A stitch in time...

Ah wonderful rain!!! Welcome to Mumbai!!!

Well, I must (and I do) admit it's a slightly delayed welcome since it started raining at least 2 weeks back. But then I'm a "little" late on most accounts. All my friends would be incongruous to this claim; they would point out that coming 30-45 minutes late when we're meeting up to have fun or going for an outing is not exactly "little", by any standard;-))

Flashback…..
I wasn't always like this. On the contrary, I was very punctual earlier - be it at school, karate classes, music lessons, junior college and even as long as the first two-and-a-half years of engineering, I was definitely "there" before time. Ironically, I hated people who came late and I loved lecturing anyone who would listen, about punctuality and the value of time.

Then, the inevitable happened. As they say, peers are highly influential. I spent most of my time in the company of one of my bestest friends, Sajjina aka pushti aka don. She loved coming late. Late everywhere, every single time. Her 32-teeth-baring smile, the non-stop banter even after arriving late and the complete lack of remorse at making us wait was, I must say, infectious:-)). How else can I explain such a transition in my case?

We used to travel by train together to and from college and one of those times, I remember confronting saji about her “punctuality” or rather trying to convince her not to come late. However, what happened that day is here for all to see ;-)) She convinced me instead that reaching college on time (that too, only for the sake of attendance) required us to give up at least 20 minutes of sleep. And, sleep seems to be at her beautiful best every early morning ;-) So, according to her, it was definitely better to sleep for 20 more minutes and reach college close to half an hour late. I was a convert very soon. Within the month, I overtook even her record of coming late;-))

Thinking back in time, I wonder how in heaven’s name I had the guts to request my professors to let me in when I came 45 minutes late (for a lecture of 1-hour duration).

That reminds me of a funny incident. Once, I was very late for college and the first lecture was to be taken by one of our best as well as strictest teachers. Somehow, I ran up the stairs and threw myself in front of the classroom door. I could feel the whole class’s eyes upon me. I put on a sweet, honey-spread tone my usually loud, harsh voice could never match and asked the teacher if I could get in. She looked at me first for a full 5 seconds (that felt like an hour) and asked why I was late. I mumbled something about the trains being delayed and promised that I’d never be late again (but then, promises are meant to be broken, right?? ;-))..) She allowed me in.

The whole class was muttering and whispering and I presumed it was about how I could be let in so late :-). Then, ma’m looked at the class and said, “Why are you all talking?” (She should have stopped here but didn’t) and she looked at me before going on to say, “Maya never comes late. This is the first time that she’s come late, that too because the train was late.” Oh God!!! The laugh riot and the din that followed this statement of hers, was so uncharacteristic of our usually well-behaved class ;-). Even I burst out laughing and I can’t forget the look on Sujatha’s face as she giggled and snorted holding her handkerchief pressed tightly over her mouth;-)) Tears were flowing freely from our eyes and our abdomens were full of pain from laughing when the bell rang signaling the end of that lecture.

This wasn’t an isolated episode. At college, whenever I came late, two of my best friends from IT, swapna and surekha glared (because I came late) and giggled (at my shamelessness) as they watched me from their classroom (which adjoined ours). What else could they do to me as I walked past their classroom to mine, bracing myself to try and somehow persuade the teacher to let me in for the lecture ;-)
Oh! I couldn’t count the number of times swap and sur (as we fondly call the two of them) tried to reason with me and later, reprimanded me. After a point, both of them lost hope; I knew that this was the point when they realized that their attempts at trying to convince me to be punctual were futile;-)

Fast-forward to the present (as there’s nothing more to add that is relevant to this post).

I’m afraid, though, that these incidents haven’t exactly taught me to behave myself and practice punctuality daily. I continue to be “slightly” late whenever and wherever. I somehow manage to board the office bus (thanks to my colleagues who board from the same stop and hold up the bus for me;-))…). I know, it’s a mistake, but then it takes time to improve;-)

I’d really like to know who said, “Old habits die hard”. It took just about 2-3 days of brainwashing on sajjina’s part to get me to come late although I’d been punctual for years together. I am not making silly insinuations nor am I holding saji responsible for my being a latecomer, although I don’t completely deny her influence in my transformation.

