At Nivara one fine day...

Living in a metropolitan can be quite hectic sometimes. For one reason, you have a job that steals 10 hrs of your precious day (8 hrs in the job and 2 hrs in travelling considering the threshold value of traffic in Mumbai). Hence, you don't have enough time for your family. Two, your wife is associated with some social committee (the ones which are created by house-wives of a colony and apparently perform social work, but secretly organise kitty parties under the pertext of that cause). Therefore she isn't left with any time for the house hold chores after taking up the kid's homework. And finally, getting a maid or servant in Mumbai is very 'easy'. Whoever has said the famous idiom ''Dhoondne se toh khuda bhi mil jata hai....'' wasn't a resident of Mumbai for sure. So, my point is, the remaining four hours of your hopefully peaceful life are spent listeng to your wife, who keeps on harping on about silly problems.

I swear to God I tried my level best to get a servant and I found some, but demanding a price within which you can easily raise a kid. When I told this to my wife she came up with a brilliant idea. I tell you, women can come up with amazing ideas sometimes. I said sometimes. She said, ''Why don't we go to an Anaath-ashram and get a boy around 7-8 yrs of age ? One, it'll save our monthly charges of a servant, two, he'll take care of Rucha when i'm out, and finally, its easier compared to getting a servant.'' I actually liked the idea ! As it is there are thousands of homeless children in India so it wouldn't be difficult at all !

So, next week I was in 'Nivaara', an NGO which ran a small asylum for homeless children. I had heard they breeded stout kids. My wife had warned me to behave properly because if I let out even by mistake that I'm not in a mood to grow up a child of my own, they'd be reluctant to hand over any child to me. That's the reason why I didn't even tell them that I already have one baby girl at home.

''Its very kind of you Mr.Shukla. People like you exist, and this is the only reason why atleast some of the homeless children in India are fortunate enough to start their life with a new beginning.'' The chairperson,Mr. Ashwin Deshpande was speaking with utter gratitude. ''But I don't understand why you chose an elder boy? I mean you can very well grow up a small kid.''

''Well....errr...The thing is that...'' I was thinking of a good reason, ''Actually...I feel that he should know right from the beginning that we are not his real parents but are adopting him just for affection...Nothing else...'' I hoped that had satisfied him.I added,''Because,it seems the shock is traumatic when one fine day they come to know the reality. I've seen in movies - they are mentally shattered...'' I tried making it more reasonable.

''Oh,ya ya...No issues at all...Its in fact very good. Everyone takes small kids, and its a notion that the probability of a child being chosen by anyone is inversely propotional to his/her age.'' He turned around, ''Aho Joshi, kiti vel lavtay...Sahebanna jaychay...'' Then he turned to me, '' It'll take just a few minutes Mr.Shukla.''

Then Mr.Joshi emerged from inside with a wheatish skinned boy, the one I had chosen the day before. He had a finally-I-got-my-chance look on his face. I had partly started feeling guilty because I knew that once he comes home, his expectations are going to be crashed. At this moment he didn't even know what was in store for him. Poor guy, I really felt sorry for him. By now I was getting pushed into a dillema as in to take him or not. I didn't want to screw his remaining life. Maybe some genuine person might come some day, who'll really give him the love he deserved...!

Mr.Joshi interrupted my thoughts, ''Say hello to Papa,Ratan..'' he was saying to the boy. Ratan was giving me a blank look. That intensified my guilt even more.
''Ye papa thodi hai,'' he said in a monotonous tone, ''ye toh malik hai...''
I was shocked !
'' Boliye malik,kya kya kaam karna hoga aapke ghar me...? Kapde,bartan, jhadu-ponchha,baccho ka khayal rakhna...Itna hi ya aur bhi kuch baki hai?''
The three of us were watching the scene with awe.''Nahi beta,aisa kyu keh rahe ho?'' It was Mr Joshi who spoke.
'' Isiliye toh aate hai ye log...Aajkal naukar kaha milte hai aasani se...Boliye malik...sabzi lana,kachra fekna,bathroom saaf karna...Karunga,saare kaam karunga...Yahi toh meri kismat hai...Sab kuch mehnat se karunga...Par meri ek ichha hai malik?'' There was silence. I was filled with grief.With lots of effort I managed to say,''What?''

