Tanaz

Thanks to Nitin / Yatin

2010-11-07T18:16:00.000-08:00

A small incident ... which i liked a lot...

I went to the bus stop to catch the bus...and there was a old lady standing there..
Seeing me she wished me Good Morning..:)
The she asked me if I worked for BT...and I said yes..

Then she told me, that you know yest i spoke to someone from BT for my connection... and we spoke for an hour yet the issue was not resolved, however the person whom i spoke with was very polite and patient

The first thing she told him was tht she knew nothing about the computer and she was a bit deaf, and hearing this the fellow told her not a problem he will help her.. and he tried for an hour and yet he couldnt resolve the issue...
he had her pc on remote and there she saw her name as Nitin/Yatin K...

She told me she really wanted to thank him for being so patient and polite with her.. she really liked it..
she told me she was a teacher and she first used to teach at the university for some years... now she teaches to girls of the military ppl..
she always belives tht if someone /something is nt working she will complain...and if she likes something na .. she will also ensure that it is noticed...
And she wants to thank the person who helped her..

So i thought of mentioning it here and thank that person...so thanks to Nitin/Yatin whoever it was...

Hilarious Parsi Surnames

2008-06-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

WHAT DO YOU CALL A PARSEE....?

Bootlegger? ..... Daruwalla

Who is dumb? .... Mooga

Those who believe they are Civil Servants? .... Sarkari

Who sells branded booze? .... Jinwalla

Who is into Astrology? .... Tara Chand
\
The best person to repair machines? ... ENGINEER.

Who tinkers with a short fuse? .... Tester

Who doesn't like rice? .... Naanwalla

Those don't like being called Parsis? ... Malloo

Who think they are cattle owners? ... Bhes sania

A Patriotic Indian Parsi? .... Gandhi

One who likes to scare kids' everyday? .... De boo (The Boo)

Who is brave? .... Bahadur

A religious Parsi? ... Dastur

Who believe they are the custodians of Agiyaris? .... Kathiwalla

Those that want to be Grocers? .... Kaandawalla

A watch repairer? .... Ghadialy

Who has a chance at the Guinness Book of World Records? ....
SodaWaterBottleOpenerwalla.

Who Lives in a castle? .... Killawala

A parsi chauffeur? .... Driver

Who has aspirations of flying/sailing? .... Captain

A corrupt politician? .... Kaalaa Gandhi

Grave Digger? .... Ghorkhodu

Who doesn't give a damn about anything? .... Goli Mar

A Parsi labourer? .... Contractor

Who love dry fruits? .... Mevawalla

Who always likes to wave Bye-Bye? .... Ta-ta

Who thinks he is aristocratic? .... Noble

The teachers of the community? .... Master >

Who thinks bananas to be a source of potassium? .... Kerawalla

Who loves to cook? .... Masalawalla

Who is a Wheeler Dealer? .... Dalal

Those who think they have a military background..... Marshall

Who loves plenty of cats? .... Billi Moria

Who agrees with everybody? .... Jee Jee Bhoy

What do you call a nalli daru ni batli? .... Nalladaru >

Who is eccentric? .... Mad on

Who has gas problems? .... Ka Padia

Who runs around in sheep's clothing? .... Un Walla

A Small Parsi businessman? .... Nallaseth

A Parsi slumlord? .... Bhiwandi Walla

Who loves having a Sweet tooth? .... Gol Walla

Who is a fireman? .... Bambawalla

A skinny Parsi? .... Dandiwalla

Who thinks the cafeteria is his second home? .... Canteenwalla

A Parsi lawyer? .... Vakil

One who's imported from Italy? .... Italia

Who goes around pressing everything? .... Daboo

Who can reproduce at will? .... Ichha-poria

A Parsi Shikari? .... Wagmaroo

African Parsi? .... Zanzibarwala

Why read the Khordeh Avesta when we cannot understand it????

2008-04-26T04:52:00.000-07:00

A common question from our youngsters today.......

Why do we read the Khordeh Avesta even though we don't understand anything?This is beautiful story - if inspired please forward, else keep it .......can'tsay when it might inspire you! An old Priest lived on a farm in the mountains with his young grandson.Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table readinghis Khordeh Avesta. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could.One day the grandson asked, 'Grandpa! I try to read the Khordeh Avesta just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget assoon as I close the book. What good does reading the Khordeh Avesta do?' The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, 'Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back abasket of water.'The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, 'You'll have to move a little faster next time,' and sent him back to the river with thebasket to try again.This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucketinstead. The old man said, 'I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You're just not trying hard enough,' and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show hisgrandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house. The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when hereached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, hesaid, 'See Grandpa, it's useless!' 'So you think it is useless?' The old man said, 'Look at the basket.' The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized thatthe basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out.'Son, that's what happens when you read the Khordeh Avesta. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you willbe changed, inside and out.
That is the work of Zarathushtra in our lives..'

LONG LIVE THE PARSIS !

2008-02-10T04:25:00.000-08:00

LONG LIVE THE PARSIS !

'Dying ? Who's dying ?' he asked, outraged. 'I'm not. And I have extensions of myself - two sons and one daughter. So have you. Dying ? What are you talking about ?'
But Fali, we are dying', I tried to explain. 'Read this article :'The death rates are higher than birth rates. What can you say to that ?'
Fali belongs to the old, 'never-say-die' brigade. There was no way I could convince him about the gravity of the situation.
'The whole world worries about us; most of our customs and rituals are being documented for preservation.' I pressed on.
'What preservation ? Fali growled. 'I am here, jivto jagto ! Are you scared, or what, by what these idiots are saying ? Heh, heh, heh', he chortled. 'Nothing can wipe us out !' Fali put the thing in perfect perspective.
'I don't believe these rubbishy statistics. If the Lord intended to die out, our little boat would have been gulped down by the ocean when we fled Iran. But he did not. We were just a HANDFUL that landed here on the sands of Sanjan and see how many we are today. More than a lakh all over the world.' (this is the most important I think we should work on this paragraph, how did we multiply when we were only a few)
'He wanted us to do something and look what we have produced : gems .......a JRD, a Palkhivala, a Fali Nariman, a Sam Manekshaw, a Pirojshaw Godrej, not to talk of the Udvadias, the Sunawalas, the Godiwallas and Zubin. We have brains and business acumen.'
'And 'Quality'. We don't produce children by the dozen, but what we leave behind is quality stuff. It is nature's law that good things are rare, like us. We have always been a minuscule community. Now if you want to sit and cry, cry ! But I don't think we are doomed. If they want to document us, let them ! We have yet much to do and much to give!'
I watched him, bedazzled, as he put on his bushcoat to leave and planted a Parsi kiss on cheek. I raised a hand in quiet salutation and felt proud of the blood that flowed through my veins. He was like a breath of fresh air in an overcrowded room. I sat transfixed for a while. His attitude was convincing and contagious.
Probably it is this attitude that has kept us going. Numbers don't count. It is all a matter of attitude !

WE R THE BEST, HIP HIP HURRAY TO ALL THE PARSEES ON MOTHER EARTH.

WITH LOVE AND REGARDS TO ONE AND ALL.