Sometime soon I’ll get back to being punctual and that really had better be sooner than later (for my own good). Not everyone would be as kind-hearted and as unnoticing as my wonderful professor;-))

Hmmm….Come to think of it, this should give all my readers (oh, there are people who read my blog too!!!) a fair idea of what nonsense I write, isn’t it? I started off this post welcoming the rains to Mumbai and look at what I’ve come up with;-)) I should’ve known better than to start blogging. But, if I’d known, you wouldn’t be reading this masterpiece ;-)))……..

Don't bump yourself off!!! Live your life...

Suicides. Why do people commit suicide? What can we do to at least try and minimize, and maybe even eliminate the occurrences of suicide? These are the questions that came to mind when I read a newspaper article on the recent spate of suicides in Mumbai.

It’s a topic I’ve thought about, at times. But as I considered writing about suicide, I thought I needed to be a little more objective about it and I hope this post will do justice to my thoughts and views as well as to those who are driven to commit this act.

Ever heard of the proverbs - “Think before you act” or “Look before you leap”? Well, I am sure that most people who commit suicide must not have either heard or understood the meaning behind the two.

Murder is universally accepted as a heinous crime. All of us feel that the perpetrators of such a crime must be punished in the severest possible way.
If intentionally harming/killing someone is a crime, then putting an end to one’s own life is as much of a crime; there’s no escape from this truth.

People resort to suicide as a solution to their problems, or rather the end of a life ridden with obstacles. But is it truly a solution?
NEVER. No one on this earth leads a problem-free life. If we don’t face any trials and tribulations in life, then it’d be like a sugar-cane with no juice ;-)
We all face different obstacles and challenges in different stages of our lives. Life is all about how we learn to cope with these and still live happily. What value would happiness have if we are always happy? We’d lose the excitement and enthusiasm of being happy if we’re happy all the time.

Suicide is not a solution. In fact, it raises more questions than it answers. The pain, anguish and grief that the family goes through if a member commits suicide cannot be put in words. Have the people who commit suicide ever thought what would become of their bereaved family, their dearest friends? If they do think about such things, they’d never be inclined to commit suicide. It’d only steel their resolve to do better, to excel and not run away in the face of an obstacle.

If you feel suicidal, ask yourself thus - is a failed exam, stress/prejudice against you at work, a failed affair/marriage, a spurned proposal or some such situation worth my life? If your answer is “No” to at least one of these questions, then read on, otherwise this article is not for you.

If a student fails an exam, he’d b naturally disappointed, maybe even afraid of facing his/her parents. But, trust me, any parent would rather see his child fail in every exam he/she ever wrote than the body of his precious son/daughter hanging from a piece of rope or lying in a pool of blood. The best way out is to go home, apologize to your parents and resolve to work harder next time.

Some students resort to suicide even before the exams commence, especially the Std X and Std XII students. I understand that they face extreme pressure on all fronts and even if they have supportive parents, the super-competitive scenario today does not let them breathe easy even for a moment. Relax. You have your space in this world. You may not make a million dollars a month but remember you are worth more than that to a lot of people. Stay. Live for them, if not for yourself.

Workplace politics are extremely common. Everyone wants to reach the top, and fast. What can you do? Be patient and wait. Your turn to shine will come too. There’s someone up there watching us all. He’ll definitely give you what you deserve even if your boss doesn’t.

A failed relationship drives many to depression. But there are solutions/alternatives to come out of your sorry state, only if you want to ;-). Meet up with friends or go for outings with close family members, and if you want nothing but some time alone, then treat yourself – go out shopping, listen to some good music, watch good movies; do anything but keep yourself engaged, don’t brood over the relationship/accuse yourself for being the cause behind the break-up. Get over it. God’s definitely got something better in store for you.

