The Aftermath : where are we headed ?

So today, the political cleansing is finished with Maharashtra CM's resignation being accepted by congress working committee. First, the Home Minister of India then Home minister for Maharashtra, and now the CM himself.
Great - ain't it ??


The main reason given for it : CM took his son along with ramgopal verma to visit Taj. Damn.. isn't the attacks itself a bigger reason ??



After 10 people from another country get into a financial capital of our country and create major havoc, killing more than 200 people ( i DO NOT believe any official figures for that matter ), injuring more than 500, damaging one of the beautiful structures of all times to a great extent - what we get as an immediate response, is resignations of the people who should be shot in their balls ASAP.

W O W !

What will happen to the people from Intelligence bureau/ Police/ Army intelligence who daftly ignored whatever information they had abt the attacks ? I am sure there will be intra-department inquiries set upon them ( which will go on forever, and results unknown to public - if there be any ), further demolishing whatever career they have and blotting the 'reputation' of the force..

And look at the dearest politicians - they resign from their post taking up moral responsibility - and Voila ! they go scott-free, to contest for the same post in next elections for another term at power. And I have to admit with a heavy heart that, it is us to elect them again and again to power.


Why, I ask, these guys should not be tried in the court of justice for their mistakes ? Why shouldn't there be an inquiry set upon them by common people ? As a democratic country, it is our right to have the leaders answer our questions, and bear the wrath if we think they are wrong. Why not make these buggers who have gotten away with just their resignations face the real consequences ??

Actually, I feel these reignations because of the moral responsibilities is nothing but a way to run away from the situation, and not having the guts to face it and fight it back. And to top it off, once the resignation's accepted, these guys are free to say that they were not given enough time.
WTF ??


As a 25 year old adult, I feel its my duty to see that I don't vote for any tom, dick and harry the coming election. At the same time, its my duty to see taht the same old tom/ dick/ harry for whom i voted last year, knows the reason i am not voting for him again - All this in the hope that the younger breed of politicos learns from the shit these guys have created !!


Another question to which i can find no answer and see no hope to find one.
The "media" .. we have reached a level where the media - especially TV channels - has started thinking of itself as a Judiciary system in itself - Thus the vague commenting on each and every situation and passing judgments of left, right & centre, without much of a thought.

We really do not need media to comment on What's going on. We need it only to report What's going on, Period



Oh Last but not the least.

Dear ol' deputy CM and home minister of Maharashtra. R R Aaba ( आर आर आबा ) as he's fondly called by the 'media', You have been a wonderful speaker.
Thanks for the statement regarding the 26/11 incident being small.
It must have been a small incident for you as you were always surrounded by your regular set of 20 whatever security guards 24x7x365, but definitely not for the people who took bullets in various parts of their bodies and died.


Dear good ol' Pawar saheb - calling for and accepting the resignation of the dy. CM after 2 days of the incident was really a swift action from you. Thanks for that !


BTW, trying to save R R aaba's skin by saying that he had resigned immediately after the incident, while he himself gave a statement that there's no question of him resigning .. whose idea was it anyway ? a very bad one at that.. do you people think that there's even a tiny spec of credibility left with you so that we will trust your statements ?? tut.. tut.. NO WAY !!



Disclaimer : These are my personal views. I stand by them and believe them fully. And I dont think people from my age group would differ with my opinions/ views expressed here.
If you have read it till here, Thanks a lot !


PS: Something for the party that i had believed in.
Dear Thackerays - its high time to stop taking credit for saving mumbai. Please.

Change..

Change ..

From this..

















.
.
.
To this..
















.
.
.
.
... hardly takes a day, and a little different climate.
:D

Photoblog 2008 1.0

Come November, and a fresh, new year stares down at you..

At the wake of 2009, i better begin to post a few of my favourite clicks from 2008, thus the name : Photoblog 2008 1.0

i have been making it a point to cover vast and vague subjects in my photos.. though the primary subjects have always been Automobiles and Wildlife. Its just natural that you'll get to see lot of these in here..

oh and btw, Almost all of these pics are posted on my Orkut album/ Flickr album, but i dont think its any harm to post 'em up here too :D

Some Dragonflies on site :

Love the way its wings have turned out :












My favourite : Perched !