Tanaz

Life's Little Instruction Book

2008-02-10T04:12:00.000-08:00

Life's Little Instruction Book :-)

Have a firm handshake.
Look people in the eye.
Sing in the shower.
Own a great stereo system.
If in a fight, hit first and hit hard.
Keep secrets.
Never give up on anybody.
Miracles happen everyday.
Always accept an outstretched hand.
Be brave.
Even if you're not, pretend to be.
No one can tell the difference.
Whistle.
Avoid sarcastic remarks.
Choose your life's mate carefully.
From this one decision will come 90 per cent of all your happiness or misery.
Make it a habit to do nice things for people who will never find out.
Lend only those books you never care to see again.
Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all that they have.
When playing games with children, let them win.
Give people a second chance, but not a third.
Be romantic.
Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
Loosen up.
Relax.
Except for rare life-and-death matters, nothing is as important as it first seems.
Don't allow the phone to interrupt important moments. It's there for your convenience, not the caller's.
Be a good loser.
Be a good winner.
Think twice before burdening a friend with a secret.
When someone hugs you, let them be the first to let go.
Be modest.
A lot was accomplished before you were born.
Keep life simple.
Beware of the person who has nothing to lose.
Don't burn bridges.
You'll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river.
Live your life so that your epitaph could read, No Regrets Be bold and courageous.
When you look back on life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the one's you did.
Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.
Remember no one makes it alone.
Have a grateful heart and be quick to acknowledge those who helped you.
Take charge of your attitude.
Don't let someone else choose it for you.
Visit friends and relatives when they are in hospital; you need only stay a few minutes.
Begin each day with some of your favorite music.
Once in a while, take the scenic route.
Send a lot of Valentine cards. Sign them, 'Someone who thinks you're terrific.'
Answer the phone with enthusiasm and energy in your voice.
Keep a note pad and pencil on your bed-side table. Million-dollar ideas sometimes strike at 3 a.m.
Show respect for everyone who works for a living, regardless of how trivial their job.
Send your loved ones flowers.
Think of a reason later.
Make someone's day by paying the toll for the person in the car behind you.
Become someone's hero.
Marry only for love.
Count your blessings.
Compliment the meal when you're a guest in someone's home.
Wave at the children on a school bus.
Remember that 80 per cent of the success in any job is based on your ability to deal with people.
Don't expect life to be fair.

Some Pics Of Navjote

2008-01-26T10:03:00.000-08:00

Father and Son

The Navjote Family

The Family

My Nani(Mamaiji)

My Uncle(Kaka) And Aunty(Mausi)

Me in this pic................

My Family

To the wonderful kids who were born in India and survived the 60's,70's & 80’s.

2008-01-26T09:59:00.000-08:00

First, we survived being born to mothers, some, whose husbands smoked and /or drank while they carried us. They took aspirin, ate whatever food was put on the table, and didn't get tested for diabetes. They were mothers who did not check their blood pressure every few minutes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs and bassinets were covered with bright colored lead-based paints. We were put in prams and sent out with ayahs to meet other children with ayahs, whilst our parents were busy. We cried, were picked up and cuddled by the ayahs and were quiet again.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking or going out on our own. As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or airbags.
We sat on each other's laps for God's sake. Riding in the back of a station wagon on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this. We would share a dosa; dip a chapatti into someone else's plate of curry without batting an eyelid. We ate jam sandwiches or pickle on bread and butter, raw mangoes with salt that set our teeth on edge, and drank orange squash with sugar and water in it.

We ate at roadside stalls, drank water from tender coconuts, ate everything that was bad for us from mungfalees to Bhel Puri to bhajias and samosas, but we weren't overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING! There was never a child - not one single child -who was obese!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day during the holidays, we were never ever bored, and we were allowed freedom all day as long as we were back when the streetlights came on, or when our parents told us to do so. No one was able to reach us all day by mobile phone or phone. And we were O.K. We would spend hours making paper kites, building things out of scraps with old pram wheels or cycle rims, inventing our own games, playing traditional games called hide and seek, kick the can and rounders, ride old cycles and then ride down the hill, only to find out
we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We swam with an inflated tube which we got from somebody who was replacing their car tyres. We ran barefoot without thinking about it, if we got cut we used iodine on it which made us jump. We did not wash our hands ten times a day. And we were OK.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no mobile phones, no personal computers, no I-Pods, no internet or internet chat rooms, no TV, full stop.

We did not have parents who said things like "what would you like for breakfast, lunch or dinner". We ate what was put in front of us and best of all, there was never any leftovers. We polished the lot. WE HAD FRIENDS, great friends, whose parents we called Uncle and Aunty, and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees numerous times, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no compensation claims from these accidents. We ate fruit lying on the ground that we shook down from the tree above. And we never washed fruit. We had a bath using a bucket and mug and used Mysore Sandal soap. We did not know what conditioners meant.

We made up games with sticks and tennis balls. We rode cycles everywhere and someone sat on the carrier or across the bar to school or the pictures not cinema, or you walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them! Not everyone made it into the teams we wanted to. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

This generation of ours has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

Please pass this on to others who have had the luck and good fortune to grow up as kids in India, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives ostensibly for our own good that changed what was good into bad and what was bad into worse.

Those were the days my friend!

Can I?

2008-01-26T09:56:00.000-08:00

Today, I finally decided to wait for her outside the office. I’ve been preparing myself for this scene for ages but never could bring myself to say it all cut and dry at her face. But, TODAY was THE DAY. When she came near me, I asked her to get on the bike with me. As usual she tried her best not to. She was always afraid of bikes. I knew that. Still I wanted her to give her a ride – that was the first thing in the plan I had for today. At last, I won the war of words and she got beside me. I could feel her tension whenever a turn or a speedbreaker came. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling when she clutched my shoulder whenever I overtook another vehicle. The next surprise for her was when we reached our destination.

It was my favorite trekking place, not very far from town. As I expected, she didn’t want to climb down the small hill with me to the place I wanted to take her. Again, she had to agree. She was holding my hand too tight and was also shivering when I lead the way downhill. She was almost in tears and was cursing me for my stupid joke when we came back near my bike again. I was damn sure that if she had the option, she’d have left me there and taken a rick back home. Now, as the time had come for the Grande Finale, I knelt down before and took her hands in mine to ask “Look Shreya, I did all this just to show you that I’ll never let your fears rule you when you are with me. I want to keep you far away from ‘em for the rest of your life. Can I?”

RUSTAM-FARAMNA of AGIYARI at PARSI COLONY

2007-12-29T22:19:00.000-08:00

RUSTAM-FARAMNA of AGIYARI at PARSI COLONY, DADAR, B'bay.

Rustam, was a poor youth, who had lost his father, when he was very

young, and was staying with his ailing mother, in Pandey Chawl, at

Karelwadi, Thakurwad, Mumbai. Due to poverty he was not properly

educated. He was dark skinned, thin and very tall, and had a very

shrill voice. Finding employment was a problem for him, due to all

his drawbacks.

Ultimately, he approached one Dadi,Thoothi, who had formed a

drama company to stage dramas, to employ him as an actor.

During that period, cinemas showing silent films had not yet entered

Mumbai, hence, staged dramas were the attractions for entertainment.

During those days, female roles on stage were performed by male

actors. Due to his shrill voice, he was suitable for female roles, but

his tall stature was a handicap. Nevertheless, as his luck would have

it, this handicap turned out to be an asset for the drama company,

because the audience automatically started laughing and clapping

the moment he entered the stage.

During those days, Parsis were performing dramas in Hindi and Urdu

besides Gujarati, hence their dramatic societies performed in other

parts of the country too. Native Rajas, Maharajas, Nawabs were their

main patrons. Once, the Maharaja of Jaipur, invited Dadi Thoothi's

drama company to perform in his palace at Jaipur.

Now it so happened that, Rustamfaramna, besides being an actor,

also served as a "Babarchi" to feed his co-actors. He was an expert at

preparing Parsi dishes like 'Dhan-shak", "Curry-chaval", "Khichri-patio".

Once, Rustamfaramna made bold enough to offer his dish to the

Maharaja and his Indian and Foreign guests who had gathered to watch

a drama of his company. All of them relished the Parsi dishes so much

that it turned turned Rustamfaramna's fortune.