I had a highly prejudiced view of people who committed suicide. I thought they are heartless and selfish cowards. But, while writing this post, I have earnestly tried to look into possibilities that may drive them to it as well as suggested plausible solutions. I’ve also realized that nothing is purely white or black. There’s a grey everywhere J

Live your life to the fullest when you can! Who knows, you may never get another chance to live. So, celebrate your life!

Here’s a toast to life itself!!!

Are parents a burden?

The Central Govt - proposed “Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Bill, 2007” comes up for hearing in the Lok Sabha this coming Tuesday. The bill proposes imprisonment of up to 3 months and Rs.5000 as fine for defaulters, i.e., those who fail to take care of their aged parents.

But will this deter people from ill-treating their parents or leaving them to fend for themselves in their old age? Physical punishments/torture is not known to have reformed too many people, no matter what the crime. Then how effective will this bill be?

No one can/must be forced to do something against their wishes. Things that are not done wilfully and from the heart will never do any good to anyone.

The case in point here is that if children are “forced” by the law to take care of their parents, some or many may do so just to abide by the law and not because of real love, care and affection towards their parents. Such forcible care will provide no pleasure either to the elders or the ones that are forced into providing it. A much better option would be for the old parent(s) to stay in an elders’ home or such similar setting than living like a dog in the so-called “care” of their children.

In today’s scenario, everyone faces extreme competition in every field and they have no time in their busy schedules for their aged parents. Still, we don’t hear them complain. A majority of them (our elders) try to keep themselves engaged playing with their grandchildren, listening to their favourite music or spending time with their spouse. But, for many, their parents are just like ‘ayahs’ – only that they come free of cost and will take good care of their child(ren). (I don’t intend to say that all are like that, but some definitely are.) Are such children actually taking care of their parents or using them to meet their own selfish ends?
It’ll do us all a lot of good to remember that “What goes around comes around”. Some years down the line, we all will face the same situations that our parents are facing today.

What our parents need in their old age is what we’ve got from them in our infancy and childhood – care, love, respect, understanding and a little bit of our time. I know it sounds clichéd but it’s true that all aged people, be it our parents or grandparents, crave only for a small amount of our time. At their age, money is hardly of any importance or priority in their lives.

Are they a burden on us? True, as some say, they may pass comments or advise us on our personal life. But this “personal life” is something they gave us, remember? Listen to your parents. If you don’t want, then don’t do everything as they say. This is a win-win for both – the parents are happy their child heard them out and for the child, he’s made his parents happy but can still choose his own path. (In case they are upset, then you can explain later as to why you didn’t do everything as they said).

A few simple questions to ask yourself - Can’t we do anything for 2 people who have given us everything, to whom we owe our birth, our very existence, our education, stature and life, and many more things that words cannot express? Can’t we even stand by them, love them, care for and support them in their hour of need? Only your conscience can answer this.

Personal Koffee ;-))

Trust me, I'm neither a K Jo fan nor his critic...But couldnt resist this...I wanted to write this last week itself but, unfortunately, I couldn't(due to work pressure...just kidding!) :-)

Last week's guests on Koffee with Karan were Saif Ali Khan & sister Soha...The show started off very well with the usual, stupid jokes & jibes from K Jo...Later, as it progressed, Karan asked Saif about his marital split, and then, there was no stopping him. He continued to bombard Saif (and later, Soha) with extremely personal questions about the status of Saif's relationship with Amrita & Rosa, Rosa's relatioship with the kids, Soha's past & present comfort level with Amrita and her current equation with Rosa and so on.

Saif was obviously uncomfortable - it could be seen and felt too. What does K Jo gain or lose, no matter who's in or out of Saif's or anyone's(other than his own, of course!) life???

The media leaves no stone unturned to publicise filmstars' private lives...After all, who doesn't appreciate gossip at a third person's expense...The first paper most readers turn to is Bombay Times or lately, the Entertainment section of the Mumbai Mirror.
Now, is K Jo taking it upon himself to execute the role of the media and have fun at someone else's expense too???

