Jaipur calling...

Mubarake tumhe ki tum... Kisi ke noor ho gaye...
Kisi ke itne paas ho... Ki sab se door ho gaye....
Hows it goin people!

Started wid 2 lines from the brilliant song of yesteryear “Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Ye”, coz several peers from my school and college days r getin married... May they hav long happy married lives! And their spouses too ;-) Cheers everybody!

Here I am... this is me, there’s nowhere else on earth I’d rather be...

Sorry for driftin away wid one of my fav English tracks. Returnin to d topic - Here I am, bac from the HSBC Asset Mngt. (AMC) 160 people program at Le Meridien, Jaipur. This annual offsite with the tagline “Get Set Go” and the theme “Focus” was between 15-17th Aug, 08 and it was a gala affair, both for the employees from all over India as well as us, the facilitators and consultants. Before I hit the accelerator and start rambling on about the fundoo events thr, leme start at the beginin n tell u abt a few thins on the way...

As I hurtled down the Mumbai-Pune expresway to catch the IC flight to Jaipur from Mumbai on the 15th noon, I tuned to the radio and heard the song “aaya hai raja logo re logo....” blaring from the speakers. Have u heard it? Weird song, na! Anyways, thrs a line “shero ka main hu sher yaaro” n guess wat I saw as I looked outa d window – a Syntel hoarding wid a lion! Hehe... creepy coincidence...

A smile came to my face as I was reminded of fun times as an undergrad at CCD on FC Road whr d tv was on mute and jukebox was belting away songs in all languages and tones. V used to match d two and hav a hearty laugh as d tv showd sumthin very decent and d lyrics wer profane and funny! Similar to MTV lipsync. Its cool n its crazy n it’s a whole lot of fun. Top it up wid the Channel V Bai... hehe, funny woman fishin, throwin knives and makin jalebis, all in a typical navvari/kashta... Hats off to innovativeness! Speakin of which, hav u seen d condom ad on Channel V? It starts wid a typical Indian lifestyle, whr evrythin is kept coverd and protected in plastic coats, rite frm d remote control to car seats to mobile phones... And thn d punch-line : y nt ur masculine vitals ;-)

What did I see in Jaipur? Several majestic elephants, a not-so-tiny mouse, monkeys and cows, camels, dogs and cats... It was like a pakka zoo! Other than that a Hanuman temple as I was reciting the hanuman chalisa (coincidence strikes again), the Hawa Mahal which has 180+ windows thru which women in old times used to glance out on the streets unseen by human eyes from below, Amer fort and jostling, colorful markets. As Le Meridien is outside Jaipur city, I got a dose of sightseeing each time I cruised from ITC Sheraton (whr v wer put up) to the hotel for the program.

AMC is a young, creative, energetic group. They had skits on one day, team building (our session) the next day, and a conference the last day. It was fun to conduct all the activities and meet people from various locations and backgrounds. This being my first offsite as a hardcore, efficient and independent Associate Consultant, it was a tough task for me to set up the activities and assist in the facilitation and administration. However, I think I did reasonably well given my lead faculty’s appreciative comments, my sweating frame and aching back. All a wonderful scheme for the Pajama Party d same night...

Madeira (aka alcohol urf daru) reduces inhibitions and gives u courage. To say it is one thin; to experience it, another! It really helps you forget your aches and pains, plus assists u to bestow cheerful smiles upon acquaintances, strangers and adversaries alike. Getting high is d perfect excuse to :
- Realize all your age-old ambitions and dreams,
- Approach cute, young strangers and strike conversations,
- Compliment your boss on facilitating, networking and connecting skills.

Probably a few mo thins that I wudnt mention here ;-)

However, the point is, music and food and alcohol was flowing. Thr was a troupe of dancers who gave the audience a visual treat, and everyone enjoyed themselves to the core. Three cheers for the coordinators and event managers! Hip hip... hurray!

After the great nite, twas no ez task to catch the morning flight to Mumbai. I managed, of course, and here I am now... Reminiscing about the trip as I get bac to whr I’d let off... A fantastic experience! Including the free seating hullabaloo on the departing flight and the drunken-hungover journey over the returning one...

Did I tell u I saw Singh is King (whatever d spellin wid triple n’s and double g’s) last week. Twas ok if u left ur brains home. Poor Ranvir Shorey cud’v done wid a betr role, n Akshay n Katrina r as fresh as ever. Awaiting Phoonk this Friday...

The latest update... India won a bronze in wrestling at the Beijing Olympics! wowow... Abhinav Bindra set up quite a record wid his gold in Shooting... may d gud times roll!

Catch ya later then!
Adios!

New Year Ranting...