When his drama company prepared to leave Jaipur, to take up some other

assignment, the Maharaja of Jaipur, ordered Rustamfaramna not to leave,

because he wanted to appoint him as a cook in his Royal Guest-House.

All the Indian and Foreign guests of the Maharaja relished the food of

the guest-house so much, that the Maharaja, started sending Rustam-

faramna to his royal guesthouse at Agra too, because most often, the

guests who visited Jaipur, never failed to visit Agra too, to see the Taj,
and other Mughal monuments at Agra and Fatehpur-sikri.

In the good old days,Rustamfaramna's co-actors used to tease him, by

calling him Rustam-Curry-chaval. Now with his changed fortune, he felt

proud of the title awarded to him by his old colleagues.

Gradually, the Maharaja of Jaipur, helped Rustam-faramna, in financing

opening of his independent Hotel Savoy at Agra., which catered to the

rich in European style, with his favorite Parsee dishes. Then onwards,

he moved from rags to riches. He gathered wealth, but unfortunately

had no heir to hand it over.

Thus, the Dadar Parsee Colony, became fortunate enough to have

Its present Rustam-Faramna Agiyari, in 1930.

Life At Tech M.................

2007-10-27T03:17:00.000-07:00

hello to one and all

I m writing after a long time since I was in training
I didn't get ne time...but now after training I got no job to do
so thought shall rite some things.................abt my new job n how it all happ.

well to begin with I was too dam confused what to do
should I go for MCA or do this job
had seriously left it all to God............not told neone
had decided whatever comes first I shall take that up.
And ......so here I come to pune for the job

when I got the offer letter from coll it was written Mumbai and dam we were so happy
later we tried calling that swapnil shukla so many times and he was such a **** person
didn't know what to ans
so later the contact person mentioned we went to see her in the chandivali office
and God we get a shock of our lives there

she tells us to report to pune on 29th June 2007.

and in this all confusion I came to pune to inquire wt to do
since we didn't have ne idea
I met ms. Jodhwani(who took our interview) here
she was cool told me all abt here and the problems going on here
and later confirmed that we need to join at pune n not Mumbai
so on the 27th I land at pune

go around and see the place I need to go
it was a good place Sharda Centre-The corporate Office of Tech M

so on the 29th we all meet outside the office many have come
many are sardars also(hehe)
we were made to wait and later separated as cs and non-cs
and jus imagine we done IT and categorized as non-cs:(
bad isn't it

neway we goto to a room n sit n sit n sit n sit
later our docs r collected
cds r shown
later we r left for lunch which was complimentary
after that we come back n get our accounts opened in a bank(kotak mahindra)
after that we r taken to the library where we get some good shock we r given 12 books as fat as
complete reference java
and told we will be taught all this

taking all the books we goto a hall where we need our finger prints to be taken
we go there n sit but nothing happs we r called on a sat for that work

so we leave at 630 on day one when we r supposed to be left at 530 and
called on a sat when we have a sat Sunday off and to top it all the 12 books

so the next day we come on sat we r given some more shocks as our loc will be gigaspace
thts an hour from the place we were
so all our parents start searching for a home in gigaspace (at viman nagar)
and all get homes there (I stay with my mausi in camp )

later on Monday our first day we goto gigaspace a wonderful place so huge and good construction
we have pt (programming techniques ) lec
and we begin we meet akbar shaik
I still remm the way meenu used to say shaik (by shaking herself )

Later one more shock
we will be shifted to manikchand in next 10 to 15 days
later days went by going to office n coming back with training sessions

we got to meet new friends
got to know each other and dam after 10 days we were shifted to manikchand
so we travel for almost an hour or more everyday to manikchand
manikchand was also good........we started enjoying each day

the "MuZje" of our mentor and the confused harshal
we enjoyed all days
also the tests the results ...........ours going to Mumbai together .........playing antakshari
practicing together.............

we all were together
later when all of us got our pl/sql result though more than half the class failed we all were together
and this brought us all close

and we started to come on sat as well as sun
and enjoying each day
none of us would go home before 6
all would sit n talk n do tp

later retest was given and all cleared quite well
then our behavioural training started
the most wonderful time
with all the activities and the way shohrat(our trainer) organized it for us
all of us had fun
the screaming we did .............the punishments ................the activates..........the lunch we had
oh all seems so recent

and never knew how the 17 days of fun was over
we all had a mixture of feelings when he left
we jus didn't want it to end
though some day it had to................

then the next day we all got our locs another day which we all dreaded
all of us got separated and the days after those went so horrible what do I say
but still we all r in each others contact and also I remm the dinner we had on the 18th
it was fun all together

so all of us will always keep in touch and the fond memories will always be there
u all too can add ne
do tc and keep smiling and enjoy the projects in which u all are
I too will enjoy when I get one
(hehehe)
MISS U ALL >:D<

LIFE IN A PARSI COLONY

2007-07-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

LIFE IN A PARSI COLONY

Forget 'Life in a Metro'. 'Life in a Parsi Colony' should be made into a movie!

In Mumbai, you will unarguably find the largest concentration of Parsis in the community's many 'baugs', or exclusive residential areas where despite the illusionary calm there is, very often, simmering strife, racy rumours are perennially rife, and there is many a shrieking wife…

Parsi women of a certain vintage are blessed with a booming voice box that often entertains an entire block with its blasting blah-blah, and it is not unusual for family quibbles and complaints to be broadcast aloud - not so much by design as by default because, 'dikra', what do you do when manic 'mumma' loses volume control?

Then, in the 'baugs', you also have any number of aunties in their nightgowns, regally rechristened as 'gowns', and worn throughout the day, often even on errands in and around the baug, expanding their ample lungs and expending admirable vocal energy not just within their homes but beyond as well. It is not unusual to see them standing at their windows, which, incidentally, in the 'baugs', is a revered tradition, engaging in loud words with one another ("kem chey, soo karech, aaje su randhiyu" - a sort of standard polite talk that centres around what each one is doing/cooking), as well as hollering at sundry hawkers and summoning them at their beckoning.

The hawkers who populate the Parsi 'baugs' make for an interesting exhibit in themselves - and should Madame Tussaud's ever decide to cast them in wax, they would be infinitely more interesting than Shah Rukh Khan in a 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' jacket or Amitabh Bachchan in his latest toupee.

Parsi colonies are home to some really eccentric and exotic types, and we don't just mean the folk who live there but those humble minions who bring them their daily sustenance right to their doorstep.

The 'baugs' have a great network of hawkers of all hue, right from the early morning milkman (in the days before the Parsi Dairy Farm family fallout and lockout, their 'bhaiyyas' in blue were a hallmark). Then, there is the ubiquitous 'pauwalla' or bread man, who brings warm bakery 'paus' in a wooden trunk strapped on to a cycle, and goes from flat to flat slicing up one little round mound after another, based on personal preference: thick slice, thin slice, 'karak pau', 'naram pau'. Parsis love their 'pau', and seldom eat the more wholesome/wholegrain 'chappati'. The 'pauwalla' is, hence, not just a very welcome visitor but almost an extension of the family, winding up as he does on the doorstep every day, sometimes morning and evening, and although generally from Uttar Pradesh or Bihar, like the 'doodhwalla', he invariably speaks perfect 'Parsi Gujarati', perhaps even down to all the colloquial cusswords if you cared to find out. Once a year, he unfailingly disappears on an extended visit to his hometown in some interior hinterland, leaving behind a nephew, who, rather quickly, becomes as familiar with the families he helps feed.

The Parsis may not be many things, but they are a friendly lot who almost immediately and instantly appropriate virtually every stranger as "aapro" something-or-the-other - and this is a particularly baug thing. So there's "aapro doodhwallo", "aapro pauwallo" "aapro goswallo"…

Ah! The goswallo is, perhaps, the most wanted of them all. For a true-blue Parsi non-vegetarianism is a virtue that cannot be eschewed, and, indeed, must be diligently chewed (bones and all) meal upon meal. So the meat and fish vendors are pounced upon by hasty housewives keen to complete their culinary chores.

