Help Gaurav Tandon!

Hello there, Earthlings and Orkians! Kayo!

Its just the hangover from wiki-ing (like googling) about the old American sitcom Mork and Mindy lately and my personal favorite. Used to watch it in my school days on Star World.

A few days back, a fellow musketeer from our band of four; informed me of Gaurav Tandon and his hardship. Gaurav suffers from a rare disease (Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a type of blood cancer) and needs immediate medical attention or treatment. The costs of the treatment would surpass a crore Indian rupees and is beyond the financial scope of his family or his relatives. His wife teaches in an Engineering college in Mumbai and thats where my fellow musketeer studies.

He is suffering from AML and needs bone marrow transplant which might require treatment in US or UK or Singapore. The treatment initial cost is being estimated to surpass 1 Crore Indian Rupees. His regular health and news updates are constantly being put up on the http://helpgaurav.com website.

More Details about the person, his health, contact details, Reports, Updates and others can be obtained at,

http://helpgaurav.com

So how can you help ?

1. Donate money yourself


2. Spread the word and request people to donate money


3. Help us find right Donor for Bone Marrow Transplant


4. Help us sale Gaurav's Flat at Thakur Village in Kandivili, Mumbai.


5. If you have, share information such as important contacts


6. Pray for speedy recovery


7. If you have time or resources at your disposal and still do not know how you can contribute, please write to Vishal Kekre at vishalkekre@hotmail.com.

Money can be donated through various institutions, wires, and even paypal.

Tragedies can and will strike anyone with no prior intimation. Though we have little control over it, we can make a difference by ensuring Gaurav gets the treatment he needs. People speak of encountering such appeals everyday and every hour and face a dilemma of whom to help. We must help all possible people we can help, as someday the roles can get reversed and we could become the pleaders. Like a doctor, we must not loose hope or loose vigor and must help those in need in all feasible ways and leave the rest with the Providence. Please help him and help bring back happiness in their lives

Packing my bags and ...

Ola 10.00.00.1001!
My New year truly begins today or after my XAT in noon to be precise.



I am packing my bags and getting ready for the catalyst regeneration trip to my parents' native place- Kerala. Fish is already enjoying in Bengaulru with his friends and hopefully clicking pics. Finally, my Semester exams are over and I can sigh relief. Today i gave my XAT sadly with no preparation as I was busy till yesterday with my Engineering exams. The think-tank inside took a while to crank up! The essay at the last was a breather. The exam got over at 12:30 pm and I decided to stroll around the nearby Churchgate-Fountain area scouting for second hand books and novels along with my buddy. My friend bargained and extracted some nice deals for 2 novels while his search for Bourne Supremacy and Ultimatum remained a search. he is now convinced the books are jinxed for he has the deja-vu, "out of stock" answer every time. My serach for some cheap history related books or treatises went in-vain though I did find hard coverbooks on Jinnah and terrorism and its social causes-fallout sort. They were beyond my immediate reach, though I have placed an eye on them. Menawhile I have to content with Mario Puzo's Omerata and Sicilian and Pervez Musharaff's autobiography. it seems enough for the train journey.

I hope there will be plenty of things to shoot and capture. Coconuts, greenery and Kayals; here I come!

Rest in later posts!
bye!

All in a night's work!

Every day, when I wake up there has always been a group of special friends to greet me regardless of the climate, temperature or time.

For 21 years I have seen them grow and they have seen me grow, play and throw tantrums. These special friends are the trees that surround my building. Every tree occupies a unique position in my heart. They are the shelters for many birds and squirrels which I wouldn't have seen and understood so closely had it not been for the trees. It is much more than reading about them in books or in a Zoo(No guarantee you can see them in Mumbai Zoo!). I still remember and cherish the childhood adventures of looking for hours at the birds' nests for sign of life and I can still feel the ecstasy of seeing hungry mouths competing for food. Binoculars and Patience were my only tools but the reward was nothing less than a treasure.

Apart from these, just imagine I have never thought of putting up a curtain in my room. Never needed to! The trees provided enough cover for privacy and dust and dirt almost never existed. The cover was so thick that a Full Monty would never be caught!

Past 1 year, the landscape and mindset of the people has changed drastically. Suddenly, many trees have started collapsing and withering; some naturally others due to the ulterior motives of many greedy men! Land prices have sky rocketed and all lands are now sitting gold mines. Redevelopment and demolishing are the new mantras and quick money is in every ones mind. The land opposite my house is being redeveloped and the former school is making way for a new humongous Tower Complex.

At night, I hear sounds of iron hitting wood and next morning I find a friend of mine is no more. I have silently cried at the loss of my friends and mourned with the many birds over the loss. Birds have shifted houses and the chirping has mellowed. Squirrels find this invasion threatening and have been forced out of their natural habitat. Many days I see them dead on road mauled by stray dogs while others try to salvage something from the nearby apartments. Today, many of my friends have left for heavenly abode while many wait for their turn. The landscape has changed, everybody is suffering from dust related illness and respiratory ailments have sky rocketed.

