Tuesday, April 20, 2010

वर्देंची

बाइक...बाइक सारखी दूसरी मादक गोष्ट नाही! आणि क्रुझर चॉपर्स...उफ्फ!!

मागील आठवडयात लोकप्रभाचे मुखपृष्ठ पाहीले आणि वर्देंची या नावाने आणि त्या बाइकच्या फोटोने लक्ष वेधून घेतले. एक मराठी माणूस इतक्या अफाट कस्टमाइज्ड् बाइक्स बनवतो हे वाचून माझी उत्सुकता अजुनच वाढली. 

आता पर्यंत अक्षय वर्देने अश्या ८० बाइक्स बनवल्या आहेत. आणि उच्चभ्रू मंडळी लाखो रुपये मोजायला तयार आहेत त्याने बनवलेल्या चॉपर्ससाठी!  मराठी माणूस धंदा नाही करू शकत असा शंख करणाऱ्या लोकांसाठी ही एक चांगलीच थप्पड़ आहे! एक हॉटेल  मॅनेजमेंट शिकलेला मुलगा  कस्टमाइज्ड् बाइक्सच्या धंद्यात शिरतो काय आणि असल्या सुंदर बाइक्स बनवतो काय! एकदमच झकास! रॉयल एनफिल्डचा सांगाडा घेउन त्याने अश्या काही चॉपर्स बनवल्यात की पाहणाऱ्याने थक्क होउन बघतच रहावे.

गुगल केल्यावर त्याची वेबसाईट सापडली. त्यावरची पहिलीच बाइक इतकी मादक होती की माझी नजरच हटेना. बाइक तर अफाट होतीच पण मी फोटोग्राफरचिही मुक्त कंठाने स्तुति केली. पण त्या बाइकचे नाव मनाला थोडेसे  खटकले..वैदिक चॉपर

तिचा फोटो नीट पाहिल्यावर लक्षात आले की तिच्यावर काहीतरी लिहिले होते. पुढे वाचल्यावर समजले की हनुमान चालीसा लिहिली होती. हे मात्र मला मुळीच आवडले नाही. हनुमान चालीसा ही काय बाइक वर लिहिण्याची गोष्ट खचितच नाही. कल्पनाशक्तिची झेप उंच असावी पण चुकीच्या क्षेत्रात नव्हे. 

त्याच्या बाकी बाइक्स जरी दिसायला चांगल्या असल्या तरी वैदिक चॉपर हा मला व्यक्तिश: एक नको तितका आगाऊपणा वाटतो. अर्थात हे माझे मत आहे. तरुण वर्गाला ही बाइकही पसंत पडेल कदाचित. पण मला मात्र ह्या बाइकने अक्षय वर्देची दिलखुलास तारीफ करण्यापासून थांबवले.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Via Brussels - The Early Days

Brussels is all about its experiences. I am obviously going to share my experiences & perspectives about this city. And trust me, I indeed had so many experiences in last 6 months, that I totally changed my opinion about this city.

6 months? It still feels like I came here few days back, like I was in Germany just some days ago. But no, today is indeed my 170th day in Brussels.

Anyways! 

So our apartment was pretty compact. But the surrounding area was quite nice. From the 6th floor, we had quite an wonderful view from the terrace & living room.





(And probably from bedroom, which we could not see, because the curtain could not be opened.)







In the afternoon, I could take beautiful pictures of Sun from the terrace (I am mad for shooting the Sun. It's an amazing experience)

But I missed my neighbors in Germany. We had a wonderful landlady, Ms. Ingrid. Quite an talkative and cheerful person. A person who gave me an inadvertent support when I was newly away from my family. And here, I didn't even know, who stays in my neighborhood. A typical metropolis feeling.

We stayed just behind the Jubel Park. Whenever I stood in the terrace, I saw someone jogging. I always wondered, how these Europeans could run in such a chilling & windy weather. I would have stood frozen, had I come out in the jogging attire. I many times wandered in the Jubel Park. And it was just...a park! With some greenery & 2 museums. Again(!), I compared it with Nordpark of Duesseldorf. It was so huge and so lovely. I absolutely loved spending time there and photographing around. But comparatively, I didn't find anything much appealing about Jubel Park, except it's huge big gate with great architecture. But then good architecture is not something exceptional in Europe. Even small old buildings in Europe have very good architecture. I definitely liked the Jubel park. But at the back of my mind, I constantly thought about Nordpark & missed it. 

Poor me, who did not know this gate was entirely going to change my opinion about it in coming days with its beautiful stunning looks, which couldn't be noticed in one go...

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Via Brussels - The Welcome

The more I see Brussels, the more I feel like writing about it. It is one hake of a city with it's own colors and attitudes. It has always surprised me with it's versatility.

In May 2009, when I first visited this city, I didn't like it at all. The background was something like this...at that time I was staying in a small town of Germany, Oberhausen. And I was thoroughly impressed by the discipline, timeliness, cleanliness, mannerisms of Germans. On the contrary, Brussels was a typical metropolis. The mannerisms were same. But for discipline, punctuality, cleanliness...oh God, I felt Brussels could give a good competition to Mumbai. I love Mumbai irrespective of her problems, because it's my city. But I had some different expectations from the capital of European Union. I felt I was badly mistaken. I could not imagine shifting here for a longer period. 