Not surprisingly, then, in most 'baugs' the smells that assail you upon arrival will be overpoweringly fishy and fleshy, especially in the forenoon, as kitchens emanate the odours of fish, fowl or four-legged beast being basted and broiled.

With younger wives working and having no time to cook, the 'dabbawallas' come in handy. Or, else, there's RTI that sends in the tiffin, with its printed menus circulated at the start of every month.

Other than food, fun is on most people's minds. Friendly football/volleyball/throwball matches are routinely played, as are tricks of all kinds - generally in good humour, although not always so!

Life in the 'baugs' is not entirely without controversy and cacophony. But, overall, it's a blessed existence. Where else in Mumbai will you get airy environs enhanced by the genteel grace that the Parsi colonies emanate, and for many non-Parsis these are much-envied havens of solitude and seclusion. For most Parsis they are a way of life, as, for the better part, no matter where they roam, at the end of the day, one or another 'baug' is invariably home.

BAUG STEREOTYPES

* The 'Maijees'

They wear 'gowns' (nightgowns) through the day, both in and out of the house, sometimes changing them as often as three times before finally going to sleep in them. They virtually live their lives on their windowsills, vicariously watching what goes on, with whom, where, and what-have-you!

* The 'Bawajis'

They wear their 'lehgas' (loose and flapping above the ankles), with their 'sudreh-kusti' on top, and if someone arrives at the door, or they need to step out, a hasty shirt is slipped on. They generally took voluntary retirement eons ago and take an avid interest in world affairs, such as oomphy Hollywood actresses (old and new) and female tennis stars (Maria Sharapova, Anna Kournikova, but with the exception of Martina Navratilova!).

* The 'Cutlets'

They range in age from 16 to 60 and generally ride aimlessly on motorbikes around the baugs. They check out women all the time, greet each other affectionately with a volley of abuses, and are about as bright as dead meat. Hence, the nickname: "Cutlets"'!

* The 'Fatakrees'

Parsi colony girls are, by and large, comely and rather coveted. Making the most of their slinky youth, they strut around in strappy tops, too-tight jeans and preen over their own peaches-and-cream perfection. These fetching firecrackers ('Fatakrees') sizzle briefly (till they catch the eye of some 'Cutlet' and coyly become his side-dish), after which they fizzle into oblivion and their grandmothers' nightgowns.

The 'Chuckoos'

Every 'baug' has a few over-smart sorts who manage to make it big, or, at any rate, pretend that they have. They flaunt, flash and fling in everyone's face the symbols of their come-too-quick success. From their swollen-headed swagger to their several cars that mess up everybody else's parking space, to the lavish money-burning 'navjote' ceremonies of their children, these showoffs ('Chuckoos') reinvent one-upmanship all the time.

You know you're Parsi when...

2007-06-23T23:17:00.000-07:00

You know you're Parsi when...

-Your mom wakes you up extra early on the first day of school/your parsi
birthday so that she can do tili and sagaan. You go to school and your
friends ask you why the hell you have rice in your hair.

-You compulsively drink tea at all hours of the day[in India you wake up
your servants at 3 am and tell them to make you tea]

-You stress out over the most ridiculous things.

-You know the precise definition of ben chod and madder chod and you teach
them to your friends.

-You're off the marriage market if you get too tan.

-However, if you're fair enough, it doesn't matter what you look like or how
smart you are, you'll get a decent spouse.

-You know at least 3 ways to use oil. Only 2 of which include cooking.

-You've had to drink cow piss at least once in your life.

-You've bathed in milk and rose petals at least once in your life.

-You've had to change your clothes in front of 400 people, while your mom
and the rest of the women in the family were holding up a cloth so that
nobody could see you.

-You've had to pull off wearing 5-9 yards of silk wrapped around you.

-You've had the equivalent of at least one peg of brandy by age 10.

-Your parents have decided who you should marry by age 10.

-Aunties have seen you as Vohu[daughter-in-law] material since age 5.

-You're ridiculously pampered if you're a boy, especially the first boy.

-Nobody can every pronounce your name and/or last name properly.

-When ordering a drink at Starbucks you've give a name that is pronounceable
to the American public. Ex. Phiroze becomes Phil.

-You give your dog a tili on his/her birthday.

-You buy a new car and the first things you do:
oYou take an egg, spin it around the car seven times
and throw the egg on the ground
oYou put a tili on all 4 tires and on the front bumper.
oYou roll over some lemons and eggs with the tires.

-You've eaten about every single type of food.. "per edu"

-You eat at least 3 eggs a day but will still probably live into your 90's.

-You've been asked why there's a "string" hanging from the back of your
shirt.

-Indians never believe you when you say you're from there.

-People were drunk at your first birthday party.

-If you marry a "parjat"[non-parsi] your parents will disown you for a year
or two but then eventually come around, though never entirely.

-Your uncle gave you champagne when you were 4 days old.

-All of your sadhras have a little red letter on it with your initial.

-Your middle name is your father's name... no if's and's or but's about
it... doesn't matter if you're male or female.

-More than likely your last name ends in –walla, -wala, -vala, or –ia.

-Your last name also more than likely means some type of profession or where
you're from.

-You've felt the need to snap three times when somebody says something bad
or when there's anything that might suggest Ahriman's[the devil's]
influence.

-You'd be skinned alive if you ever wore black to a wedding, navjote or your
own birthday party.

-Wearing a ring on your left hand before marriage is bad luck and means
you'll never get married.

-Our idea of a blessing is to have a bunch of rice and rose petals pelted at
you.

-You've been told never to eat fish with yogurt.

-Never cut your hair on Hormaz roj.

-You are vegetarian on certain days.

-You know that peacocks are bad luck.

-You'd pick yellow gold over any metal any day.

-You celebrate New Year 3 times a year. Once on January 1st with the rest of
the world. Once in Spring for Navroze, and once in August for Pateti.

-You have two birthdays and get presents on both days.

-If you're a girl, you've mastered the fine art of cutting an onion by age
9.

-You've had a cold and been forced to drink milk and haldi, which didn't
even help your cold but on top of that gave you a stomach ache.

-If you're a boy, your mom has to teach you to do laundry when you go to
college or you just save it until you come home.

-You know about the mystical powers of 4711 Eau de Cologne… AKA COLOGNE
WATER because Parsis can't speak French if their life depended on it, and
yet you have a bizarre love for all things British or French

-Your parents make you drink brandy when you're sick, and whisky if they
think you might be getting sick.

-Your friends come to a Parsi party and think you have a ridiculously huge
family because you call everyone auntie or uncle.

-You wore a jabloo as a child.

-You have to go to India or Iran to go to temple.

-You give your dogs either parsi names or name them after alcohol (ie.
Brandy, Whiskey, Rum, Sherry, Gin, etc.).

-Said dog loves parsi food.

-You use expressions like "Khodai!" or "Bapre" or "Oh mari maire" all the
time.

Do Tell How Did You Liked the Post ..................

A Short Story On Life

2007-06-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn't know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot and ground coffee beans in the third pot.

He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup.

Turning to her, he asked. "Daughter, what do you see?" "Potatoes, eggs, and coffee," she hastily replied. "Look closer", he said, "and touch the potatoes." She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face. "Father, what does this mean?" she asked. He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity-the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new. "Which one are you," he asked his daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?" In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us. Which one are you? When problems come (and they will) how will we react?

Will they make us weak, hard hearted or will they cause us to change into something worthwhile?

Think about it...

"Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be."

so do reply as a comment to wht ur
ill wait
tc n smile always!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BSc IT

2007-04-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

So finally even the last semester got over !!!
wht can i say three years of full fun n masti
all over!!
but one gud thing we hav the best memories ever
and even when i rite some of them here i am sure each one has a new tale to tell u
each one has his own view and may be i may nt remm and put down all wht i feel as i am sure there is much more than jus the things i rite
so lets nt waste time and let me begin

coll starts i am yet nt sure wht to do enng or bsc . going to coll
meeting new ppl having fun
first person i talked to was kavita
then we start regular coll
everyday some new faces
everyday some friends leaving n going
still enjoying
we meet our seniors
they hav kept a freshers party for us
plead us to come
we as freshers r scared so reluctant didnt know wht fun we missing
jus a few ppl of abt 15 said yes
party was arranged , i had nt been there
but i still remm tht day when party was arranged we had no lecs so
all of us started to play dum sharas in class
nt jus 4-5 but a lot of 25 of us were playing
tht was the begening of our friendship

now began we knowing each other well
we used to visit one anothers house when ever possible
we even visited mount mary
also went to bandra bandstand
and worli sea face
and all this in grps of 20
fun was always there
oh how we miss it

then came exams all studying hard for them
each one trying to do their best
results were out some were happy some were sad
yet smiling since there is always next time

then came the next sem
we came across a subject called psdc (personality skills development course)
again a subject full of fun
first lec and we are given partners and we hav to speak to them and then to the class abt them
my partner was sam
and tht was the first time we came to know his full name sudarshan
hehe
then came our first project and all were busy doing tht
again with fun
and then teasing lijo sir his complains
we gave him his best new years gift
a complain
he had even cried in class
oh wht days those were
still he taught us and we learnt

then next year came miss seema oh she was one torture
somehow taught us for two sems and then she herself left
hehe but we did trouble her
remm sushils incident of bk banging
and her asking sushil tum fail ho gaye
and then we teasing sushil
hehe

then we also had floods tht year
so much water
life was in danger yet all were saved
ashu gaurav went walking to dombilvali
shrikants house was totally under water
divya rita kavita n binda spent 3 days at someone elses place
vikas shohef ashu gaurav priyesh n priyesh were at some ones elses house for a day
they hav their own tale to tell for tht day
the day no one can forget
hmmmmmmmmmmmm

later we had one of our seniors passing away
we all even though didnt know her personally were really shaken up

then came the third year
well final year all nt yet ready still coll starts of soon
we hav our teachers shouting at us for bad results of previous sem
all of them warning us to study well
n hard saying its nt easy nt easy to pass

then we had a little lec abt to start searching for projects and start doing
ppl are nt able to complete
so do it frm now this n tht

then came exams within no time to breath
all again busy studying
later we had fun going to goa n relaxing a bit

it was feb n no results yet
never delayed them so late
and they had declared date for finals in march
ppl assumed we would get both results to gether

but then there was a strike and dates were postponed to may
and results were out on 14th feb
such a lovely day na
hehe
now we all are busy studying for our exam in may

none of us can forget those memories of coll
and it will always be as fresh as ever
i wish all of u the best of luck do tc
and do welllllllllllllllll
>:D<

And well yes all those reading this blog if i missed on nething do post it in the comment it will be fun to read
hav fun bbye

Some Pics Of Goa

2007-01-24T07:06:00.000-08:00

Go Goa !! Here I Come Again

2007-01-23T21:15:00.000-08:00

So its been a year since i had visited Goa and my visit to Goa was nt expected at all
i had nt paid money when i had to since my dad was nt well later his operation was done quickly so then i could go to Goa (the much awaited trip) but our mam Sudha mam told us NO (A Big One) ,Yet Each one kept trying (so sweet of them ;)),still the ans was a no..

Now u must be wondering then tht how did i go??Let me tell u

I was to give my friends a surprise by going to the station .Since last year itself i had been there they wanted some hats and uno to play so i was carrying it.
So when i went there instead of me surprising them they gave me a big surprise :))
sir told me there is two ppl who wont be comming and instead of tht i could come (only on one seat haan).
So these ppl told me to run and within half an hour i had to go back home n come back with my bag like some marathon run.These ppl delayed the train for me by 10 mins ,these ppl were pakuing the guard so finally i reached and train started in jus 10 secs.
When i reached the msg had already reached the other dabba where my friends were waiting and all started shouting n whisteling and singing God it was such a wonderful moment
in the entire trip this was the most wonderful thing tht happ.
now lets move furthur ,
so i reached now journey started we took some pics in train all masti going on in the train .
finally reached at 130 am
after tht we went to our buses
our bus driver was one char. he forgot the road n took us to a dead end and stopped the bus there. Later he jus kept moving in circles arround a church.finally we took the bus keys frm him n made him wait we called sir up.Later tht drunkard went to someones place and started knowing at 2 in the nite . Hopefully no one shouted and till then our tour operator came
soo we reached safely.
then we got out rooms.
the room i got was quite n oki one had red ants bed bugs no flush working yet it was my room;)
hehe
so neway my room partners were Madhavi Janu Anisa
all three cool girls
at 4 they started munching chips and puranpoli .
later we slept

Day2::

we all had put alarams so i got up at 6 later anisas alaram was quite bugging ringing in every 10 mins and the tone was eeeeeh!
neways i and janu got up
but had nothing to do hot water didnt come
it was to come at 645
so we were waiting
later other rooms it came yet our room didnt get hot water
so we were waiting called the reception '
he came n saw someone had closed the mains
so it was already 715 and we had to reach at 8 n 4 of us to bathe (all 4 girls)
still nt as bad as u r thinking we did manage
and reached by 830
had breakfast n left to visit the temples
temples were gud
first one we visited was having a huge pond with fishes n a snake
wonderful site to see
later we visited 2 more temples
then we went back to hotel
later had lunch food was gud here then we had to leave immediately to visit an industry
we visited ANDREW quite a gud place
they were into manufacturing of cables and anntenas
showed us how they r made and how they keep track of all the items through computers
wht r the diff antennas n cables they make routers n stuff
and how its all linked with each other
it toook us abt 2 hrs in the company .Later as a complementary token of appreciation they gave us a pen .
so back to fun then
after this we went to the beach(
this beach was beautiful
to be alone on this beach took me into my own thoughts
i had a wonderful time there
and also the sun was setting (ooooooooooo so romantic ,but believe me being alone was also fun;))
later we went to our hotel
had dinner then sat to do tp
all singin songs n saying all faltu things.
it was almost 3 when we slept

day 3::

so again getting up at 6,but this time i went out at 6 and was doing tp down
had one round with ashu n came back.
Got ready n was in the room itself didnt go down
i got little late to reach the bus this time but yet reached (thts more imp ,rite)
so we went to TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES
here we saw a cheque sorting machine alone with a bill payment machine
was jus 15 mins inside the company
but there were 4 grps
so it took us time.
Later we went and had lunch near fort aguada
gud shady place
later went to the fort saw the fort took lots of pics
then went to the beach
baga beach
all did masti here
with water sports in banana ride n scooter.
it was again evening time so my fav time
again was aloof but yet nt much alone but enjoyed .
later vikas myself sir shrikant n mam went to hav fish
we had fun there clicking some pics and dedicating songs (there was some free service to request for a song)
later since we were getting late we packed the fish n left.
reached hotel then again had dinner
after having dinner we remm abt the fish :(
so then we asked sir and mam they were in no mood
so we had amongst all our friends after 12
now next day was sirs bday
and we all had descided nt to wish him .
he was recieveing some phone calls and waiting till 1 so tht someone would wish him
but we all were doing masti
then at 130 we all went to one room were subha told us a ghost story .
had fun hearing it (it cannot be told wont be fun u need subha to tell u the story )
next some of them left others waited and all gupshup
then we slept by 4(didnt ever feel like sleeping at 4 also but then had to get some sleep na).