'' Kya main apko Papa bula sakta hoon..?''
Those words struck my heart like a thunderbolt. When the heart overflows, the eyes water. I went over to him, knelt down, and gave him a big bear hug. He embraced me equally tightly. The feelings at that moment were inexpilicable. It was as if I had found my own son. Lene gaya tha naukar, beta mil gaya.
''Dhoondhne se toh khuda bhi mil jata hai...'' Sahi kaha tha kisine....!


Short story by Rohan

Music on wheels

Its been over a year I am in Mumbai and its not a new thing for me when I see beggars on stations and public places. I've become kind of immune to the fact that they are poor, suffering a lot, etc...etc...I've stopped showing sympathy to them.

But what happened last week was something that I had never thought of. I dropped mummy in Koyana express and was going to class from Dadar to Andheri. On the next station a teenege boy boarded the train with a big box-kind-of covered with a shawl. Two girls of around the same age followed him in the compartment. In a split of a sacond he settled himself down on the fourth seat and unwrapped his treasure. It was a harmonium, an old one. One of the girls took out a 'dafli' with ghongroos on its perimeter and both of them started adjusting their instruments. And then they started playing a song together : 'Shirdiwale saibaba...' a common one amongst the beggars. It wasn't a new thing for me and normally I would have ignored them, but the fluency in his fingers made me glance at him through the crowd.

I was standing in the door until then, but now went over to him. You won't believe this guy was playing the hrmonium at thr rate of 6-8 keys per second and I'm not exaggerating. I had never seen anyone playing it at that speed and so perfectly. Along with that he was singing and the girls were giving chorus. The girl's fingers too were hiting the 'dafli' as though they were made of spring and not bones. The trio was playing such amazing music together that I just couldn't help myself from enjoying. My hand automatically went inside my pocket and I removed a Rs.10 note and handed it to the girl. She took it gratefully, touched it to her forehead and lips and kept it in her pocket.

They played two three sogs in a row, each time giving me a fantastic musical experience. I don't know much about music as in the sur, taal, pitch, scale, raag, etc. but what I knew was it 'felt nice to the ear'. I found myself tapping to the beats. These guys, without any proper training, can play so beautifully that they could easily oerpower today's leading music-makers if provided with proper guidance.

They don't have any resources, and yet they are utilising their skill to the fullest and how lazy I am to explore my qualities in spite of getting all the luxuries in life! I just hope that someday, some concerned person, with a love for music sees them and hears your performance and adopts them so that the nation won't be deprived of these good musicians in the future. Because if I would have had a lot of money, that would be the first thing I would have done. The train arrived at Santacruz station and they got down and climbed the next compartment. I did the same.



.....short story by Rohan.

Bad n worse

26/11.....About a yr ago. I jus came home 4m colg in d eveng n my cousin ws watching d news. TAJ ATTACKED....NARIMAN HOUSE, TRIDENT, CST RAILWAY STN, firing n bombarding....I was shocked.....Mumbai was witnessing a terror attack. But wat i saw nxt caught my breath somewer in d middle of my throat - A BOMB EXPLODED IN A TAXI ON THE WESTERN EXPRESS HIGHWAY NEAR VILLE PARLE KILLING 5 AND INJURING 12 OTHERS.... I froze. It was the same route I took everyday n i was on dat road about an hour ago. The death meter was increasing by the minute. Every half an hour it scrolled below the TV screen - 21 dead, 35 dead, 60 dead. It wouldn't stop. Ppl were scared of leaving their homes. No one even dared to step on the roads. Those morons were busy killing people as we kill ants wid baygon. High alert, network jammed. U didn't kno where ur family n frnds were. Were they safe....? Panic had gripped the city.U neva kno wen u'll get a call saying ur mom, or dad, or bro/sis, or some frnd has not yet reached home. Fear was dwelling in the minds of each n every person. It took 60 long hours to overcome the diasaster. Finally it was the victory of the soldiers n the demise of the attackers. Bt at d cost of so many civilians n our brave officers.
Two days later I visited the Taj....a heritage monument, a symbol of national pride was all black wid soot on one side. It was a dark spot on the face of Mumbai.


