worried about two friends of mine who live in South Mumbai. I only hope they are okay since I'm not able to get in touch with them at this point of time. For more news, check the link below.
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Inspired by QueeneMab- crowded local trains and Mumbai.
@ 2008-11-07 – 09:09:50
This is a sight of a local train in Mumbai- a local train packed to capacity, with people hanging out of the doorway, and perched atop the train. This is a sight most Mumbaikars are well accustomed to.
Emergence of BPOs (Business Process Outsourcing) and call centres in various parts of the city have generated an influx of people in search of employment the likes of which have never before been witnessed. Also, I think the population the traffic jams there induce the best of managers and local population alike to deviate away from taking the buses cars and choose trains. Result- you see jam packed metallic worms snaking through the city.
The strangest thing that Mumbaikars will tell you is that while you are here, you dream of packing your bags and heading to a lonely mountain peak; then when you're gone, you realise you cannot live anywhere else.
You are addicted to this one city of India where there is never any shortage of action — marathons in which 80-year-old participate, food festivals, art camps, exhibitions, parties and more parties, with the publicity machine in constant motion..not to mention the great Indian cinema that has its roots in Mumbai; Bollywood. Glitz and glamour are an every day part of Mumbai just like flooded local trains.For people coming from other cities, a ride on the local trains is scary. One needs to be an expert to travel in these trains at peak hours. Its a different kind of world altogether. You are left with your jaw hanging open when you see people entering and leaving a local train carriage during the morning rush hour in Mumbai.I believe you can actually judge how crowded Mumbai is when you look at the local train system of this city.
There's a lot that can be said about one's experiences on these local trains but let's say, you can find an pot pourri of feelings and people; romances budding, break-ups, quarrels, mothers and daughters-in-law fighting on the train, discussion on the latest drama in a particular TV soap, Sports discussion among men, financial analysts talking about how the market is crumbling and the losses they're incurring, hawkers, women selling sarees and salwar kurta, beggars, and ohhh.. so many other things! You'd find people who are ready to help you and you'd find people who'd not even let you stand on one toe in the train.
They say, Mumbai is as Mumbai feels for each individual - either you love it or you hate it. I know I'd never favour living in this city myself but I can't deny that it is revoltingly fascinating for all that it contains.
See y'all folks later!
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Small Talk
@ 2008-11-06 – 19:19:42
Don't know what to say at this moment. Thoughts are a jumble in my head at the moment with migraine catching up finally.*sigh*
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Obama and break-ups.
@ 2008-11-05 – 14:25:04
Not that they are both connected to each other but they're both topics I meant to cover in my post.
However I think, everybody must have seen enough of Obama on the TV today so I won't go into details of his win. Just say that he deserves this win and I hope he proves to be a strong and just Prez while solving heavy, crushing problems that are abound. However today, he should definitely celebrate the win with his supporters.
The speech he gave was heart warming and reflected determination of thoughts and deeds. For those of you who missed it, here's the transcript.
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/obama.transcript/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
Second was a letter that a friend sent me today- a link actually but I'd let you take a look at it yourself since he found it really funny. Just desserts would you say, after reading it?
http://www.bspcn.com/2008/11/02/best-kick-ass-break-up-letter-ever/
In other news, life is smooth sailing. Work progresses at a slow pace but I'm not complaining. Family is delightful and my nephew is an absolute joy of my life. Love makes my world go around-I received postcards today from my boyfriend and it made my day go brighter.
He'd posted them long ago but thanks to the Postal System, they reached me only today. Still-atleast they arrived!
In short, life is good with only a tiny snag- every one nagging me to get married soon
One day.. I tell them. One day, I will. 
I plan to study tonight so will come back later and read the delightful posts posted by my lovely blog friends.
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The festival season continues..
@ 2008-10-27 – 07:29:14
Festivities continue in the household as the biggest Hindu festival has arrived. We are celebrating Diwali this week.
Yesterday was the first of the five days of Diwali. Dhanteras is the thirteenth day of the waning moon where people buy gold.
Fortunately, gold rates dropped last weekend after so many months. You could see hordes of ladies at the jewellers' buying earrings, rings, necklaces, gold statues of ganesha and laxmi among other things.
No one looking at the crowd, at the jewellers' would say there was a market recession going on. *I wish I had enough money to buy a block and keep it aside for my future.
