Chandni Ratein, Pyar ki batein

Source

aati hai sada teri… tute hue taro se
aahat teri sunti hu… khamosh nazaaro se
bheegi hawa.. sudhi ghata..kehati hai teri kahani
tere liye.. bechain hai.. sholo me lipti jawani

Of hearts and happiness…

In the evenings, when I come back from ‘work’, something that I have very recently started on, I sit on a slab of concrete just outside my rooftop room and look out to find that horizon I adored looking at as a kid. Frankly, it’s not visible anymore. There are skyscrapers, and tall building, and houses, and then some more buildings in the line of my sight. So I sit there on that slab, and call my Mom. She still doesn’t pick my call and drops it, calling me back the very next minute. I tell her that I am ‘home’ ,tell her about the day I had at work, and while I am doing that, the view in front of my eyes keeps getting better and better. If I pay close attention to a particular detail, I can even find a resemblance of a point where the sky really meets the land. I call this little point of space and time as ‘happiness’.

That first crush at college

 

 

Alright, so for anyone who got too excited reading the title, It’s not my own story. And even if you are one my college mates reading this, you wouldn’t be getting any names or even hints so as to track down the culprits of this short but timeless saga. For all intents and purposes, we would be calling the Hero, my good friend, as Mr. Nivea (Oh Yes, it’s a tradition for me to use the Deodorant name people use as their alias in my stories. You never guessed? Strange !! ). Now what should we call our quintessential heroine, in this little story. You know, well, I don’t happen to know the deodorant used by her, but I would imagine I should call her Ms. Cherry. So, now that the nomenclature is settled, let me take you the interesting bit.

It was the very first semester at college and life was pouring in from every direction you turned your head to. Amidst all of this outrage, there was this innocent little guy, the quintessential college friend who is meant to fall in love atleast 60 times through the 4 years and get rejected by all of them. And this innocent little guy, Mr. Nivea as we would have it, dared to fell for who was considered the ho…… most popular girl at college. What can one do, fate has mysterious ways to get you in trouble.

Anyway, it all started when Mr. Nivea realized that given the start of his college life, it was high time that he should fall in love and let almost the entire class know about it.  So he befriended Ms. Cherry and to everyone’s surprise, he was quite a good talker (although in a crude way), far as good guys like him are supposed to scale with such girls. Maybe it was because Ms. Cherry herself wasn’t one of those ‘Mean Girls’, who get on the seventh cloud on starting college. Maybe she herself had perfected this social notion of boys throwing themselves at her and how she never saw it as bad in anyway. Whatever were the reasons, our Mr. Nivea was through, atleast in the zone of being able to call himself a friend to the lovely Ms. Cherry.

Time passed, seasons came and went away. And our Mr. Nivea, the scholar that he is, and the poet that he became, was filling pages and pages with poems  of interesting conversations that the two of them seemed to have had. And what’s more, he would show them and read them and recite them to everyone who visited his room. Of course, the smart ones among us were able to figure out where the decorations had been added in those tales. There was even a giant pencil drawing dedicated to Ms. Cherry on the wall right next to his bed. Oh, the age of innocence, the age of adolescence.

Mr. Nivea, however, was unlucky in one other regard, apart from having fallen for a star that would never fall on the ground for him. He had some…’friends’ who would encourage him about the rather. They would tell him how he should come out of this friend-zone and come up with his true feelings. There were such ways that were tried to get Ms. Cherry impressed by him before Mr. Nivea could blast the big bomb on her. Even I, someone who remained rather neutral witnessing this little love story was roped in. As chance would have it, Ms. Cherry was my lab partner and so hours have to be spent discussing the experiment  chatting up on the weirdest aspects of college life. The good friend that I am, I did the job I was invested with fairly well. Everytime things slightly bent towards a discussion of the students of our class, I would make sure to throw in some praises about Mr. Nivea. “Oh he would be knowing what the teacher can ask in the Viva. He’s been getting straight A’s ” and “Oh that guy is so brilliant, he has actually read about a thousand books unrelated to the normal academics”(Things that notably are all true). She would ofcourse nod, and was impressed, even though she would have wondered at some point why I keep throwing this Mr. Nivea Trivia at her. Still, she and Mr. Nivea seemed to progress in their little ship, their ‘friendship’.

And then came the valentine’s week. Oh the horror and the joy of Mr. Nivea’s friends to get him pumped for a proposal. It was a rather peculiar place Mr. Nivea found himself in. But given all the passion that had been filled him with optimism beyond the ‘glass’, he actually went ahead and did it. It is unclear what words were spoken, and if they were actually spoken, but we know there was a rose and that it was first accepted and then declined, when the gravity of the situation actually dawned on the two.