I visited quite a few places during this trip. La Bourse, Grand Place, Royal Palace. The architectures were outstanding. Out side the royal palace, there was some small event going on. Some enthusiasts were demonstrating various activities of Europeans in summer. It was quite a fun to see that. 

But I don't know why the city didn't appeal me. May be, I loved Oberhausen too much at that time (and I still do!) or may be the metro stations in Brussels were too stinky. But while coming back, I was feeling relieved...

Well, time flew fast and soon that day came when I & Amit (my husband) permanently left Oberhausen, left Germany to shift to Brussels. It was quite an painful experience. We had spent wonderful days in our beautiful house in Oberhausen. We thoroughly liked the surroundings, the people. We absolutely loved Duesseldorf, which was just an hour away. We had so many good friends there. It was almost like leaving India. 

While leaving all this, we did not even know in which kind of apartment we are going to stay in Brussels. We had searched for apartments vigorously & later frantically! But could not find a single one of our choice. Because inadvertently every apartment was being compared to the one in Oberhausen and none matched. 

Finally, we decided to stay in a temporary apartment for some time and search for better apartments then. 

That journey from Oberhausen to Brussels was an nightmare for me. We lifted so much of luggage that day, that even a coolie on Dadar station wouldn't agree to lift. When we reached Brussels Midi, there was no escalator, no lift. How we brought down our luggage from the platform...well, I leave it to my reader's imagination..

When we came out, it was raining beautifully. I felt as if we were being welcomed in the city. We took a cab & started to end the horrible journey. I was still missing Oberhausen. The feeling of never being able to see that house again was sore. We reached our destination. Amit asked me to wait downstairs while he shifted some of the luggage to the apartment at the 6th floor. I waited. It was one of the typical old renovated buildings of Brussels. Not so bad. 

I was anxious to see our temporary nest. Amit looked agitated as he came back. 
I asked him, "How is the apartment?"
He said, "There is only one single bed to sleep!!!!"
......to be continued

Monday, April 12, 2010

लाभले आम्हांस भाग्य..

सध्या मराठी समाजात दोन प्रकारच्या प्रवृति आहेत.

एक त्या लोकांची आहे, जे मराठीच्या माणसाच्या नावाने नुसताच टाहो फोड़त आहेत आणि आपला राजकीय स्वार्थ साधत आहेत. मराठी माणसाची कशी गळचेपी होत आहे, त्याच्या हक्कावर कसे अतिक्रमण होत आहे, त्याला कशी किंमत दिली जात नाही, हे सध्या 'हॉट टॉपिक' आहेत. त्यावर सिनेमा काढला तर हीट होतो, त्यावर भाषणे ठोकून, गर्दी जमवून, शक्तिप्रदर्शन करता येते. निवडणुकीत आश्वासने दिली जातात. 

दूसरी त्या लोकांची आहे, जे असा टाहो तर फोड़त नाहीत, पण स्वत:च्याच मार्गाने चालून मराठी संस्कृतीला आणि वैभवाला जपतात. अतुल कुलकर्णी सारखे कलाकार, संदीप खरे सारखे कवी, अजय-अतुल सारखे संगीतकार, बेला शेंडे सारख्या गायिका, सोनाली कुलकर्णी सारख्या नृत्यांगना, फुलवा सारख्या नृत्यदिग्दर्शिका आणि या सर्वाना दिलखुलास दाद देणारा मराठी रसिकवर्ग ! इतकच काय सचिन तेंडुलकर, अतुल कसबेकर, अंजली भागवत, विक्रम पंडित, आणि यादी नुसती लांबतच जाते. मराठी बाणा सारखी संगीत नाटके पाहिली की अंगावर काटा आणि डोळ्यात पाणी येते. अभिमान वाटतो अश्या मराठी संस्कृतीत जन्माला आल्याचा. आणि हा अभिमान नुसत्याच वैभवशाली इतिहासावर आधारित नसून, आताच्या जगात मराठी माणसाची मान उंच करणाऱ्या व्यक्तींचा आहे.

कुठली प्रवृति अवलंबायची हे सर्वस्वी मराठी माणसाच्या हातात आहे, 'आपण कसे बिचारे' म्हणून भांडत बसायचे की या दिग्गजांच्या पावलावर पाउल ठेवून काही बनण्याचा प्रयत्न करायचा. 'प्रयत्नांती परमेश्वर' ही शिकवण देणाऱ्या आपल्या मराठी संस्कृतिची जर कोणी नासधूस करू शकत असेल तर फक्त 'मराठी कशी down market' अशी प्रवृति असणारा मराठी माणूसच!

Friday, April 9, 2010

The Aftermath Repeats Itself

I do not understand why every disaster in our country is followed by an emotional drama. Dantewada massacre was a horrendous incident. But the aftermath is nothing different than any other such incident.

