Time Travel

When was the last time you visited a city for the first time but knew so much about the most popular hangouts, schools, multiplexes, food, the people themselves that it felt like being at home :) ...
About a month and half ago, i decided to go pay a visit to a friend out of town. She being the buzzing correspondent that she had sought out to be, hadnt managed to visit us, her family, in a long time. Without getting into the details of the mad trip that it was… I’ll get straight to the point. I couldn’t get stories about that city out of my head. I traveled into the past…. into other people’s past…. And saw those incidents happen and felt it like I was a part of it. I saw people standing at ‘the most happening’ multiplex getting pictures clicked... pictures that were shown to me half a decade ago. I saw a crazy bunch of students turning the school upside down, led by their head boy… almost a decade ago. I saw lovers who had separated unwantingly meet again and awkwardly hug each other. I saw my childhood best friend party at the army club as a teenager. I saw my college room mate sincerely attend classes with her specs on and I saw my first love trying to be Mr Popular and being quite successful at it.
I was there to see all that I had heard in the past 15years. I felt them around me. And stupid as you might think, one of them was in town that very weekend. The presence was there… for real. The connection of course is long gone in some ways… though not in many other.
The time travel was nostalgic even if I was living others’ memories. But it felt like I was a little too late…. Too late to be a part of their life when they wanted me… too late to understand their childhood coz now it probably doesn’t matter. But too late in my life to go back to those times and wish for them again??

"Jab We Banged" .. (no puns here. And in search of a better title)

In life there are days that seem straight out of some movie. This one is an original. Tell me which filmmaker might be interested….

8am: The lead actress wakes up after just a couple of hours of sleep at a fren’s place. She is homeless (that’s all viewers will be told as of now) because there is not a drop of water at her place---something she discovered late last night.
She wakes up to nasty text msgs from both her bosses…She curses (still lying in the bed) There are no words for thanking India’s most read pink paper and the bizarre stories it tells the country everyday. Just makes life more difficult for journalists like her.

10am: She gets dressed. Four hours of crap entertainment at a media conference(this is where a lot of TV stars and film stars can make guest appearances) and no story. So we are now story less.

2.30pm: Upset, she leaves. Rushing for another meeting. Her new car feels different. Five mins later a biker indicates that she has a flat tyre (women drivers by themselves can never figure that out you see!!))
Super sweet puncture repair old man tells her there aint no punctures…. Still boggled by that, she starts off again.

3:30pm: A colleague sitting next to her in the car is telling her story about the 5 car accidents that took place on the same road last night… she being in one of them. And them BANG!!
They crash into a standing cab which goes and hits the skoda in front. (We don’t like to exaggerate like Police Story!!)
An old man whose skoda remains dent free comes screaming down at our lady. He asks for license. Flash back to last night when our lady remembers half way to home that she forgot her wallet in office. No ID. No License)

4.30: sweaty… sunburnt…. Shaken… 1000 bucks poorer… issues seem to be sorted without police being called.
Still haven’t shown shots of her santro because she hasn’t had the time to check her own car’s damage. She straight away drives to the car dealer and from there to the workshop, since she anyways missed her next appointment.

6pm: The scene seems a complete copy of HUM. But instead of Bachhan and his gang… our madam is at a workshop with the company man noting down the damages. That’s is when we show the car.. and tears streaming down the girl’s face. She is now car less.
In the background is a guy there to pick up his car… having a conversation about insurance with staff.

6.30pm: She is done. Car wont be back before a week. No vehicle to get out. Streets filled with abandones warehouses, transport services offices and shady people.

ENTER THE KNIGHT.
The back ground guy is done with his documentation and is leaving. Notices our journo and offers a lift. “can I drop you somewhere?” (wow! Hindi movies get tired of clichés)
Both got new cars. Both have had a bad day with an accident each in the morning. Things click. conversations flow helping both to cool down. Car at a signal.. The truck standing in front decided to reverse. Bang!… horns blaring…..onlookers screaming… the two in the car shell shocked!!!
A major fight with truck drivers.. (no dialogues though coz would get beeped anyways)

7.30pm: The knight drops our lady to her office….she walks to her desk… sits down… it all finally hits her!!!