It was then that our Mr. Nivea was made acquainted to the reality that a girl like that is never…’open’ or ‘available’. There is a busy tone whenever you dial for such a girl and the dialings are a plenty. And after all of that, there is one exquisite line whose connection has been made way back and he would never ever drop the phone or let anyone else’s call slip in. The Half relationship had ended, and the dream was over for the day.

But Mr. Nivea woudn’t rest. The final bullet was yet to be fired and it was something that made him come top of this story, which as a matter of tradition, is one where the boy is always the loser. It was the time for our English Communication presentations, and the topic that Mr. Nivea was assigned was ‘How to deal with stress in College life’. It began with a sappy introduction by some other student in his group, but when his turn came, that man stood infront of the class and the second line he spoke was “There can be so many frustrations. For example, in the last year, I fell in love with a girl, and that didn’t work out. I was so stressed.” The heads were turning as the man spoke and everyone was trying and trying to suppress his/her laughter. Even the teacher appeared to be in on the joke, and we could see Ms. Cherry as mousy, hesitant, afraid and timid as one would ever see her. She must have been praying that Mr. Nivea, in his flurry, doesn’t spill out her name. But thanks to the modesty of the man, he didn’t.

He kept this half relationship a part of his dreamy days, and ofcourse moved on to the next 59 girls in the semesters to follow. But this little ‘flinge’ with Ms. Cherry would be the highlight of his life at college, both for him as well as for his friends. There are such emotions that this story still sprouts in a discussion among us friends, who really know the entire story (Guilty confession: I have kept one integral part of the story a secret here, because it’s not really meant for a blogpost. But Hey, isn’t the story fully fledged without it? :p ).

I am sharing a Half relationship story at BlogAdda in association with #HalfGirlfriend.

You can even watch the trailer here.

जुगाड़ गाड़ी

I remember the first lecture that the Director of our institute tossed our way in a jam-packed auditorium. Ofcourse he did use the obligatory powerpoint presentation as he went on to tell us first year undergrads about the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead us. But soon he realized that the fancy bullet points and animated slides could only do so much to leave anything worthwhile in the minds of his students, let alone help them in using any of his teachings in day-to-day life. And hence, he used a very crude but logical example to get the crowd excited.

He took a paper clip and asked a girl what she thought the manufacturing company of that paper clip made in a year with this little piece of, ‘technology’, so to speak. The girl was a bit stupefied by the question and our Director noticed it. And so, letting the girl relax and lay back in her seat, the Director of one of the premier technology institutes of India let out a word that made almost the entire auditorium chuckle to its tune. He said, that it didn’t matter what the exact turnover is or the cost of manufacturing and selling was in regard to his question. He only wanted to demonstrate that this ‘jugaad’ was what was reaping millions for the company. And then he told us that our job, rather our responsibility, as engineers was to found the most effective, efficient and feasible solution for a problem in an engineering layout. And that optimum solution is what us Indians have always relied on- ‘Jugaad’. This is what would make Indians the next gen inventors and innovators, and this is what would take us ahead on the path of new creations.

Not to brag about myself or anything, but as our respected Director Sir was saying the last few words, images of a little win-win story were flashing in my mind. They belonged to my High School days and given the amount of jugaad we put in for a science exhibition project, I could seriously believe then that I would become a great engineer, going by his criteria for the same. (But Alas, there are other useless things too like Mid Terms and Grade point averages to ruin the day :p ). Anyway, here is our lovely High School project story-

Back in the day, the science fairs at my school were scarce and the liberty of doing something really innovative was lacking or lukewarm. It was in such desperate times that our group of six football-playing, cricket-breathing boys took the mantel of making a Canon to be put on display for the project. Internet was scarce but we could still find the relevant data from the lovely sources we call ‘teachers’ (the real ones, mind you. Not the google teacher). We were able to sort out a basic, commonly used reaction for the same, that employed an adorable compound called Calcium Carbide. Bah, I wouldn’t bore you with much of the Chemistry here. Suffice it to say that you can get a handful of it for Rs. 10 in any car repair shop. And the jugaadoos that we were, we bought much more than a handful.

Next, we used a thick piece of  PVC Pipeline left astray around my house for the initial testing of our canon. We sealed it on one end using the obligatory quick-fix (another synonym of jugaad? ) Fevi-quick. And Lo and Behold, we were good to go. The trick was simple, seal the other end with a ball, put a piece of Carbide into the pipe, add some water and give it a spark through a top hole. And SHAZAM… You have a fire emitting dragon of your own. We called it- ‘The Destructor’ (We really did, those were the days !! ).