*I also helped mother make Diwali sweets at home yesterday. During lunch, we had something called LAPSEE. Lapsee is a typical sweet-dish to be made for lunch during Dhanteras. Nothing difficult; it is made up of wheat germ, ghee and jaggery with some almonds, cardamoms, etc thrown in.
Apart from that, we also made Gulab jamuns and Gujias which will be served to the guests along with other salty snacks. Both are standard Diwali sweets, made every year in our household. (Yippee! I'm here this year to enjoy them all.)
You can get gulab jamuns in the market at at sweetmeat shop but Gujia is best when made at home. It is relished and enjoyed all over the country. It is made on Diwali and on other festivals as well.
In some states, like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Punjab, the filling is made with sweetened khoya (milk thickened almost to a solid state) and nuts while in others like Goa, Andhra Pradesh, etc. it consists of shredded coconut, nuts and jaggery.
Here's the recipe. And oh! HAPPY DIWALI!
GUJIA
Ingredients:
* 500 gms all-purpose flour
* 6-7 tbsps of ghee (do not melt the ghee)
* Water
* 500 gms khoya
* 300 gms sugar, powdered
* 1 tsp powdered cardamoms
* A handful of almonds cut into slivers (add more or less as per your taste)
* A handful of raisins (add more or less as per your taste)
* Ghee for deep fryingMethod:
* In a flat dish, mix the flour and ghee to form a crumbly mix that just about holds together.
* Add water a little at a time and knead to form a firm dough. When done, cover the dough with a damp tea towel or muslin and keep it aside.
* Put the khoya in a thick-bottomed, wide pan on a low flame and cook, stirring frequently till it turns golden.
* Add the sugar, almonds and raisins and cardamom powder and stir well. Cook for another minute and turn off. Allow the mixture to cool.
* Divide the prepared dough into equal sized-portions and make them into balls.
* Roll these balls out into circles about 4-5" wide.
* Put a heaped tablespoon of filling in the centre of each circle and fold over into a semi-circle. Pleat the edges to seal and keep aside. Repeat the filling process for all the circles.
* Once all your dough and filling is used up, heat ghee on a medium flame and deep fry the gujias.
* Drain them on paper towels and store in an air-tight container. -
Nicked from a foward sent by the emptyhead
@ 2008-10-24 – 14:41:17
At least men admit to some of their inabilities. Here's an example.
Why men don't write advice columns:
Dear Walter,
I hope you can help me here. The other day, I set off for work leaving
my husband in the house watching the TV as usual. I hadn't driven more
than a mile down the road when the engine conked out and the car
shuddered to a halt. I walked back home to get my husband's help.
When I got home I couldn't believe my eyes. He was in our bedroom with
the neighbor girl. I am 32, my husband is 34, and the neighbor girl is
22. We have been married for ten years. When I confronted him, he
broke down and admitted that they had been having an affair for the
past six months. I told him to stop or I would leave him. He was let
go from his job six months ago and he says he has been feeling
increasingly depressed and worthless. I love him very much, but ever
since I gave him the ultimatum he has become increasingly distant. He
won't go to counseling and I'm afraid I can't get through to him
anymore.
Can you please help?
Sincerely,
Sheila
******
Dear Sheila:
A car stalling after being driven a short distance can be caused by a
variety of faults with the engine. Start by checking that there is no
debris in the fuel line. If it is clear, check the vacuum pipes and
hoses on the intake manifold and also check all grounding wires. If
none of these approaches solves the problem, it could be that the fuel
pump itself is faulty, causing low delivery pressure to the carburetor
float chamber.
I hope this helps!
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Gamers aren't anti-social freaks
@ 2008-10-23 – 15:02:47
Interesting piece of news I came across while randomly looking at the news.
According to a new study by Ipsos MediaCT, gamers aren't the socially awkward, people-shooting psychotics that society thinks they are. In fact, the study even claims that games are "more social, more active, and more valuable as consumers" than "normal" people.
Turns out that 55 percent of gamers are married, 48 percent have kids, and the average age of people who have started gaming in the past two years is 32. Seventy-five percent of gamers are the "social" kind, playing games with other people--both online and in person.
But that's just regular survey stuff. The crazy news? In a given month, gamers are twice as likely go out on a date than non-gamers.