K(r)ANK(y)

KANK or Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Karan Johar's self confessed favourite movie till date, was premiered on television last Sunday(18th of March). I did see it for the first time that day. What a movie!!! I don't know or understand what's good about that movie except for the songs(Shanky-Ehsaan-Loy, great job!!!).

Now, a few things about the movie that I didn't like/couldn't digest...SRK & Rani tried to justify themselves throughout the movie but, honestly, there wasn't a single scene or moment or any action on their part to justify their stupidity.They said they tried to save a withering relationship...Oh!!!Then I must've missed it!I didn't notice such a thing at all...Did you?Then please let me know...
Preity & Abhishek were left to do all the compromises and still had to take the blame for their failed marriages...
Both SRK & Rani had a lot of choice in their lives......
SRK was married to Preity - a love marriage gone kaput only because of his ego & inferiority complex (Can man ever accept a woman who earns more than him???)...Is marriage so weak an institution??No way!! It's only that SRK was a coward and a true male chauvinist(in the movie only....So SRK fans,please relax...)...
Rani could've opted out of her wedlock to Abhishek if she wasn't in love but was desperately on the lookout for it(love,i.e.). But no,she didn't do that...Why? She'd to repay Big B for her upbringing etc etc.What nonsense!!!She couldn't have done any worse than stray from her marriage to Jr. AB to repay her father-like figure...
It wasn't a movie.It was a blunder from every angle.If only SRK & Rani had genuinely tried their best to save their marriages & then if their marriages hadn't worked, it'd have atleast been a satisfactory movie to watch. But this was 3.5 hours of crap!!!

I have a crush................

...........on my new MP3 player... :-)))) Sorry to disappoint the gossip-mongers;-)





I'm a music lover...I love listening to music,especially the melodious & romantic songs...


I have been wanting to buy an MP3 player for quite a long time now...My friend saji must be really bored of hearing me say this; she was gifted an MP3 player by her brother-in-law last year...From that time I have been longing to own one too & finally my wish came true this tuesday...:-)

The brand-name,model etc was suggested by the one & only Krishna :-) He'd bought a similar one after reading a newspaper ad & also gave me the details when he was in Mumbai in January...But due to some problems I couldn't order it then but he n& saji were the first people I thought of when I ordered my piece on the phone...Really....I owe him a biiiiiig thank you...Sorry kris, forgot to mention it earlier...:-))

It is the apple of my eye now--with a slim,glistening black body;a lovely dual-color display;a rechargeable battery as in mobile phones & now loaded with my favourite songs,it's the only thing that gets attention-be it from me or my colleagues:-)) And believe me, I did not pay a bomb for it!!! I had to pay only 2000 bucks, no delivery charges,got a travel charger, data cable & 2 (English) music CDs free alongwith this!!! ;-))

Now I have a great time travelling to & from office thanks to it...Waiting for a long time at the bus-stop no longer irritates me as keeps me good company:-)


Have a look at my lovely & latest acquisition in the pic...

Heartfelt....

To be a part of a group of friends is really wonderful. It’s humbling to be a part of 2 groups of great friends, as in my case. In the previous blog, I'd mentioned about a very close bonding among 8-10 of us friends, especially during the final semester of our engineering. I am also part of another group of friends for the past four-and-a-half years...A group of friends who have been and are my soul-mates, from whom I have never hidden & cannot ever hide anything, no secrets between us…Jealous?? Read on...:-))).

This group just happened. Sajjina, Surekha, Swapna, Sujatha, Deepti, Poonam & I struck up a bond right from the first day of college.I knew saji from my junior college days, she & I were both in 'Computers' & since we stay nearby we stuck together from the first day-both in class as well as for traveling. Saji knew swapna because they were in the same class in XI & XII and that is how I came to know swapna. Surekha & swapna used to travel together in the train, both were in 'IT'; thus I met Surekha.