Hey people,
Wish you all a very happy n prosperous new year!

Long time again… D festive season is over n it’s bac to work n studies. I had a crash on new year’s. had a wonderful party wid d gang n thn my bike skid. Gota bump on my head n lost consciousness for a minute. Cudnt rem anything whn I came bac to my senses. Got an MRI done n all normal, but m bruisd all over n my left side aches like hell. But d worst blow is definitely my poooooooooor lipppp... dat has causd mo mental agony dan anythin else... but its fine now, as gud as new! Cheers to dat :-) my crowinin glory ;-)

Anyways, m bac to work startin today, so thot I’d buzz in n say hi to you’ll too… I’d promisd u my trip in detail, so betr late dan never… here goes!

Day 1 : Pune - Jodhpur – Bikaner : Wonderful train journey. I dint feel d need to open a book as I usually do d minute I get a seat. Was thinking of myself, frens, family, life… n time flew! Had a brawl wid a really rude group, amazing how youngsters who r expectd to be helpful and joly can b so rude and hostile. Had hired a Tavera which tuk us to Bikaner d same night; tiring journey, but glad coz cud sleep in a stable bed!

Day 2 : Thr r these funny flat autos in Rajasthan. Wonder how ppl get into thm, they’re squashd flat!! On d agenda today, Punrasar, Shamji Khatu, Salasar Balaji – All Hanumans on a Saturday, so God had no choice but to make our trip good. The roads of Rajasthan are rockin! You can travel hours on end n not feel it. I think apart from Pune and a few other places, roads all over the country are great – Delhi, Hyd, Aurangabad, the North, South… We traveled miles which was evident from d hours v took. Reachd late in d nite, so slept like a log… Hey, u know u cant carry home d utensils or even Prasad from the temples… dnt ask me y or how but if any1 tries to do dat, purposely or unintentionally, ur car’ll stall or u’ll get stuck sumhow widin d borders… n only whn u empty out whatever ur takin home, thn u’l b able to move out… amazing eh?!!!

Day 3 : Woke up late, visitd Karni Mata temple at Deshnokhe – the one I wrote abt in d previous post. N thn went on to Jaisalmer

Day 4 : nite at Jaisalmer, Khuri guest house, cultural program – singin n dancing n lotsa fun. D locals were really a funny lot (here’s wishin “Sonya”, Chhotu Khan, Tugge Singh urf Dasharath, “Sunil Dutt”, “Khartaal Mast”, “High Pitch” n d rest a heartload of thanx for d wonderful evening!) we laughd n made merry, all in all one of our best evenings in Rajastha

Day 5 : Sand dunes are funny, jus like humans… they’r here today, gone tomr! U’l c thm in one place jus now, n thn thr’s b flat land d next day! Its amazing… d vastness of d desert makes u feel so puny n powerless… I actually felt like d foreigners they show on television, who jus gape at the Indian splendour n feel awe and joy… We saw d sunrise in d desert, took a camel ride, toured Jaisalmer : all d buildings r built of yellow sandstone, including d Patwa Haweli which is a palatial structure, a museum, replete wid separate sections for different types of locks n keys, “sarota”, utensils, etc. We also went to some temple dat had a Khadisar lake near it, it resembled Varanasi sumhow, and we came across a team shootin there. V saw “Zafrani Pulao” from Cheeni Kum (I forget his name), and Amrita Rao n Harman Baweja. D public r so cute n simple thr, they jus sat quietly in their places n waited for d hero (who was hidin behind a tree n lunchin) n d heroine (who was bz yakkin on her phone) to step out n give them a look… which neither did… while Zafrani Pulao jus kept lukin at us as we passd by, imploring us to recogniz n acknowledge him! My masti-khor mum, as usual full of pranks, stepd up to d gate n said hurriedly “Side Side, Heroine aayi” n wonder of wonders! Ppl actually moved to make way for d “heroine” which was my Bhabhi shieldin her face from d sun. We generated mo attention n hullaballoo than d Bollywood team, and when I stepd outa d premises, ppl actually kept starin at me as if I was d actress (I was wearin jeans n a T n had tied my hair wid a bandana)… gosh, dat was funny!

Tirupati Balaji has a charm of its own, but Ramdeora is anodr place whr u can c devotees goin crazy… Baba Ramdeo (nt d yoga one) has a tremendous fan followin, n d place abounds wid tales galore. One of thm says dat at d fair which is held here, ppl leav behind their footwear… which is y u c thousands of shoes n slippers whn u enter d vicinity of Ramdeora. Anothr tale says dat Ramdeo promisd a demon dat each time 1 lac ppl arrivd at d fair, 1 of them wud die… as an offerin to d demon… n dis time whn 50 lac ppl came, 50 died… truth or fiction, take ur pick!