So parents, if you're worried about your children losing their social lives with gaming, think again--gaming could actually get them off your couch, and into someone else's.
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Greenpeace needs to take a look at this!
@ 2008-09-25 – 09:03:21
Morari Bapu is also called a saint in the State of Gujarat.
What he does is this- he narrates the epic story of Ramayana, by going from place to place, trying to instil good values into humans today. He's been doing that for an odd 25 years or so. He's always been portrayed to be a humble, down-to-earth person, possessing no airs about the power he holds over people through his religious preachings, not just in India but over Indians all over the world.
Now normally, I scorn these guys who preach morals but are absolutely immoral in their own lives. However Morari Bapu has had a clean record for all these years so I guess, he must be genuinely a good human being who's out to do good in this world. His simple attire, simplistic way of living, his polite language, his acceptance of all religions only adds to his persona.
Without further ado, here's what the newspaper says about the deep impression he's left on the minds and hearts of fishermen on the shores of Saurashtra. Way to go Morari Bapu! Keep up the good work!
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Ahmedabad: For a fisherman, nothing is perhaps more painful than to let go of a big catch, especially if it happens to be a 30-feet whale shark that would fetch at least a lakh of rupees, perhaps more than his annual catch could fetch.
But if he releases the whale shark, he incurs a loss of Rs 40,000 as the net, which he cuts to release it, costs around Rs 60,000 and the state government pays him only Rs 20,000 as compensation. But that’s exactly what fishermen of Saurashtra are doing --often cutting their expensive nets and releasing whale sharks they once butchered by the hundreds as the gentle giants came to breed in the warm waters of the Arabian Sea.
On the face of it, behind this change of heart could be a ban on hunting of whale sharks. But the fishermen couldn’t have cared less for the law-if not for one man’s word of faith -- Morari Bapu.It happened after Morari Bapu was roped in by the forest department in 2003. The spiritual leader went to the sea off Dwarka and blessed a whale shark entangled in a net and said he wished the creature was left alone. The killings stopped almost immediately.
Bapu, who is known for his rendering of Ram Katha, started preaching the ‘whale shark katha’ making people aware of rules against killing whale sharks and also tugging at their heart string by making an emotional appeal.
“Whale sharks come to Saurashtra coast to give birth and end up getting brutally killed. He reasoned with the fishermen by comparing the whale shark with a daughter who comes home to give birth. He told them to take care of whale sharks like their daughters,” said an official.
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Attendance at a Read Meet
@ 2008-08-30 – 21:48:23
Today evening saw me meeting a delightful bunch of people from the creative community I've been associated with for sometime now.
It was a great surprise to find a creative community which met every month and encouraged new writers and poets, discussed things with an open heart and was open to new views and methods. In my city, it is a rarity indeed! I joined them while browsing the net and bumping on to a site called Caferati.
However I had been unable to attend the last three meetings due to one reason or the other. This month gave me a perfect opportunity to see what Caferati was all about.
Truthfully speaking, we are all a bunch of eccentrics in this city who have come up together to discuss our emotions and our thoughts. I liked each and every one I met today at this meeting. Some are great thinkers, some who work on that thought, some who are motivators and some who are observers.
Short stories and poems that they read opened a window and gave me a glimpse of something of their life. Some of it was shockingly violent, some touching, some absolutely hilarious and some... beautiful. No body was discouraged for their efforts. They were all praised duly and given subtle hints on how they could alter their reading piece to make it a master piece.
I wish there were more of such communities who would work and encourage new talent in my city. Alas! Everyone seems to be buried under a pile of responsibilities and work and only some are able to get out of that rubble and free themselves.
A particular piece that was read by a lady at the end of the meet was the one I liked the best. If she permits me, I'll put it up here. I think it is a must read for all as it talks about hope, perseverance and our own blindness towards things so obvious to everyone else but ourselves. It talks about nurturing the power of love in the soil of our souls.
I shall catch up on other blog posts as soon as I've had a minute. The last few weeks have been really hectic but soon I shall be "writing assignments" phase of studies and take a break.
I look forward to the next weekend when hopefully, happiness shall embrace me and kiss me with the tenderness and affection I long for. Perhaps time to live in fear is fading as courage puts forward his hand for me to hold. Should I take his hand, I wonder... is it really there? Do I dare?