Hide and Seek ??







Whatchya lookin' at, Punk ??




















As i said earlier, widening the scope of my photography :

Fireworks on LaxmiPujan













Subtle..


















But back to my most loved subject : Cars !

Exuding Elegance..



















Watch this space. More later...

Omkara

Came across this beautiful song from Omkara - 'Naina' - written by Gulzar.

One of the absolutely well written, composed and superbly sung songs. Vishal Bharadwaj goes on amusing me everytime i listen to his songs. What kind of a mind boggling skill set does he have ? Story writing, Directing, Dialogue writing, Composing.. he's one intelligent person from the fillim industry i say.

I wont think twice before adding Omkara to list of the finest soundtracks in hindi movies. First Maachis, and now Omkara. Some of the awe-inspiring tracks in both movies - first one being 'Paani paani re', then 'Tum gaye sab gaya' from the same movie.

From omkara - it has to be the title track - what a song ! then 'jag ja' is one of my favourites. Superbly composed by V.B. and sung by Suresh Wadkar.

Check out lyrics of 'Naina' - goes on describing how deceptive eyes can be. So true ! ;)


Nainon Ki Mat Maaniyo Re
Nainon Ki Mat Suniyo
Nainon Ki Mat Maaniyo Re
Nainon Ki Mat Suniyo
Nainon Ki Mat Suniyo Re
Naina Thag Lenge - 2 Thag Lenge Naina Thag Lenge
Naina Thag Lenge Thag Lenge Naina Thag Lenge
Jagte Jaadu Phukenge Re Jagte Jagte Jaadu
Jagte Jaadu Phukenge Re Neenden Banjar Kar Denge
Naina Thag Lenge - 2 Thag Lenge Naina Thag Lenge
Naina Thag Lenge Thag Lenge Naina Thag Lenge
Nainon Ki Mat Maaniyo Re

Bhala Manda Dekhe Na Paraya Na Saga Re
Nainon Ko Toh Dasne Ka Chaska Laga Re
Bhala Manda Dekhe Na Paraya Na Saga Re
Nainon Ko Toh Dasne Ka Chaska Laga Re
Nainon Ka Zehar Nasheela Re - 4
Baadalon Mein Satrangiyan Bonve
Bhor Talak Barsaave
Baadalon Mein Satrangiyan Bonve
Naina Baanvra Kar Denge
Naina Thag Lenge - 2 Thag Lenge Naina Thag Lenge
Naina Thag Lenge Thag Lenge Naina Thag Lenge -2

Naina Raat Ko Chalte Chalte Swargan Mein Le Jaave
Megh Malhaar Ke Sapne Dije Hariyali Dikhlave
Naina Raat Ko Chalte Chalte Swargan Mein Le Jaave
Megh Malhaar Ke Sapne Dije Hariyali Dikhlave
Nainon Ki Zubaan Pe Bharosa Nahi Aata
Likhad Parakh Na Rasid Na Khaata
Nainon Ki Zubaan Pe Bharosa Nahi Aata
Likhad Parakh Na Rasid Na Khaata
Saari Baat Hamari - 2
Bin Baadal Barsaaye Saawan Saawan Bin Barsaata
Bin Baadal Barsaaye Saawan Naina Baanwara Kar Denge
Naina Thag Lenge - 2 Thag Lenge Naina Thag Lenge
Nainon Ki Mat Maaniyo Re
Nainon Ki Mat Suniyo
Nainon Ki Mat Suniyo Re
Naina Thag Lenge
Jagte Jaadu Phukenge Re Jagte Jagte Jaadu
Jagte Jaadu Phukenge Re Neenden Banjar Kar Denge
Naina Thag Lenge - 2 Thag Lenge Naina Thag Lenge
Naina Thag Lenge Thag Lenge Naina Thag Lenge -2
Naina

songs update !!!!!

jaane na kahaan woh duniya hai
jaane na woh hai bhi ya nahin..
jahaan meri zindagi mujh se...
itni khafa nahi..

One word for the songs from Jaane tu..

B E A U T I F U L !!!