Sometimes chance meetings should be just left to that. And not explored…. So the knight disappears while the journalist gets back to work…. Filing stories. The End.

The Return of the Mug

Dear Friend,
There was once was a coffee mug that was very special to me
You broke it and and another said there was symbolism to see
heart ached and even tears deserted me
and the world thought this crash would set me free
yes it did... in some ways
but my friend i don't think love ever goes away
The broken pieces have been replaced
but not his memory and nobody can take his place
and so i shall drink coffee and more
protect this one and give u washing detergent way before
can't drag this cheesy poem anymore
i feel like an infatuated kid in grade four!!

Fear.. distance.. love... loss

As the battle neared an end , he called. I was still there. Why hadnt he called earlier? He said he couldnt have handled it. "Would have called 20times". Fear.
As death haunted the city, mobile beeped. sms. "u r a part of me... a part i never to see". why on the night when dangers lurks around me? Distance. Fear.
She called. Screamt. anger... evident even through metallic gadgets. "Why do you have to be there? Why can't others cover the event?" Love. Distance. Fear.
Hundreds dead. Millions shaken. Property worth crores destroyed. I learnt.. they still love me.
Those who will never say it anymore. Those who don't want to. Those who never felt the need to say it.
Those loved by me. Those betrayed by me. Those forgotten by me.
It was a time that brought us together. For an instant. A day. A weekend. Enough for life.
But why?
They thought they might lose me. Fear gripped. Distances didnt matter. Love threatened to overpower.
But wasnt i lost long time back?

Lost in the race for ‘Firsts’ and ‘Exclusives’ is responsible journalism, yet again

Archana and i spent quite a lot of time observing the proceedings outside the terror struck sites in Mumbai last week. One of the most frustrating experiences for us... simply to see the media was handling the situation. Here a few tiny instances... i'll probably pen a few more down soon... my advise to u.. don't blv all that news channels say.

1. On Friday morning we spent five hours stationed outside Nariman House, while a gun battle continued between the National Security Guards and the terrorists. Although we were not far from the building, not much was visible, except for the commandoes on the terrace.
At one point, quite early in the day, we heard gun shots which lasted for a maximum of half a minute. While the firing was on, a Hindi news channel reporter standing next to us called up his bureau and said, “Open fire has begun from both the sides and has been going on for almost five minutes now. Can you hear the gun shots in the background?”
2. Here is another instance. After an unexpected round of fire erupted from within Taj, aimed at the armed personnel and journalists standing outside, everyone was told to move back and lie low. Amidst 20 RAF personnel lying down in combat position, we had an enthusiastic news channel correspondent crawling in a similar position while giving updates on the camera. At least five RAF heads turned around to see what the commotion was all about.
3. Spotted on the open ground outside Taj were other news channel reporters lying in front of their individual cameras, while everyone else around was up and about, including their cameramen.

