Monday, June 21, 2010

growing up

Archana Shah When I was 10, rubber meant eraser, ass meant donkey, gay meant happy, straight meant linear, making out meant logical deduction, laying meant setting aside, cock meant rooster, pussy meant cat, stag meant a male dear and a tit was always for a tat! English has changed so much now days!!
so many things change as we grow up!! its no great shakes growing up i can tell you. but we all want to grow up so much when we are kids...guess its all a part of that elusive thing called the human psyche. :D

Saturday, June 19, 2010

im sorry

im sorry that i lost the watch that you gave me, the one that had cost you so much yet won so little appreciation. it had a small dial and you had thought that it will suit my wrist best. however, everyone including me told you that it wasnt that great. you werent that stupid to just quote its price and wow us all. so you just became sadder all the while. why didnt you tell me? it was so stupid of me not to realise its worth. i just took it for another gift that you had got for me and i lost it before even a year was over. it was then that you told me that it was worth a 12and a half thousand rupees. even today when i buy a watch that costs 9000 rs on my own and my purchasing capacity has grown so much 12.5 k seems so high. then you had this huge loan and you had to spend such horrid time in uk having to cut costs. yet you managed to buy that gift for me. i have been really insensitive at times and i must ask for you forgiveness for every little thing that i had done wrong, even though i know that you will never get to hear this, read this or whatever. it just needs to get out of me.. i still miss you but only sometimes. i have almost forgotten you. yet we spent so much time together, there are so many small things that just reminds me of you.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

THE BEST PATISSERIE IN TOWN

theo broma is widely reagarded as the best patisserie in mumbai. crowned the best patisserie by the times food guuide and a whole host of other renowned food guides this small shop in the heart of colaba enjoys a special place in the heart of mumbaikars and confectionary connoisseurs from far and wide. those that have had a bite of its delectable pastries, truffles, cakes, breads, chocolates and a whole host of other delicacies, spread the message of pure ecstasy far and wide and, as a result, people come flocking from from far away distances to taste the delicacies that do justice to the name. by the way, the name in itself means 'God's own food' in greek. the first time i came across this small nook in colaba next to the hp petrol pump was when i was told prior to the navy ball by lt cdr pritika that there existed this absolutely mind blowing confectionery in colaba and i might try and get them to come for the navy ball. that was when i was introduced to the theo broma. so, i went hunting for this shop, and hunting it was, for it was hidden right in front of all of our noses. the location and the interiors kind of reminded me of that fabulous movie 'Chocolat' starring judi dench and johnny depp, written by joanne harris. it was pure magic and you could feel it the moment you entered the premises. kamal messman, the chef who is the heart behind this shop and her daughter kainaz messman are absolutely unbelievable and it was a beginning of a love affair that has lasted for more tahn a year now. the cheese cakes. made from raspberry, blueberry and mango are a delight to have anyday. however, in my opinion the best part of the menu is the brownie. i tell you mon cherie, i have never in my life tasted such chocolate roasted ecstasy. i can make a pilgrimage just to taste one of their brownies. this is to say nothing of their range of other products. if there is one thing i will miss when i leave mumbai it will be theo broma and its soul stirring brownies. thanks a lot kamal and kainaz, may theo broma prosper for long.





Saturday, June 12, 2010

i may have been an asshole when i was presumptuous enough to state that mumbai was a place that i hated!! after all. mumbai is a place where men and women from all over india flock to realise their dreams. it is that elusive land of el dorado which Ulysses had gone in search of. for millions of indians unsatisfied with their lives, nunbai offers that faint glimmer of hope that provided them sustenance in  the days to come. there was a time when i saw the pollution that is so rampant in mumbai. seriously, there seems to be so much pollution in mumbai that quite often i believe the species of human beings who live here must be the next evolved species of homo sapiens. after all, how on earth can the human beings who for millenniums have adjusted themselves to the free and pure air that can only be found in the valleys of the himalayas as of today,  adjust themselves to the highly poisonous air that we breathe in when we come to mumbai? today, however, i realise that this air is what we create, the payment we make to the devil for the comforts science provides us. no wonder then that it is said that too much power and too little control is the most potent formula for destruction. that is what we are -- a formula for destruction. so why blame a city? this city on the banks of the great arabian sea has borne much, to mention nothing about the sea of humanity that has desecrated its shores. for centuries this city has allowed us to pollute it, all the while patiently providing us with water, rain, air and the sky. we have tried our level best to cut down on all these resources and today when we stand on the brink of destruction we blame the city! the prodigal son hath not returned , yet there seems to be no dearth of reasons to blame the city. its time we sat up and took notice of how this beautiful city has not only been our mother but also a hero in disguise.

Friday, June 11, 2010

so much to do

so much to do, so little time to accomplish everything. i want to be the next tagore, the next bill gates, the next mother teresa, the next barack obama, the next great thing. i want to be revered in my own time and respected by posterity. i want to be the richest man on earth and give it all away to the poor and needy. i want to set right everything on earth and i want to love like only i could. i want to write poems that would drive millions mad, and i want to sing like kishore kumar and john denver put together. i want my mom to be as happy as she ever was giving birth to me. i want my dad to be proud for being my dad. i want to be on top of the world and only one lifetime to achieve that. is that asking for too much?

Thursday, June 10, 2010

ai jani na

ami jani na, i know not
have you ever had those dreams?
the ones where you are naked in the middle of people you know..
i used to have those dreams quite often when i was a kid.
psychologists tell us that if you have those dreams
 you are feeling insecure and the people the reason
so, why would a twelve year old kid feel insecure and who would make him feel so?

that same person came back in my life and for a small time i thought i was happy
i knew not the storm that was lurking behind the calm
it hit me full force when i started having those same dreams
this time it was much more embarrassing and vivid
i have cried like a baby many times since,
every time bleeding internally and losing a little bit of the happy place that i had built
hoping some day to live in it, loved and alive.