'kabhi kabhi aditi', 'kahin to..' and 'jaane tu mera kya hai' are worth addin up in the 'all time favourites' list i say

Another Lavasa..

A beautifully bright sunday - perfect setting for an early morning ride to lavasa ! :D

So i went ahead with another lavasa ride. Alone, but accompanied with the camera and a video shooting one at that.

I know it might sound pretty stupid to go for a drive all alone.. but somehow i enjoy that to a great extent. Just for the time that i get for myself - thinking about a lot of things, deciding a few - it just helps me clear up my mind of all the mindfuck that takes place in a week or 2. The sense of total freedom for those 2-3 hours is something i crave for.

On the 13th, it was a pretty much bright sunday - a typical day when you would love to hang around at a multiplex for a morning show followed by lunch - with friends or even may be with girl friend ;)

I had something bugging me since the 10th. So i thought of doin the drive all alone - had posted abt it on team-BHP, but it was just better that nobody really bothered to come :D

Started at around 7.15ish from home. Had expected to reach the Mutha ghat by 8.30 - considering the shortcut left turn rt after the ghat. Somehow i missed it altogether and went ahead via the Ghotawade industrial area road. It adds about 10Kms to the total distance but to be frank, It was all worth the longer route !! Somehow, there was no traffic on the roads - and i could easily cruise at 80-90Kmph continuously.

this 80 to 90 Kmph speedzone is somewhat my favourite.
First, Its fast enough to zip thru the scarce traffic of trucks/ buses/ six seaters.
Second, its really easy to speed up from this range without causing any stress on the engine in 5th gear.
And lastly, at 80-90Kmph, 1.4 tonner Corsa is pretty much controllable - even with hardest braking. Above that its a dicey situation - the car kinda swerves to sloping side of the road and not to forget the absence of ABS - wheels lock up really quick and it skids off.

Getting back to the ride,
reached ghat by 9.00 to see some 2-3 bikers resting in a lightly shaded area. Firstly, thought that the ghats are swarming with the driving school cars and thats the reason why the bikers look so frustrated :p . Thankfully, i saw just one driving school car up there that day.

Crossing mutha ghats at a constant speed of 70 - 80 Kmph is pretty much pleasurable. Though i was driving a bit slow cos of the handy cam stuck on dash, and recording every single bit of the ride. ** grin **
was a completely uneventfull drive till the Lavasa gate rt next to Temghar dam. At the gates, security guard stopped me and didnt allow me to go ahead, reasoning that some accident took place and road is closed. Damn i said and as no choice, turned back from there.

These guards are pretty nuisance at places like this. They wont allow to drive on the public part of the roads as well. And, as there have been some issues with bikers at the Lavasa roads, guards try to scare away anyone who looks even a bit suspicious.
( but the mumbai boys who came down for a drive on 27th had luck on their side - they were allowed inside lavasa city without any issues )

Turned back from the barricade - and switched on the handy cam once again.
Rest of the drive was a plain jane except for a unusual bird spotting. I had stopped for a photoshoot of the ride, and spotted a bird of prey sitting on dried out trees on the road side. clicked some snaps and later it was id'ed as a Kestrel. Took some photos of the car and started on my way back.

Some of the snaps

the steed..











The Kestrel



















The Video :


Putting a perfect end to this ride was coffee and sandwich at Jijai @ chandni chowk. Some bikers were resting there - mostly RSA - but didnt bother to disturb them.

PS : Reaching back home in time was necessary to ensure a superb lunch cooked by mom - and i did reach in time ! :D

Waiting for another 'perfect' sunday morning - only to grab the cam gear and run away to lavasa for a drive !

life partner

life partner..

so many questions when you search for one..
so many answers when you find the one..

there are mainly 2 types of people..

the first types are mainly good thinkers. they try to atleast know the both sides of a coin.. understanding both sides is a step further, but even trying to get to know them is good enough.

they wear clear glasses, looking at the world.

the second type - always look at people/ situations in monochrome.. dont care to know both sides.. their opinions prejudiced.. stiffers i would say..

they wear single coloured glasses..

Its in your hands to decide, what type you wanna be.. go try out both types and you will find out. I did.

