LIVE from Mumbai VI

28th February
Nariman point
Mumbai

WARNING: the following post is purely a feminine one, about things that interest only women. If you’re a guy and are still reading this post, do it at your own risk. At the end of it don’t roll your eyes and say, “Women!”

So yesterday was our first Sunday in Mumbai. We’d been waiting for this day even before we came to this city. And it has nothing to do with the fact that this Sunday would mark our one week anniversary here or that we’d get a break from slogging at work. It has everything to do with what girls love most in this world. (Not every girl loves it, but most of them do) It’s a simple word. It’s a simple process. But it gives us immense pleasure and indescribable joy. Its our relief from pain, its our escape from stress, our remedy of a heart break, our medicine from sickness, our solution to every problem, our best friend, our lover, our life: SHOPPING.

Ok. So I sound like a total drama queen and you think I’m fit to star in those silly chick flicks like Legally Blonde and Sex and the City. But even though those of you out there who don’t enjoy shopping like me and my friends do, shopping in Mumbai is a different experience all together. And not those big store Prada-Gucci-Christian Dior shopping, mind you. It’s street shopping. And those of you, who come from smaller cities like me, will understand how much fun this experience can be. And how amazing it is when you don’t have to hunt for the things you want, but in fact have a wide variety to choose from.

So we were just two of us in Mumbai this weekend, and since we’d been waiting to go out shopping since forever, our friends not being home didn’t stop us from venturing out on our own.

We headed for Causeway in Colaba, since I’d had a glimpse of it last Monday when I’d gone to Mondy’s with a friend. Plus I’d heard great things about the place.

So from about 1 in the afternoon till about 6 in the evening, we rambled the streets of Causeway in the hot sun and crowded lanes, ignoring the loud noises, the sweaty people and our growling tummies (only for while though). The place, for us, is what Disney Land is for kids. There were clothes of every colour, shape, size, make, design, fabric, length, occasion, time of the day, part of your body (and I could go on).

Not to mention gorgeous footwear at an exceptional price. My friend and I went absolutely crazy! We tried to keep a control on each other and kept telling each other that it’s the first day of shopping, we’ll be back soon. So we don’t need to buy everything right then and no need to spend every rupee we had in our pockets. And even though we knew that, we still couldn’t help seeing all the things and going gaga over it all.

But I have to say, I’m proud of us. We didn’t buy unnecessary things (not entirely unnecessary things) neither did we spend all of our money. We bargained with all our might and self respect and bought good things for ourselves and our respective sisters. (It’s so easy to shop for girls. You know what’ll make them happy. Unlike shopping for guys, which is next to impossible)

So, without spending too much time on this post, I’d like give a few tips for those who decide to go shopping at Causeway:

• It’s a good idea to buy clothes and footwear here
• Jewelry is unnecessarily expensive ( will look for a cheaper alternative)
• Just because the seller tells you that his clothes are Remanika discards, and hence are expensive, don’t fall for it. Quote your price. If he’s sensible he’ll sell it to you. Both of you know that if you wanted to shop at Remanika prices, you would go to Remanika
• Just like all that glitters is not gold, all that is priced less is not of the greatest quality. You might find stalls that sell clothes/footwear at unbelievably low prices, but check twice before you buy it. There is a reason its being sold at a cheaper price

Another fun thing we did yesterday while we were out shopping was we went to see the Taj Palace, the Gateway of India and the marina. We acted like complete tourists, took pictures of the boats, the Gateway and the Taj and of ourselves with all these things in the backdrop.

All in all, we had a typical ‘girlie’ day, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Back to work on Monday, yet looking forward to next Sunday too.


PS: i forgot to add one thing. We were on our way back to Churchgate station when it just struck me that I hadn't gone for mass (it was a Sunday) So Churchgate being the most obvious choice, we began hunting for the 'church' at Churchgate. We saw one, with a huge statue of Jesus on one of the towers. We crossed the street and saw the exit to the church. There sat a policeman, surrounded by a wall of sacks (filled with I don't know what) and a long rifle pointing towards the street. We asked him politely, "are we allowed to go inside the church?and where's the entrance to it?" He looked puzzled for a moment, and then with a smile he said, "Madam, yeh toh High Court hai, church nai." (Madam, this is the High Court, not a church)

So much for wanting to be holy for a change.

The Dream Job

After a late night conversation, I finally discovered how people are in accordance to the kind of job they do. I have, in my own personal way, figured out that though there are millions and billions of people in the world, and each is different from the other, there are, in fact, just THREE kinds of people- as far as their working style is concerned. But to me, it says a lot about who they are.