Will this stop ? Can anyone stop the muscle men of Builders , those who are infamous for their underworld and police nexus ?

One more tree has almost perished by their carelessness and recklessness.
Their wish to provide nets at the building perimeter to ensure safety to neighborhood has left the tree brutally hacked!
Attempt 1 : The nets got tangled with the tree branch (left one) and a dumper who didn't see the nets pulled along the nets thereby breaking the left branch which finally had to be cut to prevent it blocking the road.
Attempt 2 : Yesterday, the whole day there was high activity around the tree with the workers beaming with high motivation to finish netting. Today morning, I find the other branch mortally cut and the tree reduced to a tiny-winy shrub!

Earlier,

The Rightmost tree near the Right Gate Lamp. It has two branches emerging close to ground (left and right branches)

The Left Branch has been hacked while Right Branch has been cut and reduced

Left Branch after hacking has been covered up

All for erecting a net frame? This must be seen as tree hacking for billboards	From SBF - Voice of India

All in a night's work!
When and where will they stop ?

My penultimate closing thoughts for 2008 - (2)

One more exam and I will fly off for my catalyst regeneration.

It has been more than a month after the Mumbai Terror Attacks and still I feel insecure like majority Mumbaikars. Railway Stations are still porous, with reports emerging that Home guards who have no weapons guarding the entry/exit points of the stations logging imaginary ghost names in the register, merrily chatting away, and sleeping on duty. Today the TOI. has reported the condition of Government Ammo (worse than "Made in China" Tag). At least, give them Bow and Arrow and Swords! Train them in Stone and Baton throwing. Airports are a balcony view from the high rise palatial Slums that greet travellers arriving into Mumbai. The Airport Fencing and Wall perimeter have more craters and cracks than the moon!

Many have forgotten about Accountability from Babus and Politicians. Today the government has successfully steered all attention from personal accountability towards Pakistan. We must force the government to remove this blanket covering for the cronies that rule our nation.

On the other side of the border, Pakistan has gone from defense to all out offense in the PR war between Indian and Pakistan.
It continues with its Deny everything and play War jingoism mantra.
It has neglected, denied or maybe even might have erased the Ajmal Kasab's Pakistani links like his parents, National Database Record, etc. It doesn't believe in Satellite Phone records and other substantial proofs. It is steadily beefing up positions along eastern border while India has not done so. Pakistan's PM, Foriegn affairs minister, Generals, President are all over the Indian channels explaining their position while Indian diplomats, Home ministry and others ( I am excluding our PM and president both Kaccha Limboos) are slow on PR attack.

Even the media turf war is getting hotter and fouler. Pakistani News channels point fingers at Indian counterparts for war-hyping while I personaly feel they are themselves to blame. Their caustic and bitter language is unbelieveable. Ugh! I dont know how media reporting can be so cheap and dirty! Indian media channel Times Now has disappointed me very much. They were working like sensationalists. (I donot think Aaj Tak, VOI, Live India, etc can be called news Channels. They are soap operas runing live)

India must force Pakistan to rise above neo-patriotism and make them understand that denial or just the gesture of joint co-operation wont work this time. How many times should India trust Pakistan? Lahore Bus trip is still in the back of every Indian mind! Since actions speak more than words, Pakistan must curtail the non state actors and hand over the fugitives! for future co-operation.

God knows where this crisis is leading us to! The western nations have again shown they are just vermins. Zimbabwe, Dafur, Iraq, Iran, N-Korea, Russia and the US Weapon Shield, Afghanistan every crisis has been mismanaged by them and their irresponsible media partners. Investigative and Righteous journalism is at its ebb! While i write Israel is busy pounding Gaza strip after weeks of Economic blockade. I consider it miscarraige of the western just policies. US has reiterated it considers only Israel causalties as causalties. I have no hope from such bigots. I just remembered Junior Bush's Axis of Evil statement. I understand from history, this world has never been a just world!

But I did manage to laugh today!
Today, Singhvi of Congress in his article in TOI had written, "halve the mourners had come to confirm that He is dead while rest have come to make sure he is buried !" and what Churchill said about Atlee, "He came to 10,Downing St in an empty cab" Less but Well Said :-)

My penultimate closing thoughts for 2008 - (1)