day 4::

now next day moring we got up as usual i had slept in the other room with subha rita divya n kavita (bcos my room all slept by 2 and i was awake till 4)
so i came to my room saw everyone sleeping woke them up
then went to my balcony
there i heard sir talking to someone saying thanku (sirs room above mine)
later i told him gud morning sir.then he was asking me for an iron since he wanted to wear formals
i said sir pehen lo kisko pata nai chalega;)
fir when i went down i was with janu and jus sir was ready
so sir was wearing formals we told him u r luking gud sir and he felt gud:)
then we went for an iv at NIO(NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF OCEANOLOGY)
there we were given no preferance jus made us see some corrals fishes n stones
and sent us back
then we went to see dona paula (place where two lovers jumped n died )
we took pics and did some shopping here
then we went to see churches
we saw two beautiful churches one of them was St. PETERS church
too gud !!!!!!
well here sir liked some statue sort of thing (dunno properly wht it ws)
so he told me tht he liked it
i told sir lets see how much it is ,he told me its for 900
we again asked tht lady to lower the price she refused and sir didnt argue much since it was the church
later we were abt to leave and i started walking when shrikant called me n told me lets gift this to sir
so we asked ppl
and took it for sir
but since it was huge we had to hide it frm sir so tht he doesnt hav a luk at it
so we were trying to hide it frm sir
we took help frm mam
i told mam to take sir out of this place so tht we can bring it safely
so mam was eating channa she told sir ,"hey lijo yeh chana kahan se liya chal jaldi mujhe aur chahiye" ;)
and this is how we safely took it to the bus
now later we went to our hotel had lunch then took little rest
then we had to get ready for disco
so tht took us abt 7 to get ready n come down
later sujit was nt well
having too much fever
so we took him to a doc so tht made our bus late ,which in turn made sir upset
now we entered the disco
all were enjoying we took sir to dance after sometime
and then suddenly gaurav fainted
there was painc
lights switched on music off and shouts for water and ppl to move away
we told sir to make him lie down on his lap
and he did exactly then water was brought and splashed by the sys(they didnt know we were joking ),so when they splashed water gaurav got up and wished sir happy bday
sir was so shocked
he couldnt move for 30 secs
later when we all sang happy bday he was smiling but still shivering :D
then we cut cake gave him the gift and also bday bumps
sir was very happy
then we all danced (i didnt bcos i couldnt bear the lights )
later i felt too giddy then we all went to the bus
then all back to hotel
ate talked n slept by 4

day5::

we got up at 730 this time
we didnt wanna goto the beach so most of us were at the hotel packing and doing tp near the pool
then i went to hav fish in the nearby resto but it wasnt gud
so we returned
later we all got ready n left for the station
reached station at 545
and train arrived and we came back to mumbai

this was my small n cute experience which i had with my gud friends
hope those who read it like it
thanks for bearing with my riting
and to all my friends a big huge thanx to make this trip a very memorable for me
>:D<>:D<>:D<>:D<>:D<>:D<>:D<>:D<>:D<>:D<>:D<>:D<>:D<>:D<>:D<>:D<
hip hip hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111
hope we hav such trips often
amen!!

MUMBAI ROCKS!!

2006-07-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Terrorist,

Even if you are not reading this we don't care. Time and again you
tried to disturb us and disrupt our life - killing innocent civilians by
planting bombs in trains, buses and cars. You have tried hard to bring
death and destruction, cause panic and fear and create communal
disharmony but
everytime you were disgustingly unsuccessful. Do you know how we pass
our life in Mumbai? How much it takes for us to earn that single rupee?
If you wanted to give us a shock then we are sorry to say that you
failed miserably in your ulterior motives. Better look elsewere, not here.

We are not Hindus and Muslims or Gujaratis and Marathis or Punjabis and
Bengaliies. Nor do we distinguish ourselves as owners or workers, govt.
employees or private employees. WE ARE MUMBAIKERS (Bombay-ites, if you
like). We will not allow you to disrupt our life like this. On the last
few occassions when you struck (including the 7 deadly blasts in a
single day killing over 250 people and injuring 500+ in 1993), we went to
work next day in full strength. This time we cleared everything within a
few hours and were back to normal - the vendors placing their next
order, businessmen
finalizing the next deals and the office workers rushing to catch the
next train. (Yes the same train you targetted)

Fathom this: Within 3 hours of the blasts, long queues of blood
donating volunteers were seen outside various hospital, where most of the
injured were admitted. By 12 midnight, the hospital had to issue a
notification
that blood banks were full and they didn't require any more blood. The
next day, attendance at schools and office was close to 100%, trains &
buses were packed to the brim, the crowds were back. The city has
simply dusted itself off and moved one - perhaps with greater vigour.

We are Mumbaikers and we live like brothers in times like this. So, do
not dare to threaten us with your crackers. The spirit of Mumbai is
very strong and can not be harmed.

Please forward this to others. U never know, by chance it may come to
hands of a terrorist in Afghanistan, Pakistan or Iraq and he can then
read this message which is specially meant for him!!!

With Love,
From the people of Mumbai (Bombay)

Experience At Passport Office!!

2006-05-28T06:51:00.000-07:00

Well it is vaccations and thinking of ne timepass well then u can as well goto the passport office to remove ur passport if u dont hv one ofcourse.
well over there its full time pass
let me tell u wht happ
it was friday when we went at 1030
the line was till outside ,we were wondering should we wait or should we go and come another day
still we waited as the line was going faster
came inside still more line to stand
had got counter no 7
kept standing there ,the line jus wouldnt move (it true no jokes)
other lines moved faster
so went ahead to find out whts wrong
well tht man at the counter was such a freak he was attending to some vip guests
and thought there is a separte queue for payment of fees tht freak was taking money
and moving abt here and there when the line kept waiting patiently
since if neone said nething wht if he didnt approve the papers!!
so keep quite and wait and watch
its already 1230 the door closes and still we standing in line
we got no 25 in the line the last no
now its almost lunch time and we still at the same place standing
ppl start wondering and complaining to the freak to hurry up
well he does a little
well at abt 12 when my parents r standing at the counter of the freak i stood at the fees payment counter which was as much line
but till 130 i was almost at the fisrt position whereas mom is still standing behind
then comes lunch time
now we got soem place to sit
so we sit for an hour almost then again in line
now we keep waiting and a man who was quite old in the neighbouring queue sees someone comming in middle at his queue
so he stops her
and tells other fellows to stop her too
abt half an hour later
he barges into our queue to talk to tht freak and after some talking tht freak approves his papers
well wondering wht to say
there is nothing u cant help after all government !!
well later luck favored us and we were shifted to a queue where the work was done quickly
but it was almost 330
so guys wanna get a passport vaccation is the rite time
u will get entertainment as well as experince and who knows i may read ur experince;)
so do tell!!!

What Our President Wants To Tell Us...Do Read It!!

2006-05-01T23:57:00.000-07:00

Was thinking wht to rite my blog and wht a topic i get to rite
its abt our president and his views abt our country
i totally agree with this hope u too agree..
do take time and read it..
A very thoughtful speech from the President of India

A very thoughtful speech from the President of India......... It's very long but worth spending 15 mins.

The President of India DR. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam's Speech in Hyderabad.

Why is the media here so negative?
Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our
achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success
stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?
We are the first in milk production.
We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.
We are the second largest producer of wheat.
We are the second largest producer of rice.
Look at Dr. Sudarshan, he has transferred the tribal village into a
self-sustaining, self-driving unit. There are millions of such achievements
but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters.
I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the
day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The
Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a
Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an
orchid and a granary.
It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of
killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among
other news.