The first kinds are the ones who work simply for money. It’s just a job for them. It doesn't matter what they do or who they are, they work because it pays. They detach themselves from their work and work 8-9 hours straight, like robots, like mechanical toys. They don't think about it. They don't care if they like what they do or not. And it's not as if they are in desperate need for money. They simply work because they get to spend. Job satisfaction only means a favourable environment and a good fat paycheck. I don't despise them, but I don't appreciate them either. They're not doing anything wrong, mind you. It’s just who they are. And there’s nothing wrong in that.

The second kinds are the lucky kind. They are the kind who know what they want, know what kind of work makes them happy and they find it. They take it as a hobby and they get paid for it. They love what they do. It’s the kind of thing sportsmen or writers or chefs do. They love to play. They love to write. They love to cook. It’s who they are. It’s what their heart lies in. It’s what they've always wanted to do and luckily they have got a chance to do it. Every day at work is simply like a holiday. They don’t work because they have to or because they need the money. They work because they want to. And I think it’s fabulous.

And then there are the third kinds. These are people who know what they want from a job, who’ve chalked out their dream when they were 10 or 11 years old. They know they can do it and no one else deserves it more than they do. But circumstances and life don’t work in their favour. It happens all the time. They want something but life has other plans. So they take up a different job. One that might not be what they’ve dreamed of, but one that pays; one that helps a family; one that secures a future. They resent it at first. But these are the true heroes. They put in everything they have into their job. They give in their heart and soul into it and do it like there is no other thing they want to do. They get better and better until they begin to like what they do. It takes them places. It makes them reach heights they’d never dreamed of. It makes them tough. It makes them strong. They might do something ordinary, but they’ll put something of themselves in it, they make it their own. They try new ways of making the work better, of making themselves better. And these are the kind who are most successful in life.





P.S. this post is dedicated to Lloyd, who, by the way, is the third kinda person :)

roll no 465?...uh....present...?

As i got ready to doze off at the Easter mass last night, i saw something that made me suddenly sit up in attention..i saw the man i had dreaded for 3 years at St.Xavier's Ahmedabad..the man who gave me nightmares even in the midst of the most blissful sleep..the man in whose hands lay my future and career..the man at whose sight, students ran in every direction in fright..
Fr. K Raj-the attendance in charge at Xavier's..also vice principal.

STRIKE ONE-
i remember my first year..i was a shy timid kid just outta school..and as luck would have it, i landed up in the "black list" of those with a low attendance (i.e.below 75%)as i stood outside his office in the looooooong line, i realised that it was not gonna go well..for one, i was most inappropriately dressed to be in the vice principal's office- a short sleeveless top that showed off my trim waist( not something to be proud of when you're in trouble)as i stood in line pulling my t-shirt lower and lower, i knew i had it coming my way..i'd been terribly irregular in college cuz i'd taken way too long to adjust(the first 6 months were spent at home in Baroda with an invisible and incurable "fever") as i slowly and softly entered his office, he took one look at the papers, read my name, saw my attendance and screamed-"get out of my office NOW!!!" i dint know whether i was supposed to obey or would it b rude if i left..i hung around..drawing circles with my foot.. he eventually told me to leave the college and get admissions elsewhere.. i apologised over and over until he agreed to lemme stay with an apology letter signed by the warden of my hostel..piece of cake! i left his office, wrote a letter and signed it myself!

STRIKE TWO-
second year at Xavier's i once again found myself somewhere in the middle of that dreadful black list.. my excuse this time? being in the Core Committee (a student body of the college)i'd been busy with alot of activities throughout the year and i had evidence and witnesses to prove it..luckily i had the rest of the Core Committee also in the office for the same reason.. so this time, all k raj could do was grunt and let me go.

STRIKE THREE-
third year was a not so pleasant time as far as k raj was concerned.. surprisingly and with no fault of mine this time, i was-undoubtedly- on the black list.. this time as i made my way into his office, one word is all it took for my world to crumble- "PARENTS" i left his office and cried my head off..i had to call my parents before the 23rd of December..it was somewhere in the beginning of the month..i had to find a way to somehow let my parents know of the situation, convince them it wasn't my fault and bring them here.. it all happened. Mum wasnt happy at all..but i told her how regular i'd been this year especially and that i could have any professor vouch for me.. it somehow made Ma a lil ok..and we sat outside the office cooking up stories to tell k raj.. inside, he ranted on and on about how i'd been bunking classes and crap..and how its impossible to let me stay with such a low attendance.. since Ma knew i was telling the truth, she demanded to see my record. and k raj softly said ,"actually its not so low..just above the limit..but its my duty to inform parents,na? u understand." my Mum simply nodded, smiled and we left.

never again have i let my attendance be taken so lightly. and proof is my first semester record at MSU that shows i have a 93% attendance in class, 3rd highest!!!

no more nightmares
no more threats
no more new colleges