Oh! My Antulay, you vouched for infamy! When you could have simply kept mouth shut and let the present generation not know of your shady past and the oldies forget your heinous crimes; you simply couldn't ! Now every Indian knows your past and your present. Indians feel that the Union Minority Affairs post is apt for you, as your contributions to the minority is negligible.(This has been vouched by the minority leaders and statesmen alike). Seems like, he has done justice to his post as a true IP. Its stands for Inert Politician or Indian Politician, doesn't matter. I hear of his noble works for the destitutes(pension schemes) and others but infamy is a permanent dye that stains the noble deeds.
I am amused to know he was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra during 1980-82. Well, such a short tenure for an IP? Does one have a chance when you face heat after Bombay High Court ruling Jan 13,1982 pronouncing him an extortionist. Guess who was behind the expose? None other than the Indian print-media jewels: Indian Express (Goenka, Arun Shourie,Manu Desai) and Maharashtra Times(Govindrao Talwakar). Many buildings were built like mine during the Money for Cement Quota scandal. Maybe the cement in my building might have a lot to speak on it!
I
My take on Karkare-Gate : In a democracy, every person that includes Mr. Antulay also has the right to speak ad voice his concern, be it through the blog or through the parliament. However, Mr Antulay must have synchronized himself with the government. In such tender times, its better not to have conflicting views emanating from the cabinet. Antulay must have had discussed his suspicions with the cabinet before going gun blazing before the parliament and media. Every cabinet minister or leader must hire a PR to assist him/her. Its better to raise the hypothesis and prove its falseness rather than leave it around for the rumour mongers. The Opposition made the issue the most important and left the parliament thereby making it easy for the UPA to clear record no. of bills in least time. The ruling government must have officially clarified this earlier itself that there is no saffron link.
Karkare-Gate Outcome: Antulay's own goal has costed his party Congress, though the opposition has not been awarded the goal while Antulay's personal record shows the goal as his achievement!Pakistan is happy with the outcome, as Congress Vs BJP vs Antulay tussle has resulted in Pakistan leading by Goal difference!


Has anyone heard of President Mrs.Pratibha Patil lately? Looks like she has disappeared into oblivion! Lately, I hear of no media reports of initiatives/activities from her office. . During Dr. A.P.J. Kalam's tenure, there was a lot of activity to hear about in the media. Aah! Well, the presidential post seems to have normalised back into inertia after a high efficiency and yield tenure of Dr. Kalam.
Recently, the President had visited the family of slain decorated police officer, Vijay Salaskar in Goregaon (E). The roads were re-tarred and cleaned for the presidential entourage. This reminded me of the Mahim Railway Station being white-washed after the 7/11 Train blasts before the arrival of the then president. Seems like every place the president steps foot is cleansed, bathed and beautified. I would suggest that every president must visit rural areas devoid of basics (road, water,house,electricity,sanitation etc). Maybe then the politicians can focus on issues other than Roti, Kapda and Makaan!
My friend, SilkRoute15 clicked pics of the tarring in Goregaon(E)

Mumbai Terror 2 :Time for interospection and action !

Politicians and World Leaders have begun praising and TV channels have begun airing the cliched "Resilient Mumbai! Brave Mumbai! Spirit of Mumbai!".

Today, Mumbai has rebooted and is back for business; but deep anger seethes inside everyone.
Do not mistake this for hatred for the other community or a nation. This is the anger towards the system and the administration. Its towards the bureaucrats and the Politicians. Its towards the inertness, inefficiency of the leaders, towards the uninspiring cabinet ministry.

This anger must be channelized and every individual must be forced to question himself/herself,

• "What can I do to stop this ?"
• "What is my role in the system ?"
• "How can I make the system more responsible and responsive ?"
• "Where has the government gone wrong ? "
  
• "Why shouldn't the Article 105 be scrapped to make corrupt politicians face justice ?"
  
• "How can I prevent the Law-makers from becoming Law-breakers ?"
• "Can I expect the government to be clean when my affairs are itself shoddy ?"
  

and many.

Is the latest terror attack different from the Local Train blasts or the '93 blasts or the many blasts that have gone into oblivion ?
I am not calling it different because this time the elite from Mumbai or India or the world were attacked. It is not because the modus-operandi of the attacks is new to Mumbai or because we saw the commandos in action in Mumbai for the first time.
The fact that people are recognizing that there are far more greater terrorists inside the country than outside is new. People have awakened from their slumber. The slumber caused due to the feeling of helplessness, government inactivity and inefficiency. People recognize that these attacks are an aftermath of a cycle of events that recorded itself on the radar of responsible people but failed to act! Failed to act when they needed to! Common public, suddenly has a will to change this! The WILL to break from the never ending cycle of terror and government haplessness!

People mean business! and they mean it! Never has Mumbai looked more awakened and united. They know that unless something is done today when the iron is hot and hammer is in sight, they will lose Mumbai. So what is this "Something" that must be done ?

What is this something that can make the Lawmakers realize that it is not good to mistake our inaction for stockiness? Common man can make a difference when made to face back to the Wall! What is it that will prevent the politicians from getting recurrent amnesia over the promises made ?

This "something to be done" must begin from ourselves. How many times have we paid bribe or baksheesh to get our work done early ? How many times have we escaped Chalaan by bribing the traffic cop ? How many times have we destroyed public property because some leader's bust is defaced or because some party says so ? How many times have we broken rules and said, "So what? There are many who do so?"

How can the country change or its leaders be expected to do so, if ones acts are itself not in proper place?