We used to travel to college & back home together. Then sujatha n deepti also joined us in the train travel. We met poonam through swapna & surekha since she also was in IT. Swapna was more forthcoming during conversations in the initial days & surekha was the quieter one. And later on came a time when only surekha & I would talk & the others simply had to listen, especially in the train...I haven't named the blog "Chatterbox" for nothing, you see ;-)The train travel was the cause and our bonding, an effect. We used to have lunch together, talk a lot about anything & everything under the sun and soon became inseparably close. We could understand what was on the other's mind by simply looking at the person... There have been loads of memorable times. In fact, every moment of our togetherness was & still is, memorable & unforgettable. We had (still have) silly fights between 2 or 3 of us, which would be solved by the rest; enjoyed spiced-up gossip thanks to sujatha ;-); bird-watched, courtesy deeps, swap n me :-); gone after silly pussies to please saji…
We have cheered during the dance performances by Surekha, Swapna, Poo and Suja. I remember how much fun we had during the dance make-up sessions too (wot say, gals), my excitement after their dances as I ran backstage to give them a hug:-)…
Swapna, Surekha, Deepti are the only people who have had the privilege of watching me dance or rather, unko ‘bardaasht’ karna pada, hai na?? ;-))
Great memories, indeed…
We loved to dress up on sari days & stop to get a photo of all of us together on the way to college.
We have also had those intense moments when the tears flowed nonstop for reasons best known to us.

Swapna, surekha, sujatha, deepti & niranchala had come to my place after chechi’s (saji’s sister) marriage. They were home only for a few hours but we’d a great time. We went through all the photographs, beginning with my parents’ marriage, then my brother’s n my childhood photos, my brother’s thread ceremony pics and then our college sari day photos. We chatted away to glory & enjoyed every moment of it :-).
We have had 3 get-togethers at surekha’s place. My goodness, what commotion we created in the house!!! We watched TV, saw a movie (alaipayuthe – the tamil original of saathiya) ate great food, sang, played carom & talked. The second time we went there to see her nephew arjun (ajju). Cho chweet :-))…
We also had a meet at swapna’s house. What a wonderful place! There is so much of quiet, greenery & serenity – lovely surroundings. And then, we had awesome food, clicked photos and there was some girl-talk, as usual;-)
There was a meet-up at sujatha’ place at vashi. We really enjoyed that time and especially as there was no one in the house besides us. We cooked, played, watched TV and chit- chatted.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend the get-together at poonam’s place.

We have gossiped so much, talked endlessly when in pain & found relief & solace. Traveling by train to & from college was a joy because we could be together. Walking to & from Nerul station was lovely only because of each other’s company. We have had get-togethers, went for movies together after every semester, chatted for hours on the phone…God, how I miss those great times!!!

We had a very difficult time keeping our emotions in check on the day of the farewell (1st April, 2006). As we left from college after the party/dinner and walked to Nerul station in silence, reminiscing the old times, the unsettling thought that we wouldn’t meet each other everyday struck us hard. We cried hard on the way to, and at the station and continued till we were seated in the train. Then, slowly, and with a lot of difficulty, we consoled each other, smiled and promised to ourselves that no matter where we were we’d always be there for each other, anytime – day or night. And I’m proud to say that it is so.
Of course I miss them all, especially saji because I used to spend the whole day with her. But I can’t do anything about it except continuing to keep in touch with her. Same is the case with swapna, sujatha, deepti & poonam. Swapna's not in Mumbai but we always feel her presence, she's right here, with us, just as in college...Of course we miss her but all we can do is meet her when she comes down to Mumbai (she's come only once after starting her job)...
We did meet at vashi when swapna was here in December ’06. We discussed everything that had happened here after she left & she told us of her experiences at Bangalore. We then had lunch, ate ice creams & golas & clicked pics on surekha’s magnificent, new digicam.
After engineering, we all had to go separate ways. It was so depressing and disheartening to be away from friends who you have been meeting for every day for the past 4 years. I couldn’t be with saji with whom I’d spent almost every moment of the 4 years of engineering, be it at college, in the train or at classes. Swapna went to Bangalore for her job. I still remember how badly I was shaking (because of crying) while typing a good-bye message for her. Fortunately, Surekha & I meet daily as we are in the same office and, let me tell you, the feeling is wonderful – to have someone who knows you inside out be there with you in the midst of a sea of unknown people, is, to say the least, great.