Today I was watching the news. SWINE FLU OUTBREAK IN PUNE. 10 dead in India out of wich 6 r frm Pune. Hundreds of suspects found in Pimpri Chinchwad itself. Hostelites r fleeing to their hometowns in large numbers. Buses trains overloaded. Tickets not available. Schools, colleges declared off for a week. Malls, multiplexes closed down as preventive measure. Evry 24 hrs the no. of ppl detected ws increasing exponentially. Its an airbourne disease, so u don't have much chance if u accidentally happen 2 jus speak wid an affected person. N by the time u come 2 kno, the virus is already in ur system. N the thing is u can't do anything except wearing masks. Even wid masks hw cn u say the virus is 100 percent obstructed....? U jus can't stop it 4m entering u if u come in its vicinity. Ppl were dying rapidly.
I realised this ws worse than the terror attack. Atleast dat ws over in 2 n a half days n that's that. Routine life resumed. Plus ppl in a specific location were in danger. This is somethng wich is spreading over the entire nation. N God himself knows wen it will stop. The panic in ppl's mind is reaching the zenith. I mean, imagine ppl dying like hell all over the country n u jus can't do anything abt it. It reminded me of the plague epidemic that broke out in the 19th century in the reign of Rand. I pray 2 God this doesn't reach dat extent. Well, dats d only thing i can do....

I am going home 2moro. Ppl r advising me aginst it. Pune has become an epicentre of d disease. Bt hw cn I stay here in Mumbai wen all my family n frnds r in Pune....? Isn't it cowardly 2 hide myself in Mumbai jus bcoz I shoudn't be affected...? N wat if my mom, dad or sis falls ill....? I can't jus sit here n watch d show on tv....It feels helpless. I need 2 go 2 pune. I jus need to. It's my birthplace. It's where i belong....I jus can't see it been devastated. I'm taking d 1st train out of here n do watever i can to help my ppl.....

Recession blues....

I neva knew hw badly d recession hs affected India until I met dis person d other day. He ws an average looking man in abt his late 30s. I met him on d train while returning 2 pune 4m mumbai.

At first I dint even notice him as I ws busy reading a novel I hd jus bought in Dadar. Bt soon I ws bored n I closed it. It ws den dat he broke a conversation wid me regarding wer I live n wat I study. I told him I lived in Pune n studied animation in Mumbai.

''Gud yaar....Its got enuf boom these days...'' he said.

Thru d conversation I came 2 kno dat he ws a resident of Pune itself n a computer engineer graduated abt 13 yrs ago 4m COEP - which is d best engg college in d city. He hd worked wid leading companies like TCS and Persistant. Nw I started taking sm interest in dis man. He looked quite qualified, not wat I hd expected. I myself am a s/w engineer [ though jus for d namesake ] n I hv left d field coz of my interests in arts. Bt jus out of curiosity I asked him,

''Wat is ur salary sir....? Considering ur qualification n experience n d field....''

''65 thousand,'' he replied.

Ofcourse, dat ws expected. Bt wat he said nxt ws neither expected nor believable.

''Dat ws jus b4 dey fired me...''

I ws shocked.

''Ya,'' he confirmed. ''I am at home since d last 1 yr.''

At first I dint believe him. I mean hw is it possible...? I still get so many updates 4m Monster and Naukri regarding jobs in all d sectors - IT, operations, BPO, finance, database n wat not....Even my frnds who graduated wid me were joined 2 sm company or d other. And hw cn any company fire a qualified person like dis...?

''Sir if u dont mind can I ask u smthng ? Was der any specific reason y dey removed u 4m ur post...?''