At the higher level,
there is a need for a major shakeup. The politicians have too much power wrested with them. They amend constitution as per their need and play with the social, religious,economic and even geographical fabric of the country! This is from Brigadier Arun Bajpai (Retd)'s article Indian politics-Corrupt Fighting Corruption,

"Indian Constitution had allowed reservations in the country only up to 1960 and it was expected of the politicians that by this time they would have provided sufficient facilities to the down trodden in education and other fields to enable them to come at par with others. Instead, to garner votes our politicians both in states and center have taken the reservation quota policy to ridiculous levels of almost 60% to 70% reservations in total disregard of Supreme Court ruling that reservations should not be in excess of 50%. "

Article 105 of constitution needs to be scrapped which grants immunity from legal action to the politicians. We ourselves must think, which leader is better ?
The one who advertises his caste, creed, religion or region to win votes, who simply promises of free power, free education or who gifts Color-TVs, Rice or Wheat or even Money to win votes, without even presenting a plan.
Should you allow a Color TV or Rice or free power to influence a vote ? Shouldn't you think for a longer period ?

However,
The Big Indian Political Drama has already begun!

It's Election time in India with State Assemble elections in many states and will act as litmus test for the Main Lok-Sabha(Parliamentary) Elections next year. Knowing the terror attack will create a big anti-incumbency factor, the ruling INC(I) has begun purging. Yesterday ,Shivraj Patil resigned from his ministerial post while many bureaucrats could be in line. Will this be sufficient ? Will this stop terror imports from our neighbours ? Will it make us feel safer ?
Will these politicians ever change ?

I wish to write more and pen my thoughts, my emotion but must wait for next post.
Got to study!
Bye! till next post!

Mumbai Terror 1: Enough! We had it!

One more terror attack!

While I write, Indian Elite commando units are engaging terrorists at Taj-Mahal Palace. Every Tourist i have seen visiting Mumbai, visits Gateway of India and Taj-Mahal Palace (If from outside or at least for a coffee) for sure. Its what Statue of Liberty is for New-York and what Eiffel Tower or Arc de triomphe is for Paris or India Gate is for New-Delhi. Even the ones with less on pocket wishes to sit in and sip a tea or coffee. Its the only heritage hotel of Mumbai and is a century old.

Terrorists have carried out the most daring, planned and coordinated attack on the very symbolic hotel Taj-Mahal Palace along with Trident-Oberoi and also indiscriminate firing at many places which are tourist hot spots.

Terrorists are getting more bolder and the body count has risen exponentially from previous one.
So what has changed ?

• We : Every time Mumbai is attacked, everyone speaks of resilience and the spirit of Mumbai that cannot be touched. This time, Mumbai has decided to speak out!
• Why should we be the sitting ducks, all the time ?
• Why should the Financial Hub of India be turned into a Punching Bag or Dart board for the terrorists ?
  
• How can we allow ATS chief, a sharp shooter, a dignified IPS officer, an elite commando major, a jawan, dozens of constables be killed ?
• Why should the Israeli kid be an Orphan on the day of his birthday ?
  
• Why should a boy doing Internship shuttling between Haryana and Mumbai die away from his parents? Why should his ambitions be killed ?
• Why should I hear the same old Pakistani conspiracy theory with no result ?
• Why should I wait for Centre to sanction forces from Delhi for an operation in Mumbai?
  
• Why should I have to hear Shivraj Patil speak out the same words that he has been iterating for many past terror attacks ?
• Why should I have to hear the PM give out a speech that was the most boring(i must say BORING and UN-INSPIRING !) speech I have heard over a decade? Our PM can't even inspire people who are shaken to the core ? Its a pity that the PM and opposition leader couldn't make it to Mumbai on a single plane. These are times when every gesture speaks out much more than it means!


• Mumbaikars are thinking and thinking hard, as to how we can prevent such attacks in future. Debates about leadership, crisis management are happening at all places on the island. Debates on how to get a effective leadership and better politicians has started. THE DAM HAS BURSTED ! Mumbaikars wont forgive the leaders for letting them down for the last time. Things will change for sure! One thing Barack Obama campaign has done is inspired Mumbaikars to go for change! and YES! We can change and will bring change!

Many are wishing for our neighbor's annihilation. But that wont still help us ?
The rot is also amongst us ? Our display of helplessness is taken as our resilience and stockiness. We must make our leaders understand that this must change. We will not swallow this time. We need and mean change. We need a change of attitude, the way our external and internal affairs is run, our members of parliament must face the public. They must be accounted for every penny they spend or siphon in most cases. They must be fired if their attendance is found to be poor and barred from contesting if their performance is meager. Corruption must become capital punishment!

The National Security must be unified and under a central control which reports its actions to a Union minister and takes suggestions but not orders. Stop using the intel for spying on rival parties. Establish NSG at every state such that they can fly to any required position in an hour. Otherwise, I will call it New-delhi Security Guards. All parties irrespective of region, religion, no matter if you are a Red or Saffron or Green or White; must blend together like our tricolor flag to bring Peace back!

Its getting late. Rest in next post.
Thought the post ends for today, the anger, resentment and fire remains !

Shobhaa De has acted as an catalyst for this and for many! Her interview on NDTV was path breaking and inspiring.Check her blog at http://shobhaade.blogspot.com/

and her NDTV interview at http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=QRTZ8-K0jiE.

