Shastri Hall

             "Shastri Hall" (aamchi aavadti wadi) is a colony located on J.D. Road near Nana Chowk, Mumbai. This is the place where I was born and brought up.Most of the times when I mention the name "Shastri Hall" to people, they seem to have some connection with it. It comprises of 6 chawls(they no longer have the traditional chawl look) & a 10 storey new building. There is a "Shanti Maidan" (It used to be a maidan but now it is used as car parking). It is here that we used to play cricket and now play Volleyball under lights every weekend.
            Nowadays, the Flat/Block system is prevalent all over India. People have their doors closed and have no idea as to whether their neighbors(I'm not practicing American spellings here, just used Auto-correct...) are in town or not. But here almost everyone's door is always open and one can visit them anytime. This doesn't mean that one does not privacy here but it strikes a perfect balance between the chawl culture and Flat system.
            Almost everyone has a nickname here.(You guys know my nickname) And there are a couple of guys who are great at this. (wonder from where they think of these names). If Nicknaming was a profession they would have a Phd by now. Nicknames vary from Animals(Zebra, Bakri.If those guys read this, they are gonna kill me), Films (Paa, Fantatic Four... But there's no Jessica Alba amongst them.:)), Name-Surname combo(That's how I get my nickname :P), Fruits, Vegetables  etc.

           Ganeshotsav is celebrated with a lot of fervor here. The "Mandal" (Organising committee) is setup well in advance to manage everything.(Hats off to those who take leave from work and offer their services for these 10 days & manage everything). We get the "Mandav"(In the era of outsourcing, we still build it ourselves) ready almost 2-3 weeks prior to the 10 day festival. We have competitions for all people from all ages. But I must say the enthusiasm about these competition has slowly diminished. On Ganesh Chaturthi, we have a the "Miravnuk" in a very traditional way with "Leghim" etc. (Shreenche aagman  Palkitun hote).
Then we have programs like Kirtans, plays, Orchestra, Films throughout those 10 days. On the last night of the festival, everyone is up  all night(Playing leghim etc) and only go home at 6 am in the morning after the Aarti.  At around 3 pm that day, we gather to say adieu to our favourite deity Lord Ganesh.

           I have lived in 3 cities till date but with all due respect to all societies, I have not found any colony which has this amazing culture and atmosphere. The people here are fantastic & welcome you with open arms(Some are nuts but i guess, every colony needs these characters too). Many of my neighbors know almost all of my relatives and vice versa. This is how close the relations are between people and the thought of "Privacy" being infringed doesn't even cross our mind.  I'm glad to have had the opportunity to be back in "Shastri Hall"(as I work in Mumbai) and relive those childhood memories once again.
          I firmly believe in the idiom "Company maketh the man". Thank you to all my friends & fellow Shastri Hall residents for instilling all the good values (and a few bad ones too.... but then no one is perfect :P)  in me. Though highly unlikely, I wish "Shastri Hall" stays the same way as it is and is not replaced by some towering towers for years to come.

PS: You have to stay here in Shastri Hall to experience it all. It's very difficult to express it in words.
The film "Shikshanchya Aaicha Gho" has been shot in Shastri Hall.
          
           

