When I visit the cycle shop...

It has been over 6 months since the cycle was gathering dust. Overcoming all inertia and procrastination of a lazy Saturday evening, thanks to a wonderful chai made by wife, I dusted the cycle with an old rag and walked it to the cycle shop next to Archies at Good Luck chowk. How the cycle shops have dwindled over the years, sigh!

The three guys in the shop are working - one repairing an old Atlas Goldline; another servicing a Trek; and the third fixing a puncture of an Activa - yes, probably signifies how a cycle shop's customers have changed in today's times.

Since all three are busy, I am asked to wait for 15 minutes. I watch the crowded chowk - buses, cars n bikes moving endlessly one after the other. Quite a few pedestrians jostling for space and walking across the roadside bhelwala, fruitwala, chanewala.

As I await my turn, the guys have a customary tea break at 6pm sharp. They wash their greased hands and enjoy the cuppa. The oldest guy gives me a "I know you, you have been coming to our shop for many, many years, but not often recently" smile. 

He starts talking about religion, God and how people today bribe God, expecting what they desire in favour of a bribe that they offer. And he wonders if instead the same person took better care of his parents. He says that parents take care of their kids for a good 25 years - raising them, educating them, providing them with the best that they can. And the same child then doesn't care for the aged folks. The oldies have forsaken their friends while bringing up the kids; now when they are old, it's difficult to make new friends while the old friends have moved on.

He finishes his tea and gets back to work. It's his last job of the day. When he completed the job, the Trek cycle looks as good as new. There is satisfaction and pride in the old eyes.

He changes his work clothes, and takes out his own cycle to go home. And I wonder, if he will have a comforting conversation with his son, or maybe an old friend that makes his evening as pleasant as the November evening in Pune.

Or maybe he visits a temple on his way to offer a bribe to Him.

Interesting people I met...

I look forward to travel. Gives me a great opportunity to meet strangers, talk with them, observe them and if possibly, learn from them. Here's an account of three such very interesting people I met last month.

It was the day of the French Open final. Having slept at 2.30am after a long and tiring day spent in packing my bags & clea'r'ing my apartment in Tampa that I had to vacate, I was looking forward to catching a few winks on my flight to Chicago. Uncharacteristically by my own sleep standards (trust me - I can sleep anywhere, anytime), I was awake 15-20 minutes into the flight. Since I had no intention of reading, the usual bunch of books I carry were tucked up into the cabin bag put safely at the top. Reading the airline magazines in the front pocket isnt exactly my cup of tea, and I was finally relieved when the big burly American gentleman sitting next to me offered me his newspaper to read.

An old retired American chap well into his 60s, he was a jolly old fellow who loved to talk as much as I do. We were then talking for a whole 2 hours on different things ranging from sports, culture, cracking jokes, politics as well as personal stuff!

I was stumped with his amazing sense of humour as well as his good-heartedness; a drunk guy sitting in front of us talked very rudely to the airhostess; and my neighbour called her to tell her,
"Look Anna darling (yeah, he did note her name), I dont care what that gentleman sitting in the front tells you - I know this! You are doing a wonderful job! And we all appreciate it very much!"
When he ran out of his champagne, he would call Anna again, and then hold his throat and enact as if he is going to choke to death if she couldnt refill his glass. This he did atleast a good 3 or 4 times!

I was a little disappointed with myself of not having confirmed my 'vegetarian' meal preference with the airline, and I had to refuse the salmon and the beef options for lunch. My good neighbour then offered me his cookie and requested Anna to give me an extra cookie! And then fooling around with me, he told Anna who brought me the extra cookie, that I ate his cookie :D

Uncle Dan showed me his wife's photograph. She was Japanese and very beautiful. He told me that they had different likes & dislikes. While she loved New York, he hated it. He loved watching football over beer in the evenings, and she would keep nagging on something that bothered her. Yet they loved each other deeply.
They had met in Japan, fallen in love with each other, and she moved with him to the US.
They then moved to Dubai where he ran his business for a good 20 years. And then he sold his business to his Indian partner and came back to lead his retirement life in Florida.

He asked me about my experiences in the US - what did I learn, what did I think aboutt American people in general, and told me that
"Forget the war; an average American is basically good at heart."

He asked me how old i was. I replied I was 28.
And he told me, "Wowww! You are at such a fine age! You can still do so many things at 28. You know what? You wont have such freedom or flexibility in 10 years from now when you become 38. But 28 is such a nice age to be..."