We used a mean, fire-breathing barrel !!

The technique was spot on. What remained was the showmanship. How to make it look like an actual canon of the days of ‘Kranti’? No matter what my friends tell you, it was MY IDEA that we would actually install the canon body on a tricycle axle that I had seen so many times lying around at one of my friend’s house. It was a complete home-made, Ghar-ka-Vaidya recipe !! We took the axle-wheel combo from that tricycle, got a little encasing to hold the canon body welded to it, and our own mobile canon was infront of our eyes. In all its glory and might, it looked like a bazooka. But we did not stop there, another friend who had by far not done significantly much to the project was given the charge to paint up the canon. And we wanted it in Jet Black (Because… Batman). Given his love for the job, he was happy to oblige. And within a few days, we had ourselves our own batmobile.

No we didn’t BREAK any kid’s cycle. It was lying around already broken. We gave it a new life okay?

The day the teachers of the school were to inspect the level of ‘safety’ of the project, there was a slight hiccup though. We were till then using a small hole at the top of the barrel to feed the carbide piece, water and matchstick. But that allowed considerable gas to escape and even fire could throttle out of the way. The teachers labelled it potentially dangerous but we couldn’t be stopped. Because the Indian Jagaad Gaddee had to survive. We then proposed using the general kitchen lighter with a spark button to initiate the blast. Oh wasn’t that a masterstroke, it kept the gas and fire in check, and even a little Kindergarten girl could now initiate a blast (And one actually DID. BOOM).

Oh don’t tell me it was an easy guess. It was an awesome idea to use a kitchen lighter as the trigger.

The exhibition was a success ofcourse, and while a silkworm cultivation farm was the clear winner, ‘The Destructor’ was what drew the most people to our corner. The Jugaad Gaddee, had run wild once again.

This and many similar little cute and cool stories of my life keep me reminded that while India keeps growing in its technological flair all over the world, its ‘desi’ innovative ideas are catching the attention of one and all. Even the large global conglomerates and institutions are recognizing this unique ‘Indian-ness’ and accepting that this growing global influence of India is one to be celebrated. Look at Lufthansa, the largest European Airline, recognizing and celebrating the same in this uber cool advertisement of theirs, stressing how it is #MoreIndianThanYouThink.

 

Oh and the celebration doesn’t stop here. Have a look at the amazeballs website of theirs, acknowledging and adapting the Indian way to do so much more for themselves. Visit here if you haven’t already hit the link- Take me to awesomeness. 

Life at the zappy zapstore

The times that are scattered such,  windows have become pixels to browse,

The touch is now to click whereas, the shop is on the web to flock;

And still the wanderer winds up, in places so he could arouse,

The place is here, right down the link, because it is shop o'clock!!

 

I read once that if men loved shopping, they would call it research. And have I ever read a prediction better than that? Shopping has, as a matter of fact become research where you have to choose out of myriads of brands, bundles, categories, tastes, varieties and styles. It’s not limited anymore to that little family shop where the best salesman used to shove anything he preferred down your throat just because he knew how to sell them. No. Now the power is in your hands, under your hands, below those fingers, vested in that click that can now make it all happen. But as a very cheeky but great movie line remarks- With great power comes greater responsibility- Or in this case, a greater risk coupled with the responsibility . As such, people must take the help and the guidance of those who have researched all over for the things they know are right and agreeable to people. It’s not just about the particular tastes but about the overall ingenuity of the masses that they need a place where the best of their hopes and aspirations have been curated ever so lovingly and carefully to always bring them the best of all the worlds out there.

If you are even passionate enough to look and buy for some of the best things for you out there over the large number of e-commerce sites on the web, chances are that you would have heard about the zapstore. It’s a whole cluster of things really but all in all, it is a site that hosts curated content from all over the web, collected by some of the most stylishly vested fashionistas, gadget geeks, decor fanatics or people with just incredible tastes in all those things. As such, you can always  browse through the handpicked items that you have access to when you visit. Of course, if you are feeling like visiting a particular curator’s store, you could always do that with a simple login procedure and you would be welcomed to gems that have been put there after hours and hours of actual research put into finding them. Here is some of my own work over there.