''Nthng...'' he said, ''Absolutely nthng....One day my senior calls me in his cabin and hands me a piece of paper n says, 'Sign it....n dont cm 4m 2moro...' I open my mouth 2 ask WHY, bt b4 dat he says, 'U wont get even d written amount if u argue...So, samajhdari isi me hai ki jitna paisa de rahe hai utna le lo varna wo bhi haath se jayega...' dats hw things are....''

His voice ws weak. ''I've got 2 daughters. Their education, marriage. The installment of d home loan itself is 14,000...''

I felt bad, n even worse abt not being able 2 do anythng abt it. I realised it ws his ascent over d corporate ladder dat had ultimately caused his downfall...The company cn very well keep 10 freshers on Rs. 7,000 each if dey fire 1 person 4m d 70,000 league....n these freshers will be more dan happy wid dat 7,000 dey get n will work enthusiastically.

Wat has dis 'so called RECESSION' done to us....? Is it inapropriate to climb up d success ladder....? Is it unworthy to excel in one's job....? In other words one is not allowed to do his work properly...or else he will keep getting promotions n finally land up at home....God, save our souls....

Making frnds

What does it take to make a frnd....? Whenever u meet any new aquaintance wat is it dat comes to ur mind ?

Wat is it u behave like ? Is it d same YOU dat is wid ur old frnds or is it anythng different ?

I know we r no hypocrites....Bt somewhere, sometyms we tend to behave a bit more cool, a bit more trendy, specially wen d person is of d opposite sex n we unkowingly try to do things which will make him/her think abt us even wen we r gone....

Bt least do we kno wat it takes to be remembered is being urself....d way u r....d way u behave normally, ur same smile, same style, same attitude, same sense of humor, same chivalry....

Get dis straight frnds....U dont need to pretend wenever u need to make a mark. Understand dat its ur own uniqueness dat makes u stand out in the crowd....Luv urself, respect urself n learn 2 accept urself as u r.....

AND THE WORLD WILL BE UR FAN.....

Firodiya days

She was two years junior to me. As engineering students we shared a common phenomenon in us - do everything else possible except studies. Studies were meant for the PLs. She was in her second year and I was in my final. Being in the college for so long, yet we met in the last days when our college participated in the Firodia karandak one-act play competition. Those were by far the best days of my college life. We started practice rather late which meant we had to practice double. The result was, we ended up spending every waking hour in each other's company. We shared similar interests [for eg. both of us were awesome painters]. We bunked lectures together. We hanged out at the famous 'chai ki tapri' outside our campus.


Our wavelengths matched. And in such circumstances if an obvious spark of friendship doesn't strike, you need to have yourself checked by the psychologist. We were no exception. In no time we were seen together in the campus almost all the time. My friends had already started pulling my legs. But I didn't care, for we were just friends, but the best of friends. We didn't win the competition but surely made the judges think twice before giving away the trophy to another team, and that was itself an achievement for us debutants. Practice sessions were over and yet we continued hanging out. When everything is so perfect, you tend to believe that there is no vulnerability, there is no way things can go wrong. But one fine day I get an anonymous call saying, ''I am Janhavi's brother, and it would be better for your health if you keep away from her.''


I tried to figure out what was the matter by approaching her in college next day, but she refused to talk to me. I backed away not because I was afraid of that call, but because it was made with her consent. College is over and I don't know where she is, but I wish to meet her once to clarify that I wasn't upto any mischief. All I wanted was true pure friendship. Even today when I go to the same 'chai ki tapri' sometimes, he asks me, ''Kya re, aajkal Janhavi nahi dikhti tere saath....?''

Getting started...

Hello frnds....Now if u hv finished raising ur eyebrows, gaping at ur computer screen, n giving other astonished expressions....lets get back....Yes, Rohan has started a blog of his own.....I will be sharing some of my experiences, my thoughts, my thinking towards social, national, personal and emotional issues and will be more than pleased if u guys share ur views on them too....
The reason for choosing this blog title was that I am a budding filmmaker and things I will write here will be the same as anyone writes in his/her diary regularly....
So keep checking this space and I will get to u guys soon....Till then, keep rocking....