Month after Insect photoshoot and tagging

What a Month! I created Profiles and did Photoshoots for many.

Many of them were 6-legged, 8-legged and of classes and sub classes that spin my head! Many had antennae and sting like tube at the back for laying eggs.

Now, before you start imagining, let me clear the air!

I was chasing around Insects and capturing them onto my Sony DSC Cybershot W80 camera. Well many would ask me, "Got nothing else better to do, Eh ?" Well, it seems I am an Insect lover who likes to take their pictures without troubling them!

Macro mode of the digicam is my favorite as it lets me explore fine details of insect body structure from their photos.

Dragon Fly resting on my pencil.

This comical and cutest Insect is a Dragon Fly. The best part is they eat mosquitoes and hence generally live near water.

Their Body structure reminds me of Helicopter and I must say their wings are large and strong!

More insects in further posts.

Meanwhile check all of them at http://www.flickr.com/photos/prashantmaxsteel

Borivali Railway Station (Platform-Train) TimeTable1

Borivali to Churchgate trains. Trains starting from Borivali for the time being.

I always wanted to create a Platform based Railway time table for Borivali Station. Though my work is not complete, but just a start; I wish to share my work with others who need the time table. This table has Timings of Trains that Start from Borivali on platforms 1,2,3,7,8.

I invite browsers and surfers who have further information or data to contribute. They will be duly credited.

Ladies marooned on the Atlantis. Where r the Boats ?

Ladies marooned on the Atlantis
Originally uploaded by prashant maxsteel

Ladies queuing up on the right pavement, contemplating how to cross the river (I mean once a road!). I must say now Maruti Suzuki and Tata must concentrate not on Rs. 1 Lakh Car but on Rs 30,000 or around boats. well might save many lives in future.

Mumbai on Wheels n Legs

Mumbai on Wheels n Legs
Originally uploaded by prashant maxsteel

Man! Travel by 4 wheels or 2 Wheels or legs, you aint anything infront of the mighty Mumbai Monsoon and clogged drains.

Worst part, this ain't the normal rain-water, but the water gurgling up from the drains and getting diluted with the rain water !

Location : S.V. Road, Bandra, Mumbai

Mumbai- The New Atlantis

Mumbai- The New Atlantis
Originally uploaded by prashant maxsteel

Mumbai is THE NEXT ATLANTIS !!!
It is low lying, with major portions reclaimed from sea. So going by the book, what u take from the Sea needs to be returned back. Now the Sea seems to be wanting it back !

Oh Come On! I don't blame the BMC completely for this at all ! They have other problems like Pot-Holes , open man holes, etc.
This photo was taken at S.V. Road, Next to IIPM, Bandra, Mumbai.
Seems like BMC fails to manage the road next to a buisness management school !

Politics of Immigration and Mumbai 1

"All ye Flamingos n others! from Baikal and other lakes and regions in Cold north. Listen up!
Don't come to India during this Winter. Our Local Birds are not getting enough of water and food. You simply eat and drink and leave after the winter ! What do you give in return ? Why should we protect you ? Go back to your havens in north and find some other place for winter !"

Nowadays, Many Mumbaikars are searching for a meter or calibrator that can provide instant data on how much Marathiness you have in you and how much of a Mumbaikar you are ? :)

Gone are the days when you would proudly strut around saying "Hey! I am an Indian!". Today You can be either 'Urban Indian' or Bhartian (Rural India) or Uttar Bhartiyite (states of UP, Bihar,etc) or 'SOUTH Indian' or simply 'MADRASIS' (the re-casted state from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, AP, Karnataka), and what not ! Now even Mumbaikar!

This trend must not be mistaken with pride for one's motherland or local flavor. This is Parochialism in its best form! Motherland fervor is simply a tool being used to awaken up the dormant serpent of doom ! (Ok! i take that back!) but yes this is an issue which must be looked upon. I see high scope for high potential and high voltage 'danga-phasaad' (Riots!) in future over Parochialism.

---

This is the reaction i can think of :

(Ignorant+Idiotic+brainwashed) Mob + (Ignorant/non & innocent) People

Politicians + Dirty Politics
--------------------------------->

Death of Democracy + (Local suffering) + (immigration shifts to better safer place.)

• Mob will react upon instigation and initial help from Catalysts - Politicians and attack the Common public.
• The reaction will be Exothermic and Heterogeneous.
• Undesired result is very high. So yield (for good product, as believed by some that parochialism will give) is low.
• Result is, People lose hope on democracy creating extreme polarisation, the locals suffer the most as economy, culture bleeds while immigrants detour and go to other places with greener pasture!
  

---

Every month I hear of threats emanating from Raj Thackeray's fortress with words of threat to bash up people they consider outsiders - The Immigrants. After his initial tryst with law over his speeches, he has started giving speeches that don't cross the line but neither is behind the line!
Nowadays they are focusing on Bihiaris and Upites whom they collectively bunch as bhaiyyas living in Munbai. They bring out skewed data showing Biharis and Upites are the root of all problem for Mumbai.

solve ?

x - [ Sqrt ( Mumbaikars' problems ) ] = 0

Voila !
if, x = Bhaiyyas!