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The same evening was my flight from Chicago to London. Till the very last minute, I was calling friends across the US to tell them that I am going home for good. Speaking in Hindi/Marathi/English, the lady sitting next to me in the flight was obviously a little perturbed with all the excitement in my voice. Finally, the air hostess came and told me that I had to switch off my phone and the plane was going to leave. Sheepishly, I apologised to her and the lady and switched off my phone.

Her name was Lara. She was a woman in her late 30s. Looking at her, I thought that she was neither a Brit nor an American. Turned out that she was a Russian Jew whose grandparents had immigrated to South Africa during the WW-II. She had done her schooling and college in SA, UK and US; was married an American and was now settled in the UK.
She worked as one of the head honchos for a beer company, and said that she was the best friend for all her friends coz they got free beer from her. I had to admit to her that unfortunately for her or for me, I didnt drink beer. :(

She took a 15 day vacation every year to go home in South Africa; I had heard of the beautiful Garden Route, a 200 km adventure filled drive along the West Coast from Jo'burg to Cape Town, from a colleague at work; and Lara endorsed it saying that I must visit her 'home' country and especially the Garden Route. :)

As we spoke more on the different cultures, she said that she never wanted to stay in the US coz she felt that Americans always considered her as an alien, which surprisingly she didnt find in London.

She asked me if I was married. I said no, and added that in India, I am supposed to be married at this age. Very interestingly, she said that she understood, coz its the same in Jews - even for them, they are bound by tradition to get married at a certain age, have kids at certain age, etc, etc - which she did not do. She went out of the system by marrying an American, but most importantly - she chose to make a decision.

We wished each other luck for the future, and after knowing that I would be spending a week vacationing in London & Scotland, she even recommended me a nice Indian restaurant in London that was her favorite. :-)

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Our Scotland trip had been really very fantastic - it was a family vacation coming after a good 4 years and we had a great time. Amongst the places we visited, I fell in love with Inverness, especially the lovely walk along the River Ness that runs through the small town. The Scottish are very nice people to talk to - their accent is very much different than the English, whose accent is again very, very different from the Americans. Infact, I had much trouble in understanding the English accent - but I loved hearing the Scottish speak in English. And all the Scots I met - at the railway station, at the tourist info desks, at the restaurants and at the hotels - all of them seemed very simple, genuine and happy souls.

Having almost finished our trip, we were waiting for our train in Glasgow, when me n mom decided to do some window shopping. Entering a jewellry shop, mom was looking at something that caught her fancy.

That is where we met Lisa, a 22-23 yr old girl who worked part time in that jewellery shop. She was originally from Dundee in Scotland, had done her schooling and college in Scotland itself - Dundee & Edinburgh and told us that she never wanted to leave Scotland.

This was going to be my gift for mom - she was interested in a pearl set, while I had liked a crystal set. We asked Lisa for her opinion, and being the sales-girl she was, she told us,
"If you like the classic look, go for the pearls. But if you like something more modern, go for the crystal set."
A typical consultant's reply - let the customer make the choice! :D

While mom was making up her mind, I was chatting with Lisa. I asked her how much she knew about gems, pearls & jewellery and if she had undergone some formal training. She surprised me by saying that in her under-grad, she had studied Microbiology, but she realised that she could never pursue that as a career. Using her arms to gesture, she said that looking into the microscope all day long did not fascinate her very much!

Her big eyes became even bigger when she said that what did fascinate her was nursing. She was working currently in summer to earn some money to pay for her tuition, and then come September, she would undergo training to become a professional nurse and then work in some hospital in Scotland itself. She was so content in remaining in her home country or hometown itself.

Needless to say, she was extremely delighted when we ended up buying both the sets :D

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Three people - Uncle Dan, Lara and Lisa - from three different backgrounds, countries and cultures; and standing at three different stages in their lives.
The common thing to each of them was probably that all three of them had taken a decision in their life about what they wanted to do. And they were happy in doing that.

As I remember them today, I cant stop smiling as I also remember the beautiful song sung by 6 year old Connie Talbot on Britain's Got Talent show on TV,

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
Some day I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?

If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?

Apni to paathshaala, masti ki paathshaala

~ A few words on the long weekend on Labor Day spent at Orlando-Myakka-St Petersburg in Florida. You can check the snaps in the folder "Orlando-Myakka" posted here.

Throw in a 5-setter nerve-wracking tennis match, the opening show of an absolutely hilarious Hindi movie, an exhilarating Lezim dance in front of Lord Ganpati, an adventure fueled canoeing experience in the midst of rains & alligators, a soothing dip in the Gulf of Mexico at one of Florida's sunny beaches and... AND do you really need anything more in life?