Backyard Drama : act 1

Our garden has been a happening place since last 2-3 years. The regular visitors include a gang of hanuman langurs, a coupla mongoose, Sunbirds and mainly, the Shikra. There are times when i have spotted it perched on a mango tree on the right side of my rooms window.. Rarely, it prefers the dwarfed chikoo tree.. And luckily, the Act 1 of the whole drama was staged right on the chikoo tree..

this Shikra ( Accipiter badius ) comes visitng our backyard every now and then. But this day was special. It came down for lunch -- yeah -- it had caught upon a small pigeon and came down in the backyard to finish it off...

Now, crows - as we know - are very cunning and keen observers. Somehow one of the hundreds that dwell around my house, spotted this bird carry the delicious lunch ;)... and followed it with his own gang of croaks..

when i spotted it, there were about 4 crows surrounding the shikra and trying to snatch the meal away. Shikra kept holding on and on.. And then, out of a dark corner of our neighbour's storage shed, a cat appeared. This cat - must've been starved for a day - set its eyes on the pigeon and sat rt beneath the branch where the protagonist of all this drama was perching.

As always, i went clicking at the shikra as well as the cat.. till the shikra got bored of me and flew away with the catch ( i just hope he defended his meal successfully )
few more pics of the same drama :

the hopefuls :

mis-conceptions...

it all started when a friend of mine, commented in a very casual way that it must be really easy for you to develop your career as your dad has a good set up..
wth ?

Main reason : gen gap. Its really hard for people from the earlier gen to accept the new trends.. and somehow, that poses as the main hurdle. May be its the reluctance towards trying new ways of doin things - जैसे चलता आ रहा है वैसे ही चलने दो type of thinking

or may be its the fear of trying something new.
Its really out of my scope of understanding, that in India - this kinda mentality has the max presence. Not saying it doesnt exist in other countries but in here, its really too much. Then again, the risk factor pops up - just one question that turns the whole new idea off - can you risk it ? - whoosh - its definitely a goner after this !
May be i am generalizing a lot but it happens with almost 99% of the older gen.

The second reason : meetin up the expectations -- this part kicks the butt.. expectations are such that we are assumed to be knowing every trick of the tread, and any job should not feel difficult for us..
Nothing is impossible, but still there are hurdles to be crossed everywhere.. and most annoying ones in the smallest of the details.
its really common for the older ppl to say - we could do it with limited resources - why cant you ?? Or mostly its more like: if i can do it, why cant you ?

what they dont understand is that the scenario is changed beyond recognition.. the kind of work they used do in there prime, has evolved so much that

third reason why i say its much difficult to work on a previously set business - if it was something completely new thing to start on - its really easy to build it up on your ideas. Working with an older idea - which has been worked upon for sy 20 years - and taking it to the next level - that is something really challenging. 

Why cant they understand that there are certain things you cannot go on doing the old fashioned way. Its a continuosly evolving world out there - and changing according to the times is something that we cant afford missing..

amidst all this, accepting all this as challenge and working towards the goal excites me more than anything.. its like swimming against the current - you just cant give up - unless you are a totally un-ambitious ass - i say its bloody fun to try convincing the older gen..


And i am sure all of us are gonna be goin thru the same phase with our kids :-p - so until that moment arrives - work on !

first post of the new year... lets start with some photos

The road ahead...


Today was one of the best sundays.. after a lot a days ( months i should say ), i was out for bird-watching. ( not the walking ones.. LOLz )
Went over to Veer dam near Shirwal to catch a glimpse of few migratory birds.. esp ducks. There was a lot of driving around to find the right spot ( as usual :P ) and a lot of off-roading too :D ..

Spotted a few Brahminy Ducks and few Bar headed geese. Nice sight to watch i must say. Also, got real close to a Prantincole..
All in all, a nice, sunny sunday morning - very well spent ! And i just realised that this, was after a very long time ! Loved it !

Now i better let the pics speak :

Getting close to a cactus :
its some kind of cactus .. was really a small one but the 70-300mm lens works wonders even if its old. This one turned out pretty good i say !

Kaun hai be ??
Some kinda Wagtail i guess.

Fumbled landing... the pratincole

finally landed..

thats all for now.. some more to come later on.