MNS(Raj Thackeray's party) and some other like minded accuse outsiders of making Mumbai inhospitable, inhumane and dirty. I am sure many of the Localities had their origin in migration during British raj and even before that. (In fact, Humans have migrated from Africa! So by that logic, all of us are migrants! Just a simple extrapolation). So, Which year, month, date and time are they setting for defining Migrants and Locals ? Many of my friends are also getting swayed or polarized by this new magnetic field. They feel only bhaiyya cab drivers are ruthless and rude. They alone spit and defecate on roads. They are the only people who bring corruption into Government machinery. They usurp all the jobs meant for locals. They don't pay taxes and take back all they can to their native places.

By stats, only 3% Indians pay taxes honestly. Rest it is all Swaha! I am also sure 3% of India's population is not Maharashtrians alone. Can't be! So discriminating along the basis of payment/non payment is unjust.
Now, majority of bhaiyyas are employed in menial jobs and work on contractual basis as laborers, carpenters, plumbers,etc. Their earning is very low to be even taxed. Still they live in a costly city like Mumbai and pay for food, clothing and shelter. They don't bring food,clothing and shelter from their states. They pay and avail many of the services. What does the MNS expect these people to do by asking them to spend more in the state? They have hungry mouths to feed back home. Should they splurge more on unwanted non basic stuffs in the city or send the money back to quell the hunger ?
Corruption. I must say the politicians must speak the least on this matter. Aren't they the alumni and visiting faculty of the University of Corruption ? I have seen corruption amongst all irrespective of his/her region. Well at least, one one point the country stands together !
Many usually grumble; Bhaiyya Cabbies are very rude. I must ask such fellas to under a glaucoma and cataract test for their inner eye. Their vision is getting diminished. I have had experiences of bad cabbies from all regions. Well Indians, have forgotten courtesy and the 5 golden rules while interacting with customers.
Many feel all the outsiders who come into Mumbai live in slums and shanties defacing the beleaguered city. You must accept that Mumbai is a growing city and this must reflect on its physical boundary as well. The government must develop and take up newer better plans rather than wait for the judgment day! The BMC must be tough on slum establishments. Nip it in the bud. Make the message clear that Mumbai wont allow slum dwellings.

Also why target only Biharis and Upites ? when reports show majority of new comers to the city are from Rural Maharashtra. Over the years the Rural Maharashtra influx into Mumbai has exceeded Northies and Southies. I personally feel, Mumbaikars are completely dissatisfied with the lack of basic needs,infrastructure and other vital facilities and resources that any growing city needs. The political party MNS can sense this discontent, but instead of channelising it to pressurize the government to go on over drive with the pending projects, the party is blaming the outsiders over the issues. The party is trying to play the Marathi Asmita Card and divide the Mumbaikars as Localities and Outsiders. One thing must be accepted that, it is the contribution of Gujarati and Marwari Businessmen/women, Parsis' Entrepreneurship, South Indian Office and clerical staff, Bihari and UP carpenters, plumbers, watchmen, etc along with the Locals that gives the city its color. The city would not be where it is today without their contribution. MNS must stop poisoning youths. As city grows, people who cannot keep up wither away. Well thats the Natural Law of 'Only the Fittest Survive'. So If MNS feels Locals are loosing edge over others, I ask MNS to come forward and take up the initiative to educate/train Localities for the present scenario. Do what Shiv Sena once did ! Train Local Youths so that they can compete with others in all sectors. Make the facilities available to them.
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Mumbai was a city developed (I must say joined & developed) by Britishers during British Raj with a vision for acceptable number of years. But then, after Independence years of Red -tapism, babudom (that's what i call going 'merry-go round' around Government babus and their offices), lack of vision, lack of urgency, corruption etc, Plans after Plans lay under and above heaps of more plans and recommendations in government offices. The government seems not in a hurry to undertake major overhaul of its infrastructure even though its Roads, Rail are bursting to its seams. Local Trains are really worse than the Hitler's Concentration camp transportation wagons. Every year, BMC speaks of flood less monsoons. This year the first rainfall itself showed the otherwise. Potholes are getting bigger so are the pockets of rich and holes in the poor. Man Holes remain open while BMC vehemently deny any such stuff and admonish US embassy over its travel advisory for Mumbai!
This city is going no where! The CM can enjoy luxury of his new posh jetliner while Mumbaikars are stuffed every day into Local Trains just to reach their office. The Government can envisage installing one more C.Shivaji.M. statue, this time in sea while Waterways remain closed for commoners.
The government has failed over security n times. People simply have become numb over this issue. This is the grim story of Mumbai (Maharashtra it is worse, maybe next time). MNS is simply exploiting the poor tired Mumbaikars !
Alas! People consider his fiery speeches as nice. God !

Borivali Platform No 8 Train Time-Table

(Click on the pic for enlarged view)

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Hi there, Borivali Railway Station commuters ! How many times have you fretted and fumed when the Western Mumbai Local Trains terminate at Borivali Station Platform 8 ?