Mumbai Marathon 2010

           The 7th edition of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon was held on 17th January, 2010. Close to 39,000 people participated in this year's Marathon. There were 11,000 participants for the Half Marathon (21.097 kms) this year. No wonder I had to register for the Half Marathon as early as June, 2009 even though ours is a group entry.(Thanks to RPG group)
             I got up @ 4:15 am to get ready for the run. I was up in a flash unlike other days where I usually hit the snooze button on my mobile phone a couple of times. I reached Rang Sharda,Bandra (starting point for the Half Marathon) along-with a couple of friends. One of them was apparently running on someone else's entry :P But that is usual I guess. I reached the holding Area 40-50 mins early @ 6am. I saw a group of 20-25 people warming up as early as 6 pm.(Their bodies must have cooled down by 6:45 am) Our warm up was to be the first 2 kms of the race :P  I could see a couple a families there which made me wonder for a moment, if this was a family outing on a Sunday morning. But let me tell you it is far from that.
            The race kicked off @ 6:45 am but by the time I crossed the start line it was 6:55 am. I started running at my pedestrian pace (even though it was not a 100m race still my speed was indeed pedestrian). I went past the 1 km mark. I said to myself 1 down 20 more to go. I slowly approached the 2 km mark. Meanwhile, there were Mobile Toilets installed @ regular intervals. But people in India prefer Natural Toilets than the Mobile ones. :P One guy remarked that it was the Releasing Area. :P Then I embarked on the Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link. People stopped by to take photos of the Mumbai coastline. Some asked the runners to click their photos (were they here to run or were they on a picnic? But I guess this was the only time where you can stop on the Sea link) I must say it was an amazing experience running on the Sea link but a tiring one. There was no water available for the whole strength from 2 kms to 9 kms. There was a guy with Goodie something written on the back of his T-shirt. I had seen him @ the start besides me so I knew my pace was OK.
             After 11 kms, I reached Peddar Road. There were people standing by the roadside cheering & encouraging the runners. There were the Peddar road residents with bananas, Parle G biscuits, water bottles for the runners. I'm sure there would nothing of this sort in any other city. That's the spirit of AAMCHI MUMBAI. (Thank u Mumbai for all the support). If it was the Pune Marathon, I'm sure there would have been bikers overtaking the runners from both sides.
           The last 3 kms of the run were the most difficult. My legs were paining by this time and the sun was out. I saw an aged man who could barely stand up but still he was walking. That was very inspiring and hats off to that man for the courage that he showed. There was a man who started the Half Marathon with the Indian Tri Colour in his hands.(Apparently, he runs carrying the tri colour every year). There were people talking on the phone while running (I guess they can't survive without a mobile phone).
           Completing the half marathon gave me a great sense of accomplishment and personal satisfaction. Now, I know how difficult it is to get out of one's comfort zone. As it is rightly said, " It's all between the ears". Now, I know how true this saying is.
          But all in all, it was a great experience and someday I hope I'll complete the Full Marathon (42 kms).

MP3 Mera Pehla Pehla Pyar

                                                       
                  This is my first blog ever so I decided to write about my "1st love" CRICKET.Cricket is a religion in this country and that applies to me as well.It is said that one usually remembers nothing about the period from when you are born to 5-6 years. Yes, I don't remember anything apart from Sachin Tendulkar's magnificent strokes and Kapil Dev's outswingers with his unique bowling action.               
                I still remember the day when I was studying in my living room with the door shut (as there was a India-NZ match being played). Sachin Tendulkar was opening the innings for the first time. It was a Sunday and everyone was at home enjoying the game.Sachin started going berserk (eventually scoring 82 from just 49 balls). My Uncle  asked me to keep those books aside and come watch the game. Sachin played an amazing innings. From that day I became a die hard cricket fan.
                  When I was around 8-9 years old, we use to play cricket on the Terrace of our building with "Gucchu"(Its a small black coloured sponge type) ball. I don't know where this name came from but it was "swasta aani masta" (wouldn't injure anyone even if it fell off from the 10th floor) .I don't remember a single day that I missed playing cricket.I used to come home from school  at 6pm.Quickly change and rush to the terrace.
           In this country,cricket is something that is taken into consideration while planning your weekly schedule. We rescheduled our tuition prelims in order to see the WC 2003. I still remember bunking college ( I was in 2nd yr engg. then) in order to get home by 3:30 pm an watch the ASHES.I used to write my 12th practice papers depending on what time the Match starts.
        Today everyone's talking about T20 cricket destroying Test cricket. I beg to differ on this one. Test cricket is "quality" cricket and thats where you get to see the true class of players. Test cricket is here to stay as long as true cricket lovers keep supporting this great game called "Cricket". 

            Lastly, this is my first blog so please feel free to comment and in the process help me improve my blogging skills. Happy blogging !!!