Also visitd Icchapurna Balaji, dats a Hanuman temple, beautifully built, and apparently said to fulfil ur wishes. I dint ask for anything much, hav d best of everythin by god’s grace…N of curz d main reason for our goin to Rajasthan – Sanchiya mata at Osiya. Luvly temple, luvly food, luvly experience… for mebe d first time in a temple, I cried jus on seein d deity – felt an unexplainable connection wid d goddess…

Day 6 : visitd Ajmer, d Dargah thr is mind-bogglin! Any door u touch, d fragrance of d perfumes lingers on each finger for ages later… halted at Pushkar, d world’s only Bramha temple, did a Ghat parikrama wid mum. We were lucky enuf to c sum swans n feed d squirrels, birds n cows… We reachd Jodhpur in d evening, so cudnt see d city, but visitd Mandore garden whr Ravan’s wife Mandodari lived.

Day 7 : train at 5am from Jodhpur, d worst bit of d trip. Our train delayd 12 hours coz of Rajdhani derailin on d same route. our train had to take a detour (thank god it wasn’t canceld or v’d get stuck!) n v reachd d next day, haggard n irritable, in d evening… bac to routine!

Now for titbits dat dint go in anywhr widin d blog…

Hey, here’s some funny plural forms dat I’v heard ppl use lately…
Car-e, Pizz-e, CV-ya ;-)

Know y u alwes do a Tilak wid 2 fingers? D 4th finger is coz it’s a sign of good luck n all things pure n divine… n it has to be followd up wid d thumb (spread d tikka in a str8 line towards d head) to signify long life… dint kno dat… cool na? we never know y sumthins r done some way, but delve deeper… thr r amazing stories to unravel!

Congrats to all! My bhabhi’s in d family way and so’s my Sarikadi… they’re both due sumtime around July-Aug 2008, so m prayin they dnt overlap wid my bday… cant miss a party for any sake! Anodr thing I heard – if u see a snake durin pregnancy, ur not-born-yet-baby is bound to lick his lips jus like a snake whn he grows up… I’v seen a few such folks… wonder if its really true… don’t try this tho!!!

Saw a 40+ Woman bicycling today… not for exercise, but as a way of transport…felt nice, way to go! May mo join d gang! (dnt luk at me, m hurt n cant run, forget pedal…)

Gota sign off for now, taken too much time already… leme kno how u liked d post! Wil b bac soon (hopefully)…

Luv ya,
Anuja

Padharo mhara dessssss....

Heloooooooooo guys b gals...

Jus bac frm a trip to Rajasthan n it was amazzzzzin...went to lotsa places, had a variety of experiences... n bac here to share them wid ya! hope u misd me ;-) cmon, u can lie a bit... teeny weeny lies never hurt any1...jus to make me happy....hehe...

Wel, first thins first... my exam was wonderful, much betr dan i expectd... n certainly betr dan d effort i put in... dreamin of 4 o's (outstanding - d best grade in MA) but only time will tell... my exam ended on d 4th n i zoomed to Rajasthan on d 6th eve...reachd jodhpur d next eve n started our Tavera Tour. went almost 2500 kms in 5 days - all over raj excpt jaipur n udaipur, which basically includes bikaner (bhabhi's relatives), ramdeora & osiya (temples), jaisalmer (desert), etc...

U kno, whether u go east or west, fast or slow, in luxury or economy... all places r essentially d same... b it d ppl, b it d culture, d town n shops n streets, evrythin... i dnt mean they'r identical in evryway... but luk below d cover, n u realise d uniform pattern of living, thinkin, behavin... m i soundin crazy? well, blame it on my psychology education ;-)

Hey hav u heard of d temple whr mice crawl all over d place n eat frm ppl's hands? its cald d "karni mata" temple n is situatd in a village called Deshnokhe (d E's silent). i was initially terrified n contemplatin NOT visitin dat temple, but curiosity n adventurousness got d betr of me, n i slowly n carefully trudgd my way thru d massive gate... it was SCARY!!! thr wer millions of mice creepin n crawlin freely n actively... it was actually excitin to watch ur step as u walked coz it's said if u step on a "kaaba" (dat's wat they call a mouse) n u kill it (on purpose/by accident), thn u hav to gift a golden mouse to the temple! n also if u see a white mouse, ur lucky!!! i was... n i m... i kno dat!!!!

lots mo to come, lots mo to share... but work n routine callin...
will buzz u next asap... m itchin to tell u d fun thins i did!
chow n hav a gr8 day!

luv ya,
Anuja