Click to visit

I began looking around with gift ideas in my mind as I have just finished up a festival season and have grown especially adept at that. When I am doing that however, I have a psyche behind it, more like a mantra- Never gift a person something that he/she would actually buy for himself/herself !! Sounds pretty weird huh? Let me elaborate on that a little. I feel that the things a person should be gifted are those that he/she although can buy and would like but wouldn’t really buy them thinking of little budget constraints or thoughts like “It doesn’t have much utility, it’s just my heart telling me to buy it because it looks so amazing” or things like that.  And so, I picked up some of the items that you can gift others (in accordance with my definition of gift). Still, these aren’t really too expensive because I choose to keep the heart big and the budget almost in limits when I do that 🙂

#1– A F.R.I.E.N.D.S. poster

The very first item I chose is a jingle for the hearts of everyone out there. It’s a F.R.I.E.N.D.S. poster with some of the best catchphrases and memorable moments inscribed over it. I feel something like this always brings those warm, warm memories to you when you’re feeling down and not just those of the show itself but also of your own good lives.

#2- A Daenerys Targaryen mug

Who doesn’t love Khaleesi? And who wouldn’t want to have a cup of coffee with her…every morning 😉 Well to suit those needs (and other unmentionable ones), here is a little one-

#3-  Camera Lens Beverage case

This one is again for the beverage lovers as well as for the DSLR people :p Oh Yes, I consider them as a class now and if they are to carry some hot tea and coffee along with some snacks, this is how they would do it.

#4- Glass Oil lamps

Then there are those presents that people would hesitate to buy for themselves but would give a big hug to you if you were to buy those for them. These are those gifts that do not require a card on the side and tell the receiver how affectionately you think of them and how their name will always appear in your most sincere prayers.

#5- A F.R.I.E.N.D.S mug

And once again, a coffee mug with a warm theme. Why? Because people just can’t get enough of F.R.I.E.N.D.S., that’s why :p

 

Moving over to fashion and clothing now, it does get challenging over here in this category because the tastes and the liking doesn’t seem to resonate truly with everyone. However, to address the same, I have chosen a range of items which are generally very cost-effective and provide you value for money- both in terms of looks, design, manufacturing quality as well as overall review and popularity of the product. Let me introduce you to them one by one.

#1- A Kaftan top for the ladies

Here is a Kaftan top for the voguish chicks out there who understand their body like the palm of their hands and can actually carry a great piece like this. It comes in a slick and fitting georgette fabric and has a classy white tinge hued with a peaceful yet glowy flower pattern. Ladies out there, this one is to get the crowds talking and for you to stand out of the rest.

 

#2– Batman themed T-Shirt

I mean, who doesn’t love Batman? The Dark Knight of Gotham has always been a symbol of poise and ultimate ideals for us men and ever since the Nolan Trilogy has pervaded the mainstream, you know how much girls are starting to fall for him. Why? Because he’s Batman.

 

#3- Lycra Embroidered Saree

When it comes down to that ultra-important party where you have to be at the peak of the posh lifestyle you try to maintain and still look the very best in style, few things get better than a saree that completely suits the ambiance of the moment as well as the charm of a real lady.

 

#4– A Tuxedo ? Hell Yeah !!

Let’s face it. No matter what sort of  a hot jacket or shirt you may don, nothing gets better than a tuxedo for a real gentleman. And who says you couldn’t look hot in one? Think of 007 or, just look at this piece-

 

#5– Musical notes Top

Frankly my dear reader, I do not understand how these people are being able to set the prices as such here for something this good. I may tell you about the oh so comfortable fabric, the overall easy handling and care and about the sleek brevity of the statement it makes. But I will just show you this picture to tell you of the overall appeal this top carries-

 

#6- Because black is evergreen

No matter how much things change in the fashion world, black will always be the new black. And this cool T-shirt which surprizingly pulls off a woollen look in spite of being true cotton makes for one item that you MUST have in your wardrobe.

 

#7- Digital Print Top

For this one, I am challenging you. When you get over to my store and check out the price of it, I am absolutely sure you will be shocked. Come on, think of a number in your mind and then check out the price right now.

 

#8- Suicide Squad themed T-Shirt

This one is so ‘IN’ right now it would be a SIN to miss this one. Why? Because we are bad guys, that’s what we do. 

 

#9- Marilyn Monroe T-Shirt

Because girls love Marilyn Monroe and adore her (Maybe even more than the guys) and although whether she deserves such an acclaim is open to discussion, the fact that she looks absolutely fabulous on a T-shirt is true as any.