Today, we all mail each other from our offices. We write about 3 mails per person per day & send it to all 7 of us. It feels so nice, seems like college-just the way we used to tell each other everything that happened on a particular day in our class, today we mail each other about anything & everything happening in our lives, no matter how major or trivial the stuff maybe.
It's very difficult to put forth one's feelings for someone in a few words. The most eminent of writers would fail such a test. I have tried to translate into words what I have felt during 4.5 years of my life. Believe me, there’s no way I can do justice to my feelings this way but I derive immense pleasure and contentment when I do it this way. It feels great to look back at those times & go through all those emotions once again.

God has blessed me in a big way with such true friends that I probably can never thank Him enough. And, thank you, each one of you, for being a part of my life, my existence. Heartfelt thanks, guys…Love u all:-))

a lil senti...but very happy...

Well,am a lil senti/emotional.The reason - 1 of my best frnds(Mahesh,wrks in B'lore) calld a lil while back.He was missing Mumbai(& all of us,ofcourse).Aft spking to him,I went over all those really 1derful moments that v had shared in the span of a few months.What cudnt happen in 3+ yrs happened in 1 day :-))

It all strtd with our first meet at Centre One(CO)[Vashi] on 2nd Jan,2006.It was the first day of our final semester & v wer left early.Most of my class left for home & I was staying back in college waiting for my IT frnds.At that moment,I got an unxpected call-rajesh called me asking if I'd go to CO "jus like tht".I agreed & tht was a turning point in my life.I met Rajesh,Roops,Adi,Nitya & Savita at CO,chit-chatted n thn Nitya,Savi left for home.What followed was,for the remaining 4 of us,the most marvellous time of our lives.We decided on one thing while leaving - we'd hv more such outings.And we did.

CO became our regular hangout.Whenever we left early frm col,we wer there.Our usual group includes aarti,adi,gita,krishna,mahesh,rajesh,roops n me besides nitya,arundhati n smtyms rohan.Talking,bitching,pulling legs we did evrything:-)

Then came the cricket matches in February & inspite of it being the final yr,we were there to watch all matches.Post-match,we used to either go to CO or a movie or simply chat away at a local juice centre.March saw all of us bonding very closely.

After the exams in June,it was time to say bye to sm grp members-raj who's pursuing higher studies;Krishna moved to pune,aarti,dhati joined b'cone in july n adi went for training to pollachi.When adi came back,it was time for Mahesh to leave for B'lore.

Mahesh & Raj came for vacatn during Diwali.We saw "DON" n njoyd Roops' treat at night(she'd got thru to TCS):-)).Then came Dec-roops went to Bhubaneshwar for (2 mnths)training but we had loads to look forward to.We met up 5 tyms in a span of 7 days when raj n mahesh came down in dec.24th at vashi,25th at adi's place,27th & 29th at bandra,30th at VT.All these days r memorable but the 2 bandra & the Gateway(VT) meets were awsm;the images r stil in fresh in my mind and am sure all my frnds wud agree.
We were all a lil too senti at tht tym(dec)-thinking of how much fun v'd had together & a lil apprehensive of what life has in store for us,what v'd do when v cudnt meet up like this.Aarti,adi,mahesh n I used to chat late into the night almost evry night (of tht week in dec) on the phone discussing & cherishing the precious moments of our togetherness as also convincing each other tht no matter what,v'd stay in touch even if v cudnt meet each other regularly.
Krishna,Gita,Roops dint feature in the last para(I'm sorry guys) but trust me,they r very much a part of this 1drful bonding;only they cudnt make it durin all the outings in dec.

No matter what or how much I write,words cannot express the true depth of my feelings.I truly treasure these frnds n hv no words to thank them for being a part of my life.Still,thank u,guys.N most of all,raj,u dnt knw how much tht 1 call of urs changed things for me.Thank u so much..:-)

The distance betn us frnds,the thot of separation,the fear of losing touch with thm all put to one side,the happiness & pride of having such frnds exceeds all these feelings by a ratio of one to infinity :-)))

“Power”less Mumbai :-(

There’s severe dearth of power (of more than 5700 MW) in Maharashtra now.
Much has been written about the power cuts in newspapers on an almost daily basis.
Now, it’s my turn to add to that “much” :-)). How else can I give vent to my feeling of frustration?