Last Thursday evening was a treat for all Andre Agassi fans as he battled hard against Marcos Baghdatis (incidentally both are my favorites, but I wanted Agassi to win this one badly). Ever since my childhood, I have always admired the then flying maned, to the now bald-headed Andre for the sheer joy he brings to the game of tennis. Initially attracted by his flamboyance in the early 90s - the fluoroscent cycling shorts worn inside the denim shorts, the brash arrogance in the eyes & demeanour - how can anyone not play Wimbledon because they enforce a white-only clothing; and fast forward to the mature, calm n composed Agassi of today who takes the customary bows on all 4 sides of the court - he has indeed metamorphised big way, yet has retained the same fighting spirit, probably much more than before, that helps him beat all odds.

I still remember the Agassi poster from Sportstar that I put on the wall in my room, with the caption "Eyes on the ball", showing him focusing intently on a ball to be hit. It was precisely this dedication & intensity that he brought to his game that helped him dig deep when he plummeted to #141 in the world, to rebound back to winning the Slams and achieve the Numero Uno position. Unlike the highly efficient, almost machine-like Pete Sampras who won a record 14 slams, ended n number of years as the world's # 1 player, and who ended his career with a US Open Grandslam win over Andre - Pete's was indeed the "perfect" career; Agassi battled longer, went through the ups & downs, overcame physical pain & cortisone shots to remind us that he is after all, as human as you or me who has his own shares of failures as much as the successes - and for that, he becomes much more inspirational for me than anyone else.

To see him win over Baghdatis was a sheer pleasure, and the best thing for me was that the last match I saw him play was the one in which he won even though he was the underdog!

Friday night was the occasion for watching the latest Bollywood blockbuster "Lage Raho Munnabhai". For those of you who havent seen a Hindi movie in recent times, havent laughed your heart out, are dying to watch a simple movie that touches your heart, and need a desperate "jadoo ki jhappi" - this movie is highly recommended.

On Saturday, the Maharashtra Mandal at Orlando had organised a cultural evening as part of the Ganeshotsav celebrations at the Hindu temple in Orlando. A palkhi procession of Lord Ganpati interspersed with song & dance performances by children, women and the men dancing Lezim was the highlight of this cultural evening. This was followed by Ganesh pooja by all children who received the pooja thaali (a very good initiative to apprise the toddlers of our age-old traditions n customs by the old-aged), on the stage and the aarati. It was truly heartening to see the 150-200 odd Marathi people from all 3 "Kal, Aaj aur Kal" generations come together to celebrate one of the most beloved festivals, and even more satisfying for me n my friends who enjoyed the modaks in the prasad, and the dinner that followed.

Sunday took us to the Myakka River State Park , one of Florida's oldest and largest state parks which is located around 70 miles south of Tampa. The state park offers you to go camping, biking, hiking, fishing, canoeing/kayaking, bird watching, et al. Reaching the park in the midst of a heavy downpour, we had to wait for the rains to subside. This provided ample time to have a nice chat with John, one of the state park personnel, who rents out the canoes.
"Aww, so you guys wanna canoe?"
- Yeah, we want to canoe. Can you tell us how deep is the water here? (2 of us cant swim)
"Well, it aint that deep, its not more than 6-7 feet in the middle of the lake. (Thats more than enough considering that none of us is 6-foot plus)
- What about the alligators? Any particular care that we should take while canoeing? What if they come near us? (Extremely valid concerns considering that yours truly was the only person who had canoed before, that too just once)
"Yeah, we have quite a few alligators - you gonna see plenty of them. But we have never had any alligator attacks ever. Well, if you guys are gonna fish, just be careful - those guys just wait for you to catch a fish n then catch the one you have caught on your line, even before you can pull it out of the water. Also, even these guys are otherwise afraid of humans, please dont feed them - coz if you feed them, they lose that fear, and associate you with food."
- Well, that doesnt sound very encouraging. But yeah, we can give it a try. Suppose something happens in the middle of the river?
"Hope nothing happens - but if it does - just call 911." (Turned out later that there's no cell coverage on the river - curse T-Mobile & Cingular)

As soon as it stopped raining, armed with the life jackets, we rowed out on the canoe, our hearts filled with expectations - will we see the alligators, what will happen if the canoe overturns - and what followed was testimony to the Alchemist's wise words - "if you want something badly, the whole universe conspires to help you achieve it."
As soon as we reached the middle of the river, it started rained heavily, and our canoe rocked against the big waves; one of us actually holding onto both sides of the canoe hoping that it would help the canoe not being overturned. We finally managed to calm ourselves by rowing perpendicular to the waves and towards the shore, and then realising that the shore isnt the best place everytime - the mosquitoes or the ant-flies on the shore ensured that we got back into the water within moments of us touching land.