Majority of Borivali (W) Commuters come from LT Road, Chandavarkar Road or from SV Road (Dahisar Side). Its really time consuming and taxing to walk from Platform 8 then 7 and finally 1 before touching the road. It takes almost 10-15 minutes to cross. It is always better to catch the next train which arrives upon platform 1 / 2 / 3 / 7 than one that touches 8th platform.

Platforms 8,7,1 (South to North) lie one after the other like bogies of a train. The start of Platform 8 is the end of platform 7 and start of platform 7 is the end of platform 1. (See diagram)
Platform 8 is almost in between the Kandivali and Borivali (platform1) stations. The only direct west exit for the 8th platform is at the beginning of the 8th platform ie. end of 7th platform. Outside this exit point some autos can be seen parked. However only some agree to take passengers. Also its a wastage of money to take an auto from there! Hence many continue the great walk onto the 7th platfom. 7th platform has another exit point at its start. This happens to be opposite to Anupam Stationary and much nearer to LT Road than earlier exit. Some end their walk here while many continue towards the First Platform.
The walk is approximately same as walking from Borivali Adidas Showroom(near Fly-over and Mc-Donald's Restaurant) to Chandavarkar Road. (Almost entire Borivali stretch along SV Road !)

To make things worst, by the time we have finished crossing 8th platform and reached 7th. Another Local Train touches there. Suddenly the platform is crowded and chok a block as everyone want to exit from 7th platform entry or from platform 1. After successfully managing to reach platform 1, we find oneself caught in same situation on platform1. Another Train arrives on Platform 1 and its hell broke loose!

Put yourself in this situation. It is the Evening Peak hour and very hot and humid. You have struggled to catch a train to Borivali. The train is jam packed. You are crushed like anything and sweating profusely! You just wish to reach home as early as possible. The Local Train from Churchgate side arrives at Borivali much to your relief. However you relief soon turn to disappointment as the train stops at platform 8.

I have collected some data related to train which end up at Borivali Station Platform 8 and incorporated it with the Railway Time Table. As and How I get more data it will be uploaded ! Users and surfers wishing to help in would be gladly accepted. As a mark of courtesy their names will be published!

The given Data is to the best of my knowledge. However no one can be held responsible for errors occurring in the data. If any, plz let me know. It will be rectified !

On a Rainy Day

So finally the dry spell seems to be over atleast for now. The dry spell following the torrential rains have been bad. The good news is that the rains are back to work.
Its raining a lot nowadays. I thought to share some of the pics I recently clicked from the Mumbai Local Train on an rainy day.
The Pics are clicked from a VGA Camera of my mobile in a moving shaking train. Hence clarity in some cases is less.

Remembering 7/11, Mumbai

  Today is July 11 or as we Mumbaikars remember it as 7/11, a date that no Mumbaikar can easily forget. Previous year on this very date, Mumbai was struck and STRUCK where it hurts the most. The Life-Line, Local trains of Mumbai were bombed, that too during the evening rush hour in the elite First Class compartments. OK not elite, but meant for those with larger wallets and obeying the rule of 3 seats per row. This rule of triad or 3 seats per row is that only 3 persons can sit in one row (In Second Class, the linear packing fraction ie. people sitting in a row is more than 3). Infact this is used to test whether a person belongs to the class or not.

  As always, the brain behind these unpardonable terror acts are safe in their haven in Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Huji and Hizbul-Mujaheddin and ISI have been blamed. Even though all available evidence have been provided to Pakistan's government, I doubt they will co-operate. They still haven't thought about extraditing back Dawood Ibrahim (who also finds place in the wanted list of international terrorists) and others convicted in the Mumbai 93 Serial Bomb blasts. Infact as per Intel. sources,he operates under the patronage and protection of ISI and is teamed up with terror outfits.

Though a year has passed, the security situation hasn't improved much. How many times have I seen, security check points (Whoa! don't imagine much, I mean tables put up on platforms for frisking and checking!) void of personnel on duty. Also, when they tried frisking every person entering at Church gate station, it led to a build up and angry protesting crowd.I hope the cameras put up are still working and used by police. The Stations and track are porous and anyone can easily enter and leave with no notice.

Apart from placing flowers and lighting candles on the day, neither can any improvement in security situation be seen nor in the alertness of public n police. Mumbai seems to have forgotten the blast and the victims. May be not they wanted to, but the hard life forces them to do and move forward. People still use trains as there is no alternative. They know trains are and were never safe, but no way trains can be avoided in a linear city like Mumbai. With Roads having craters bigger than that on Jupiter! and traffic snarls that make a 1hr drive a endless journey and with waterways completely ignored and underused, the Government has left Mumbaikars with no option. But, i will not complain that my State Government has neglected My Mumbai, as they have meted justice to all districts of the state by neglecting all of them!

Some Pics.