 

#10- Wolverine claws T-Shirt

Be honest guys, and tell me if you were to wish for any weapon of all the superheroes in the comic world, which would it be? I know it wouldn’t be Superman’s laser beam, nor Thor’s hammer and not at all Captain America’s mighty shield. It would be Wolverine’s Adamantium claws because they are just so terribly cool. But as long as you can’t have such an amazing weapon, I believe you can make do with a T-shirt which is in no measure any less amazing than the former.

 

Well it’s now time for some accessories to look on to and to throw in some cool offers to you people, which will blow your minds. If you are a person who loves cost-effective stuff and do give even a little precedence to quantity, you are going to love this section that I am going to introduce. Also, I will make sure to throw in some of the cool stuff in between for others so it doesn’t get all lonely for those who are not very much into that. Again, the fact that they come at a small price does not undermine their overall quality or even their general desirability from a consumer’s standpoint in any way. These things aren’t just available out there to stretch your hands and grab on but those pearls need to be discovered from the shells. Well, in a way, now they are available because I have curated them for you. Check these out and thank me later.

#1- Three-in- one Combo Footwear

This one is going to come as a deal-breaker for everyone and once you read the price when you go down to my store, you are going to cry tears of joy mind me. Afrojack offers this three-in-one combo of stylish footwear for those who just couldn’t bother searching for them individually, OR, just for men like me :p

 

#2- MTV Roadies Sunglasses

Have a look at these trademarked Wayfarer sunglasses from MTV Roadies, folks. This doesn’t get any better at such a price and that is a guarantee.

 

#3- Blue Crystal Jewellery

This is for the ladies who do not want to carry around all the ‘jhalar-malar’ as they like to associate the sound with heavy jewellery. This one on the other hand is petite, tiny, shiny and everything suitable to carry around on a job day or a casual outing.

#4- ‘Chill out’  Women’s Wristwatches

Another one for the ladies here, this stylish wristwatch with an uber cool message on it reads and sums up your exact feeling when you look at your wrist sweating. Well, I can’t help but throw in another one here for the “How’re you doing part”, courtesy of Mr. Joey Tribbiani.

  

 

#5- Crystal’s Black and Grey Sandals

Check out the looks, price and reviews of this one here guys and if you are still not surprised by the melody of these three notes, leave me a comment calling me a schmuck !!

Moving over to my personal favourite, the ‘Cool things to own’ section. Well as evident from the name, you may guess that the prices over here may not look so reasonable for some of the products that I am going to push in but you must understand that they are meant not so much for the utility as for the show. And by devil, it would be some show guys, that I promise you. Basically these items are meant to tease away your peers and to show them how exquisite your tastes are. And no, I am not saying you must fake out anything that you are not but Hey, it doesn’t hurt to be the center of attraction for an agreeable reason, right?

#1-  A Lightsaber

Star-Wars fanatics range from teeny boys (who possibly first heard about it in TBBT) to men who actually witnessed Star Wars in all its glory. Whether or not they actually get the films, they croon for a Lightsaber. Why? Because it’s sheer awesome and even more awesome is to actually have one.

 

#2- Wine over Apple backcover

Yes Of course it’s a thing enough to own an iPhone in the first place but what if you have got such a tricky back-cover to go on with? It’s as if your phone is itself intoxicated over the wine and when you hold it in your hands, people will like it better. After all, wine beats an apple, right?

 

#3- Sheesham Wooden Tray

I am a sucker for wooden utensils and I know there would be a large number of people out there who would nod at this exquisite Sheesham wood tray. Hell, I don’t even care what I am being served just as long as you leave the tray on the table for me. Check out the feels people :p

 

#4- Buddha shadow lamp

There is nothing more comforting than the peace one finds at one’s home. Think of the Budhha casting his shadow on the walls of your room and you will be transported to a whole different level of ‘anand‘. दवीयः प्रकाशः

 

#5- Pandora themed night lamps

Want to set up a romantic ambiance in the room? Experience some Pandora of your own with this colour changing Navi plant design lamps.

 

Wait folks, did I tell you how you can go and buy ALL OF THESE and more of such good stuff? No? How foolish of me? Absolutely not. I was just messing around getting you people all pumped up for the amazing journey you MUST take from here on. As a matter of fact, I had left a link to the store with my featured pic straightaway. Didn’t you read the little poem I had written for you? If you feel like buying any of these and some of the other items I have curated in my store, then this is what you need to do.-

1. Go to the Zapstore website
2. Create your own profile on the site.
3. Follow the instructions if you have any problems finding anything you want.

4- VISIT MY STORE AND SHOP AWAY ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING YOU WANT 🙂

I am making my own store for the #BestZapStore activity at BlogAdda in association with Zapstore. In case you haven’t yet found the link to my store, here it is