Rumours on the Street on Why terror struck

With about 55,000 cabs plying everyday in Mumbai, the taxi drivers transport thousands of people everyday. Often, they interact with the passengers on everything from politics to personal life or end up overhearing the conversations amongst passengers themselves. Logical conclusion that they probably know what is going on in people’s minds and what the general sentiment is like.
So Nirmal and I went about, chatting up with several cab drivers just to get a sense of what they have been hearing from the janta regarding the recent terror attack.
Cabbie Ismail Abdul Kader Naik, who transported some 300 people since the terror attack started on Wednesday night, said, “Majority of the passengers believed that the entire operation was carried out to lure the anti terrorist squad (ATS) top brass out in the open and shoot them.”
We were amazed to hear this initially. But more cabbies from different locations and origins echoed this feedback.
“Passengers are telling us that they believe the main target was ATS and security forces. They surely think help came from overseas but the mastermind could have been the opposition party stemming from there unhappiness with Malegaon blasts investigation,” said a 60 year old cab driver.
Reason for why security officials target differ though. Another driver, Ashok Kumar Mishra said that security and intelligence organization have been very tough on underworld and terrorists and so this was their shot at getting back at the former. Taking hostages at Taj and Oberoi was just a ploy while the main idea was to get the top brass out in the open.
Interesting it is to see how these thoughts can catch on. Also very obvious from our interactions was the fact that passengers as well as the cab drivers are very angry with the politicians and local police.
During our interactions, we also found out that many drivers who were not from Mumbai had fled back to their respective villages as terror hit the streets of Mumbai. Just like they had done when anti-north Indian protests had haunted them a couple of months back.
While the world talks about Mumbai becoming a target for global terror, our very own cabbies have a different story to tell of what Mumbai thinks.
(Meant to be printed in DNA newspaper. So i guess they have a cpoyright thingy over this)

Can Mumbaites differentiate between a bollywood movie shooting and a terror attack?

What happens when we all get carried away with the whole idea of ‘Spirit of Mumbai’? Is there a possibility that our zeal to bounce back after any sort of tragedy and craving for masala in life could backfire? And create a nuisance for an on-going rescue operation?

On Friday morning, as National Security Guards began the final assault at Nariman House to flush out six terrorists, spectators assembled all around to watch the action live. The loud gun shots every now and then wouldn’t have held these curious onlookers back. Several RAF soldiers spent the day pleading them to move back.

“People don’t realize the gravity of the situation. If a terrorist gets out on the street right now, we will have to chase him and open fire. Others might get hurt in the process. But this nobody understands,” said an RAF soldier stationed near Nariman House.

Two Hundred meters away from the building, straight in the line of sight, were at least 100 people standing, observing the proceedings of operation Black Tornado. At one point, when they moved too close to danger zone, police began to send them back. The movement caused panic in the crowd, with people in the back running around and shouting.

This is apart from the crowd on the terraces and windows of nearby buildings. Reports had already come of a family being shot as they came out on their balcony to check out the gun battle. Yet, the sleep deprived people of Colaba sat on their windows, eating poha for breakfast and hearing gunshots in the background. Is that a desperate measure to bring back some sort of normalcy in life or is it just hunger for thrills?

Lets flashback to the previous evening. At 7.30pm, Marine Drive is a crowded place- tourists, walkers, young couples and much more. It wasn’t any different on Thursday evening. Life went on as usual despite the fact that a few hundred meters down the road bombs were going off and bullets were flying around at Trident Hotel.

Apparently the fight between the security personnel and terrorists, in one of the most horrendous terror attacks that Mumbai has seen, acted as an added attraction for city people.

Bipin Kanani, a businessman said, “My wife and I were getting bored at home. So we decided to go ahead with our daily walk on Marine Drive. (Pauses to peek as a grenade goes off 300 meters away and then continues nonchalantly) What is there to feel scared about? There are people all around.”

A similar sentiment is echoed by the parents of two year old Zubina Susnerwala, who had taken their kid out for a walk. DNA saw families strolling about, ladies walking dogs and children running around.

Sandy and Kim, researchers from Australia, who were amazed to see the casual environment at Marine Drive, said it made them feel comfortable. “I would be scared if there were snipers on the roofs, choppers hovering and people locked in their own homes,” said Sandy.

Sometimes, if such rescue operations get out of hand, bystanders end up getting injured and even losing their lives. Is it all worth it? What justifies taking the attention of security forces from rescuing hostages and catching the terrorists into dealing with crowds full of children, old people and women when clearly the choice can be avoided? One wonders.

(Eyewitness accounts from the time Archana n I spent at Taj, Oberoi and Nariman House covering the 3 day rescue operations. This probably belongs to DNA even though it wasnt printed in the main edition and was only put up on the website dnaindia.com )