A new direction, a new enthusiasm, a new found confidence in our rowing abilities - call it whatever you may - but we bumped into (not literally) another canoe whose inhabitants (is that the right word) pointed us the way yonder where they claimed to have seen 3 alligators! That was enough for us to start pushing in the said direction, and boy! Within a minute or so, we laid our eyes on one of the first 10 or 12 alligators we saw that day!
"Hey, hey - look to the left.. there's an alli there...
arey baba.. right mein dekho... that one is bigger..."
and all this while... we were just heading into probably the biggest of them - HEAD ON! The lazy fellow just opened one of its eyes while we were 6-8 ft away, and peacefully slid into the water below - the excitement was such that we actually forgot to shoot him on our digicams. But that was indeed a very close encounter.
Our confidence levels had increased multifold, and we actually tried to follow one of the big alligators who was swimming at a decent pace, but finally had to give up - these creatures are lazy, but believe me - if they want, they can swim at a nice pace. Which doesnt give you much chances whether you can swim or not. ;-)

Getting out of the water for the final time, we went on a couple of nature trails & a bird trail - catching glimpses of the wild life in the state park. A pair of deer stared at us as intently as we looked at them, which surprised me; was expecting them to look and run away. Then there were the couple of eagles who were proudly displaying their wings and posing happily for all the state park visitors. The vultures perched atop the leafless tree-tops were quite a sight with their black silhouettes set against the white/grey sky. The pearl white storks looked more attractive while trying to catch some fish in the muddy waters; was in fact amazed to see how they can still remain so white despite all the darkness & muddiness all around them.

Labor day Monday was a day for relaxation - a day reserved for the soothing waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Had never been to the beach at St Petersburg, and though it isnt exactly one of the best beaches I have ever been to, it was a decent place. The water increases in depth with the distance, and 50 metres from land, the depth reduces again to only waist-high - so you can swim your way there, and then stand in the water again. I did this exercise a couple of times by swimming back n forth, and then just stayed in the water close to the land, chatting with friends, and trying to absorb the refreshing sea breeze as much as I could.

Today, a week later, the long Labor Day weekend now appears quite short, and not long enough. Feel like wanting a little more of everything - a little more adventure, a few more rain drops, a few more alligators, a little more of canoeing, a few more 5-set tennis matches (sans Agassi tho' now), a little more of Munna bhai & Circuit, a few more miles of drive, a little more of the sea breeze, a few more swims, a few more steps of Lezim, a few more modaks - kya karein, yeh dil basically maange more!

But then, I know... I dont have to wait long.... there will be quite a few more coming my way soon, considering that
Apni to paathshaala, masti ki paathshaala!

Les étrangers

Very often than not, you meet a few strangers in life - strangers with whom you may interact only once or twice in your life - but they leave an indelible impression on you. You end up not even knowing their names in most cases - but, it is either the way they talk, the specific words they use, their body language or simply something that you never realise, that characterises each of them them uniquely. As time passes, you may not remember them vividly, and all that remain are some cherishable memories that you fondly remember.

What follows is a description of a couple of such souls I met during my recent trip to India - souls who make your life interesting, and you thank them for being a part of your life...

The "Puneri" Karyalaya (wedding hall) Manager
It was a typical Marathi wedding setting at my hometown Pune. All people on the bride's side were standing in line at the gate of the wedding hall to welcome the junta on the groom's side. A lovely rangoli decorated with myriad colors & petals, and deeyas awaited eagerly the arrival of the groom. Being a monsoon month, the hall was covered with a mandap (cloth), almost 20 ft high. Thats when the wedding hall manager came along, dressed immaculately in a well-ironed shirt & trousers, giving his instructions to different people working at the wedding hall. As he turned his attention towards the gate, he looked at the rangoli, and then thundered at us -

"Please remove the deeyas as soon as the groom passes by. The entire mandap is completely made of cloth - so, please remove the deeyas immediately."

When he said this, we immediately looked at the handful of deeyas on the floor - sparkling little flames, fighting for their survival against the wind, some of them which had already given up; and then at the mandap ceiling, brightly coloured cloth staring back at us from a height of atleast 20-25 ft. We couldnt help but chuckle at the thought of the deeyas attempting to accomplish a feat similar to Birbal's khichadi. I then wondered if the Karyalaya Manager was Birbal himself, who had a strong conviction that the khichadi would definitely get cooked. The only difference in the conviction maybe was that the Birbal in the 16th century wanted the khichadi to get cooked, while our Birbal from the 21st century didnt really want the khichadi (mandap) to get cooked!