In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we
so NEGATIVE? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with
foreign things? We want foreign T. Vs, we want foreign shirts. We want
foreign technology.

Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that
self-respect comes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad giving this
lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her
what her goal in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India.
For her, you and I will have to build this developed India. You must
proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed
nation. Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance.

Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is
yours.
YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke,
The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.

YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it?
Take a person on his way to Singapore. Give him a name - YOURS. Give him a
face - YOURS. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International
best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in
the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are. You
pay $5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim
Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the
parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a
restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity... In
Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in
public during Ramadan, in Dubai. YOU would not dare to go out without your
head covered in Jeddah. YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the
telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs.650) a month to, 'see to it
that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else.'YOU would not dare to
speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop,
'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son.
Take your two bucks and get lost.' YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut
shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and
New Zealand.
Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo? Why don't YOU use
examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston??? We are still
talking of the same YOU. YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign
system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers
and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can
be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you
be the same here in India?

Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal commissioner of Bombay,
Mr.Tinaikar, had a point to make. 'Rich people's dogs are walked on the
streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place,' he said.
'And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the
authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the
officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the
pressure in his bowels?
In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job.
Same in Japan. Wil l the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to
the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.
We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do
everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect
the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage
all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of
paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean
bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.

We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and
toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity.
This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to
the public. When it comes to burning social issues like those related to
women, dowry, girl child! and others, we make loud drawing room
protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? 'It's the
whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my
sons' rights to a dowry.' So who's going to change the system?
What does a system consist of ? Very conveniently for us it consists of our
neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the
government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually
making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with
our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far
away and wait for a Mr.Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a
majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.
Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their
glory and praise their system. Whe n New York becomes insecure we run to
England. When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out
to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and
brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape
the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is
mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great
deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too.... I am echoing J.
F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians.....

'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA
AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA
WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'

Lets do what India needs from us.

Forward this mail to each Indian for a change instead of sending Jokes or
junk mails.

Thank you,

Dr. Abdul Kalaam
(PRESIDENT OF INDIA)

Thanx for ur patience to read this article!!

~Vacation At Ahmedabad~

2006-04-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

Hi all its time again i wrote here
exams ended well as planed except for the fact with lot of tensions n problems
but as we say all is well tht ends well
so now is vacc time but wait ppl dont let us enjoy tomm is our results jus dunno how ill fair again tension
but well forget the tensions n results and ill tell u abt my vacc for a week at ahmedabad at my mamas place
let me first tell u who all r there over there
MY MAMA he is 42 Mr Cyrus Dastur
MY MAMI she is 40 Mrs Binaifer Dastur
My COUSINS one is 1yr 6 mnts Vazaan Dastur
and other is 6 yrs Natasha Dastur
a cute family
so myself benaz and farah left for ahmedabad on 10th monday by shatabdi begins at 6:20 am frm mumbai central
dad had come to leave us
i got no mindow seat. had to sit and get bored but i read the bk given by sari
later i slept then when ppl got down at surat i went and sat on the window seat :)
later we reached on time exactly tht is at 1:30pm
mama was there to recieve us as we came out it was so hot, dam hot!!
mama started the ac in the car but no use
later felt a little better
then came home me the kidos so cute they were and fun to be with
had food then took a little rest Natasha had to go for swimming at 4 and she was reluctant to go may be was scared so had to patao her to go finally she went
then was back at 5 then we went down for a stroll in the compound
came back had dinner
now later mama put beds on the floor in their room since there was an ac there
so the kids had lot of fun jumping arround
farah n natasha enjoyed a lot
everyday jumping and playing some stupid game but they used to play
and wht to tell abt vazaan god knows wht happ he jus loved walking there
may be he used to take evening walks there to digest his meal
jus wouldnt leave bed then later he used to cry n sleep
this was everyday almost hardly a day when he didnt cry
next day went to meet nani went to the old house jus got back all gud old memories spent there we had played so much there when we were small so many memories lovely sad gud bad all
then came back home went to mamis inlaws place for dinner
came back same story abt the bed
next day was at home
evening went to a place called road rash were there were several game to play we played the various coin games and then also did go carting
when doing so first i dashed the car
then tht car part broke later i drove well frm the new car
then 4th day we went for a movie malamal weekly
it was quite boring movie but had fun
then next day went for a ride and later had dinner ouside
then next day also went out in the evening to sports club of ahmedabad had dinner there tht was more of snacks then on the last day again met nani and later caught the train on monay at 5 am
and was back to mumbai at 12:40pm
it was lovely being back
but i really enjoyed there
had forgetten all my worries
but now have tension for tomm
hope i get gud grades !!!!!!!~~~~~~~

Dreams!!!!!

2006-03-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

Every one of us dreams
Dreams are a part of each ones lifes
but some dreams are so scary tht u get up in a bad mood
one such dream i would like to share with u
dont exactly remm when but somewhere 2 weeks back

Well it started this way
i am at malad and i am looking at a train which is about to leave, i run for the train but am unable to run and i fall down
after i get up again start running and get into the last dabba
this dabba is general dabba and i decide to get down next station n get into ladies
but next station doesnt at all come
i am waiting waiting
finally i get onto plaza and the train somehow leaves me at plaza bridge
(well dunno how the train reached there but its a dream yaar some funny things)
so finally i get down there
now i walk to wards the bus stop
while walking i reach bus stop but there is no one there jus no one
no one on the road jus some ppl who r drunk or very dirty n skiny
am i am standing no cars moving
no bus nothing at all
i am so scared i start shivering
i close my eyes n starting praying praying very loudly
when i open my eyes all i see arround me is dogs n nothing else
and i get scared of dogs as u all know
so again i close eyes aand start praying
later i hear noise of buses n cars later when i open eyes all is back to normal

then dad woke me up
so couldnt see wht happ later
the dream may sound funny
even i am laughing
but when i saw it, it was scary believe me!!!

A Day at juhu beach !!

2005-11-12T12:55:00.000-08:00

The day at juhu beach was on wed 9th november
we were 14 of us who went
the pic shows us all except ashutosh

frm top left corner merzad sam vineet kavita myself shohef
second line left priyesh manoj sujit vikas rajaram
third row left priyesh and divya
ashutosh was clicking the picture so isnt here he is in the pic below

some other pics we clicked

we giving bbday bumps to ashutosh

shohef with his long lost love

manoj and ashutosh

shohef and merzad

vikas with girls

hope we have such picnics again and again!!!!!!!!!!

Go Goa ,365 days!!!!

2005-11-08T17:00:00.000-08:00

Wondering what this title means its very simple,
its abt my holiday i spent at goa jus a week ago.
we had been there on the 2nd to the 6th.
ill rite down wht we did each day

DAY 1:(2nd nov)
1st being diwali we had party at home,it ended late ,slept at 12.
then had to get up at 330 since we had the train at 530
we got ready and were at station at 5:00
but to our bad luck the train was an hour late
so we were waiting at the station for an hour
finally the train came ,we started our journey
some names of station i remm thane, panvel ,chiplun, ratnagiri, thivim
thivim was the station we had to get down but it seems tht the station never was to come
train which was an hour late became 3hrs late
after a tiring train journey finally at 4pm the train reached thivim station and we got down
after the train journey we had to go to mellorosa
mellorosa yea this was the name of the hotel we had to stay in
it was an oki sort of hotel,food was dam gud there
it took us another hour to reach there
after tht we went to calungute beach which was near by
abt 15 mins away
then there we had fun we got wet had scooter rides which was great fun
wanted to go for para sailing but tht was too expensive so couldnt go
then back to hotel and slept.