For More Photos

Revisiting the metal beast called Mumbai's Life-Line

So finally, after a lot of chaos, rioting, violence in the previous year,the quadrupling work between Virar and Borivali appears to be over. Posters warning of the new 'very high voltage' overhead cables have been put to warn the elite roof travellers to refrain from dare devil acts on train roofs. Our Union Railway Minister, flagged off the first train. My friend has captured some moments before flagging off --> Click here

For the occasion, the Borivali station was cleaned(literally washed clean!)and painted. It was like a bride getting ready to married off!
The same had happened in Mahim, after the train bombings. The station was cleaned, whitewashed and maintained spic n span for a dignitary was going to visit the station.

So if any big-shot visits the station regularly, it will be maintained. cleaned and white-washed! Hence, I request them to pay a visit to every station at least once a month. We, in general public would be grateful to them!

I stumbled upon this interseting blog -->Virar local
Check my other posts
Mumbai   Local Train Post1   Malayalam Language posts
Railway signs in India --> Railway symbols

Mumbai Floods AGAIN !

Oh, Not Again!
On Saturday June 30, Mumbai was again brought to knees by the mighty Monsoon, evoking terrible memory of July26,2005 deluge.

Santa Cruz recorded 430mm rain
Colaba recorded 187mm rain
(24hr rainfall. Source: Regional Met Centre,Mum)
As always Suburbs, being the catchment area received highest rainfall.
Avg. rainfall(2.30am-2.30pm)
Vikhroli(389.2mm)
Tulsi Lake(381.1mm)
Borivali(351.83mm)

    This is second time (June 23-24 and 30) within 2 weeks that Mumbai has faced the brunt of torrential rains. However the situation was no different.Life-Line Of Mumbai, Local Train Services were very badly affected. Central railway n Harbour railway were completely stopped. Western Railway fared better and ran with delay of 30-40 min.Low lying areas like Milan Sub-way,Kalina,Airport region,Bandra,Hind Mata,Worli, Harbour routes to name a few got flooded.

    I am thankful to God that my locality didn't get that flooded on any of these deluge days. However many were not so lucky! 5 have been reported to have died due to electrocution, wall collapse, strong currents on June30.

Times Of India quoted, "Everything goes down the drain except Water!"

 
26July2005 and 30June2007 pics.

 
    Every year, Mumbaikars face the same problems during monsoons but the intensity is increasing at an alarming rate! Dug roads, pot holes, clogged gutters and storm-water drains, inundation, car and other damages and monsoon related diseases are the core issues that need to be tackled. Tax paying Mumbaikars account for a sizeable amount of the total tax collected in India, still gets ill-treated. Various departments like MMRDA, BMC and others failed to work in tandem. One example of that was flooding observed in East Andheri, where water from Western Express Highway flooded parts of East andheri.

    Instead of trying to make Mumbai, an another Shanghai; lets first get it back to the Old Mumbai, that the British handed to us. Our state govt and central govt fail to get a grip on the situation and every year Mumbaikars are left to fend for themselves. But we as citizens, should awaken and actively work for it. The Land Mafia,corrupt n spineless politicians and bureaucrats, passive public are the roadblocks to be cleared.We as active citizens must find time for active paticipation. We should actively and enthusiastically take up responsibility of our locality, look after it and preserve it. We must aggressively protect the last remaining mangrove reserves n salt pans and prevent the greedy Land Mafia and govt from snatching them. We should actively take part in ALM's (Area Local Management) and restrain ourselves from spitting, filthing on Roads and drains. I still dont understand, why people spit and add to the filth when they see filth on road!

Better start now than its too late. Lets revive the old glory back!

Mumbai - Churchgate Borivali Fast(Western) Local Trains

It is the brown-red or blue or simply silver colored metal beasts with a tender heart, that no Mumbaikars can avoid. I am talking about the Lifeline of Mumbai - The Local Train; the fastest, cheapest means to travel across Mumbai. People from all strata of life, be it rich or poor; everyone must have traveled at least once by it.

Getting inside train in Morning(6.45 to 11.00) and Evening (6.00 to 10.00) is Mission Impossible for many. Everyday morning, the locals fully packed and bursting to the seams, leave Borivali station on its journey towards churchgate. Getting into the train is in itself a great achievement. The already packed train is further pushed to its limit at stations between Borivali and Andheri. I suppoz this is the best packing fraction I have ever seen, better than any crystal lattice. Infact, hardly anyone tries getting into the train at Jogeshwari, one station before Andheri. One thing needs to be clarified that, here packed trains doesnt mean all seats are occupied and some are standing!It means not even a bee can traverse across the compartment!

As Andheri station reaches, there is a sudden pandemonium as some alight and some board keeping the total no of passengers almost same. I call it (Conservation of Passengers) for condition Station=Andheri, where, alighted = boarded. Moving further, the next station is Bandra followed by Dadar after which u can breathe comfortably. Now the void space is greater and the total no of passengers present is the ideal condition required in a local.

The same situation repeats in the evening, but now in the opposite direction ie. Churchgate to borivali)

Still, it is efficient and improving. Train traveling is part and parcel of Mumbai's Fast Life! This is life here! I salute the spirit!