The ever-friendly Sardarji taxi driver in Mumbai
Having reached Dadar station from Pune by the Intercity Express, I was tugging my 2 bags in the direction of Swami Narayan temple where I was to meet a friend who was coming to pick me up. As always happens, a plethora of taxi drivers came running towards me as soon as I was out of the platoform.

"Saab, taxi chahiye kya?"
"Jaana kahaan hai?"
"Saab, idhar aao - taxi aap ke liye khadi hain"

While I was politely refusing the offers made by everyone, a Sardarji taxi driver approached me with a big smile on his face,

"Sir ji, taxi chaahiye?"
- "Nahin ji. Thank you."
"Kyon sir, kya hua?"
- "Mera ek dost aa raha hai."
"O ji! To hum kya dushman hai, hum dost nahin hai?" retorted the Sardarji with his smile changing to an uncontrollable laughter that had me also into splits!
-"Arey nahin ji, aap bhi hamare dost ho!" was all I could say!
"Bilkul ji! Jab bhi taxi ki jarurat ho, apne is dost ko pakka bulaa lo!" was the immediate response from the Sardarji.

His words & laughter still echo in my mind, and I know I have a friend for life to pick me up at Dadar station whenever I need.

A champion, a loser & a legend

"Veni, Vedi, Vici"

These were the only words used by Julius Caesar as the full text of his message to the Roman Senate to describe his victory over Pharnaces II of Pontus in the Battle of Zela in 47 BC. Caesar's terse remark -- it translates to "I came, I saw, I conquered" -- simultaneously proclaimed the totality of his victory and served to remind the senate of Caesar's military prowess.

Two millenia have passed, but the same 3 words could have been used by a certain Roger Federer as he won the men's final at the Nasdaq 100 Open, ATP Master Series tournament at Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida on April 2, 2006 AD.

Federer, a 7-time Grandslam champion, is on a roll -- last year, he faced the Spanish matador, Rafael Nadal in the final at Nasdaq 100 Open -- winning it in 5 sets after being 2 sets and a break down in the 3rd set, and thus recording his first & only victory over Nadal.

This year, the finalist on the other side of the net was not Nadal, but Ivan Ljubicic, the gigantic Croat with a big serve and an even bigger heart. Matching Federer point for point, serve for serve - he made Fedex sweat for victory under the scorching sun. If Federer broke him, he would break Federer in the next match to level the match again.

The last point could well summarise the match - Federer's return just dropping off the net on the other side, and Ljubicic could do nothing else but just resign himself to his fate.

And fate is indeed cruel on the loser - while Federer basked in the glory of his victory - with cameramen running around him, and Mary Joe trying to get the victor's words - Ljubicic sat in his chair by the court - alone, no one bothering to look at him.

All the match statistics - be it # of points, winners, aces, unforced errors, double-faults, or even the final scoreline (7/6, 7/6, 7/6) - he had matched Federer in each of these... or almost. It is that thin line; it is those moments that matter the most (read the tie-break points) - when Fedex takes his game to another level, or simply to another planet when no meek Earthling can dare to challenge him, or even touch him. Another story that Rafael Nadal, is one fellow who comes from yet another planet and does not feel subdued at all when he faces Federer, especially on clay.

All said & done, Key Biscayne-Miami is Federer's favorite hunting ground - winning the Masters title for 2 consecutive years now.

The women's doubles final featured the 49-year young Martina Navratilova - a living legend attempting to win a record 175th career title in doubles. All other 3 players on the court were atleast 20 years younger to her in terms of age, but she more than overcame that difference in age with her zeal & never-say-die attitude. Her reflexes and fitness level are indeed inspiring. It certainly was not her day, but even in her acceptance speech as the runner-up, Ms Navratilova effused so much politeness in congratulating the winner, that you really feel elated to have watched the legend.

If life were to be defined in terms of a mathematical function, it would certainly have been sinusidal - the real challenge lies in adjusting our sails to the ever changing amplitude & frequency of this sine wave. And there are champions like Federer who adjust their sails such that for them the crests are longer; there are losers like Ljubicic who are just unfortunate that the wind doesnt favor them; and legends like Navratilova for whom, the sheer pleasure of riding the wave is more delightful than anything else.

~A few words on the experience of watching the men's singles & women's doubles final at the Nasdaq 100 ATP Tennis Masters Series tournament at Key Biscayne, Miami in April 2006