DAY 2:(3rd nov)
2nd day we again went to the same beach
this time i didnt get wet others got fully wet
we had fun at the beach
then ate lunch
back to hotel
as we came back the other grp joined us
their train was on time
we were told to get dressed within 15mins and leave
the bus was already waiting we tried n hurried
later we were taken to fort auguda
but we couldnt reach on time
and so went jus till the tip
saw taj hotel
it was lovely
also saw the point shown in dil chahta hai
where they three sit
saw tht and back to the hotel
ate dinner and slept

DAY 3:(4th nov)
we again goto see fort auguda
it was a nice place
nice scenery could be seen
from there we goto fort baga
eat lunch there
and back to hotel
all goto sleep
farah does swiming
we spend rest of the day at the hotel
play antakshari and have loads of fun
have dinner and are trying to arrange to go for the disco but couldnt as no transport
so then try and arrange music in the hotel but to our vain no enough voltage also
:((
so then finally we go n sleep

DAY 4: (5nov)
this day we get ready on time and start at 11 then goto old goa to see the churches
the churches we saw were wonderful something to see once in life
if i can will scan some photos later
the first we saw was st peters church
it was a church which kept his body
which hasnt decomposed at all
it has no chemical also
to check this out his hand was also cut
also one of his toe was cut by some person to see if it is true
it jus makes us believe tht miracles do happ
the body is kept unclosed once in ten years
last year it was unclosed on 3rd dec 2004
so now on 3rd dec 2014 it will be unclosed again
then frm this church we went to a church which was jus opp
dont remm its name there was a cross there which was at a time continously growing
but now it has stopped
any person suffering badly is given a piece of this wood and is said to be cured
its a belief dunno if its true
from there we went to panjim city where we ate lunch
then did some cashew shopping
then had to rush for the river cruise
the river cruise was dam boring
its better at gateway
less crowed at least
there was a disco running down by the time we went there
the cruise reached the destination:(
bad luck again
so from there we went to calngute beach for dinner
after dinner we went on the dance floor
nd we danced like mad ppl
there was a foreigner who dance like a maniac on woh lamhe
and he requested for it again too
then from there we were to goto night market
but the bus driver said its too late and he didnt take us
:(
so went to the hotel and had to sleep

DAY 5:(6th nov)
we were at the hotel itself
did all the packing
then we ate lunch n left for thivim station agin
after an hours ride reached there
again to find out tht the train is an hour and a half late
so again waiting
finally train arrived at 345pm
reached bbay at 1
finally my sweet home
was really missing it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

26th a bad no!!

2005-08-27T22:55:00.000-07:00

the no 26 has always bought bad memories be it the earthquake or floods in mumbai all tht hapened was on this date the 26th
26th feb was godhra,
26th jan earthquake,
26th dec tsunami,
26th june gujrat floods,
26th july mumbai floods
and now on 26th august i had one more horrible day
went to coll to jus learn tht shewta one of our seniours jus expired in the morning due to stomach cancer
god she not being well known to all of us still couldnt concentrate on our work even dread to think of lossing someone we know well
hope such a day never comes!!
one request to all ppl do take gud care of urself if not for urself for me!!

nice evening

2005-08-14T00:55:00.000-07:00

hi i am writing after a long time but then wht to do jus didnt feel like
today i was missing mom dad a lot
infact was sad even before they left
jus didnt want them to go
but any way they too need a break
later i called up all friends none was available
then finally got dumdum talked to him felt better
later came home was doing maths
didnt even do 1 sum
later was solving su doku
somehow its nice time pass
gets u thinking
and time passed away
later had a blast of a time
uncle took us out
had dinner in mahesh sea food resto had fish afetr a long time
bill came upto 1000 later had a big round
uncle showed us nice restos in town
then went to gateway choupatti
then had ice cream
and back home
had lots of fun !!
tomm again we gonna go out so then lets c wht all we do
will rite soon !!!!

AUGUST 7TH

2005-08-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

AUGUST 7TH FRIENDSHIPS DAY
WISH ALL OF U A VERY HAPPY FRIENDSHIPS DAY
MAY THIS DAY BE MOST REMMEMBERED BY YOU
HAVE A WONDERFULL DAY!!!!

water water everywhere , but jus no water to drink

2005-08-03T00:39:00.000-07:00

yes this is wht the present condition is of mumbai
there is water everywhere but not water which neone can drink
ppl still dont have lights in their houses
water jus isnt coming due to no power
where there is power water is full of dirt
jus cant imagine to drink
ppl r taking precautions for typhiod malaria etc
these vaccines r given for free
all has come to a stand still
there has been no coll no school since a week now
even a little rain n ppl get scared
ppl r scared to move out of the house
but still hats off to all those wonderfull ppl who have been helping needful ppl
giving food water n clothing
we jus thank to all those ppl
water can also cause so much destruction
ever thought of it??

2005-07-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

mumbai under water

its been 24hrs since its been raining
now it has stopped for the gud
god knows wht was wrong it rained like hell
hell isnt the word but then it was bad

ppl havnt still reached home
ppl r going walking home
so many ppl dead
whts happening to mumbai
the main backbones of mumbai trains n buses have stopped
ppl r becoming furious
hope all becomes normal in few days
we have been declared 2 days holidays

lets all pray for the ppl who still havnt reached home
hope they reach soon

2005-07-18T23:10:00.000-07:00

what do i rite abt today

i had my test today.

messed it up:(

still it wasnt so bad got one of the sums rite, hopefully!!!
then we wrote assignments jus copied it,wrote it twice one for vikas
then arranged them all in a secquence.

all have such bad handwriiting jus realised it,
i pity the teacher!! couldnt even read the roll nos they had written.

later had systems programming lec n sir was talking abt some commands.
later he told us tht he evaluates our internal marks according to our behaviour n the tests we rite have no meaning
so then y do we rite it !!
god!!
who made him the teacher he is the same one whome we had complained against!!

then we had no lecs we waited n talked n never realised it was past 6 .
then had to rush home.

later at home had to rite 2 assignments given a week ago but then i never did it n so its all piled n now i have to do it now.
there is so much to rite.
hands were also paining.
now still have to complete one of it
will take me god knows how much time
hope i finish it soon!!!!

2005-07-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

hi yest i read this mail sent by one of my friend

it is as below do read it till end

A wish
A man walking along a California beach was deep in prayer when all
of a sudden he said aloud, "Lord grant me one wish". The sky
clouded and a booming voice said, "Because you have tried to be
faithful I will grant you one wish." The man said, "Build a bridge
to Hawaii so I can drive over anytime I want to."

The Lord answered, "Your request is very materialistic. Think of
the logistics of that kind of undertaking. The supports required to
reach the bottom of the Pacific! The concrete and steel it would
take. I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for
worldly things. Take a little more time to think of another wish, a
wish you think would honor and glorify me".

The man thought for a long time and finally said, "Lord, I wish
that I could understand women. I want to know what they feel
inside, what they are thinking when they give me the silent
treatment, why they cry, what they mean when they say 'nothing',
and how I can make a woman truly happy?"

After a few minutes God said, "How many lanes do you want on that
bridge??"

now my que is if women r really so hard to understand

are they really so confusing?

or is it tht men jus not care

they jus rnt bothered abt us . they know we women r jus there for them !!!

2005-07-11T18:44:00.000-07:00

today my bday

Yes today is my bday,
but according to our calender
.
I am 19 yrs old
God last year of my teens !!

i got to enjoy it
hope will be able to ??

mom dad were the first to wish me n i really liked the way they wished me

they called me inside the room and as i opened the lite they wished me

isnt it a gud day to start posting frm ??

2005-07-11T01:48:00.000-07:00

hello to all
this is my first blog
hope ill rite soon
so do reply back