The average Mumbaikar was completely new to the concept of a power cut/load shedding until almost 2 years back. He had only heard of such a happening in some remote, interior villages but never expected that he would be bearing the brunt of a power crisis in, of all places, Mumbai. But suddenly, there was a shortfall of power as a result of which, the Govt. announced, there would be load shedding all over the state. (But I am confining myself to writing only about the situation in Mumbai and Thane.)

The suburbs in Mumbai reeling under the power cut are Mulund, Bhandup & KanjurMarg. The load shedding duration here is of 4 hours on an average. The whole of Thane district (including Navi Mumbai) also suffers from this pain. Dombivli n surroundings have a 7-hour power cut. (Note that this area has been suffering the maximum and not just for the past 2 years, but for the past 6 years. I have friends and relatives staying there, you know. )

The figures stated above don’t tell the whole story. That is just the “scheduled” duration of load shedding. Quite a number of times, there are unscheduled power cuts of varied durations too.

This was just to give everyone some background info, especially to the people staying in Mumbai city (BSES supplies power here) and those who use power supplied by Reliance Energy because they don’t suffer from this power-cut “demon” as of today.

Why is it that only some areas of Greater Mumbai are being made to suffer?
Our Govt. always has the best of excuses ready. MSEDC (Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company), that is responsible for supplying power to these areas is the one that’s suffering from the shortfall, it seems :-((

There’s no definite idea or plan of how to overcome the shortage either. According to local/national dailies, the govt. plans to buy more power (and thereby loot the unassuming and unquestioning consumer more) but there’s going to be no respite or even a reduction on the power cut front (Mumbai Mirror, 14th Feb.).

Various articles about the misuse of electricity (in spite of the crisis in the state) have been published. All govt. establishments in the areas mentioned above, especially Bhandup (which houses the local MSEDC office) continue to get uninterrupted power supply even when the areas surrounding them are drowned in darkness.
We often say or hear that India is a democracy. As far as my limited knowledge tells me,

“A democracy is supposed to be a govt. of, by and for the people”, isn’t it?
Then why is it that we are made to suffer, sweat and pay while all the babus enjoy in their air-conditioned offices and homes?
Lights and fans being left switched on in govt. offices have become common “breaking news” now-a-days. But there is something more than this that is more alarming. It is the public apathy that is of much more concern.
Besides sitting at home and complaining, what measures do we (including me :-)) take or have taken to address our problem(s)? Whenever we gather at a public place or some of us get together, we discuss this, lament a little about it till we are bored and later, of course, forget it. Public memory is indeed short-lived and the govt. simply takes advantage of this :-)

But Govt. apathy is not new to us. The least we can do to help ourselves is take steps towards minimizing wastage and/ or misuse of electricity.
The bright lights illuminating the various malls all over the city can definitely be reduced or even switched off, at least in broad daylight. The neon advertising boards all over the city need to be removed first. (They can advertise on normal signboards, yaar!)
They not only waste electricity but have also harmed the (already diminishing) greenery in the city in great amounts. These are just a few examples of how to save large quantities of power.

Also, we must get our own houses in order.
Ensure that you don’t leave the lights, fans, TV, computers etc “ON” when they are not in use.
Do not use lights during the day, unless absolutely necessary.
Use low-watt bulbs and tubes.
Spread the message to others.

Remember that conservation of electricity will only help us and the generations to follow live a better life. Else, it won’t be long before we all are drowned in a sea of darkness, quite literally ;-)

I am NOT preaching or lecturing anyone or writing an essay, for that matter :-) But what started off as just a blog turned out to be this long article. Sorry to bore u, guys! But this is the best place for me to voice my thoughts and I’m doing just that.