Decision to resign is not expected from a prudent home minister like Mr. Chindambaram. How will it help the situation? Whenever such resignations are offered, it looks as if the person is there only for self-benefit and after the disaster, he is trying to be great by sacrificing it. A really responsible person will fight the situation and take the society out of the problem. But I wonder, there is no person left in Indian politics, who is courageous enough to bear the responsibility and take the right decisions.

Mr. Chief-minister objects to the language of Mr. Home-minister. He discusses the issue with Mr. Prime-minister. He will discuss it more when Mr. Prime-minister returns from his tour. He declares his full support to the central government to deal with the rebels. How nice of him! He is doing so much!!(??)

Meanwhile, Mr. Home-minister takes the responsibility..no no..not by taking corrective measures, but by offering to run away from the situation. After 26/11, Mr. Shivraj Patil resigned and Mr. Chidambaram came. After Dantewada, Mr. Chidambaram will resign and someone else will come. Rest will be jaise the.

I cannot see any difference between 'taking the responsibility' and 'escaping from a situation'. I thought they both were exactly opposite. But guess what, I was wrong!

After 26/11, lot was talked about strengthening the Mumbai Police force, providing them enough training, enough arms. But politicians talked, public listened and prudence laughed. Is anything different happening in Dantewada case?

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Money can definitely make me happy

This news caught my attention today and reminded me of many debates I had with my friends, colleagues, near and dear ones.

Does money make me happy? - Yes, it definitely does!

And whats the big deal in honestly accepting it? Who says money cannot buy happiness? It definitely can!

The happiness is not only in material things. It is also in achieving the basic justifiable desires of one's life, e.g. education. Many people cannot pursue their desired education only because they do not have enough money. Once I had a debate with a friend on this topic,

Friend: We should not run behind money. If we earn money, its ok. Even otherwise, its fine.
Me: Do you think money is needed only for material things? Or in real life, is it really like a movie where the one who tries to earn money is of bad nature and the one who doesn't is of good nature.
Friend: But money is not everything is life..
Me: Definitely not! But suppose, tomorrow you have a kid, who wants to pursue medical education, will you be able to manage it in absence of good savings?
Friend: Ohh..I will take a loan then..
Me: If you have not earned enough to pledge anything, who will give you loan? And loan is not charity. You have to earn to repay it.
Friend: Well, although I will not have lot of money, I will have good friends, who will help me.
Me: On the contrary, suppose your friend asks you for some money, will you be able to give it without thinking twice?

And my friend was speechless!

I have seen many people arguing about the entrance fees in temples. Higher one pays, closer s/he can go. People say, "Yeah, what a bad time has come. Now, even seeing God requires money!" But it can be looked at in a different way. God says, "Endeavor to come close to me. Do hard work and then you will have the fortune to come closer"

Even to do something for the society, one needs money. I have a dream in life..to bear the expenses of a child's education. Right from the nursery to higher education. I will not be able to make it possible in absence of money. But when I do it, it will definitely bring happiness to that child and consequently to me.

But of course, I perfectly agree with what Lord Layard has said in that article,
"I certainly think that the relief of poverty is an incredibly important objective, but it shouldn't be done at any cost."
I only justify running behind money..legitimately!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Wish you luck Sania..

I believe, many of our fellow countrymen have forgotten that it's a democratic country.

The big hullaballoo, Sania-Shoaib marriage has caused really looks like some reality show. To top it, betting has been started on it. Our people will never stay behind in selling the emotions! This betting was something unexpected and awful.

But who has topped the score in all this non-sense is Mr. Srinivas Rao. Now this person has filed a case against Sania to forfeit all the awards given to her. A desire of publicity can really take a person to any extent. Sania is a star of our country. But not even she is spared of choosing her life partner.

I really appreciated Mr. Udhdhav Thakre's stand on this issue. He declared that, he and his party has got nothing to do with this, its Sania's personal matter. It was really great to hear something sensible from a politician. Especially after what Mr. Balasaheb Thakre had commented about it. Udhdhav making a contradictory statement was really something notable.

I really wish everything resolves with Sania. After all, she is the one who has made this country proud. Rest really doesn't matter!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Worthless Esteem

Today, while reading Maharashtra Times 2 news caught my  attention.
One was this..Maharashtra has secured highest of JNNURM scheme!
And another was this..Maharashtra of Death Necklaces!
Reading these news numbed my senses.

I have always been a proud Maharashtriyan. Proud of the Maharashtrian cultural, Maharashtrian traditions and rituals, Marathi language, Marathi cuisine and what not! But this proud feeling was breached for the first time during one of my visit to Dadar Chowpaty. I was standing near the Chaitya Bhoomi looking at the sea when I noticed so many broken idols of Ganapati, Durgamaa in parts. They were brought back by the sea waves. They were lying on the beach with other thrown away bhel-puri wrappers, plastic bottles and other garbage. I could not believe my eyes. I was thoroughly shocked! The idols, I had always worshiped and seen decorated with flower garlands and tilak, were lying down in the sand. The Ganeshostav & Navaratri was over long back. Now the worshiped idols were of no use, they did not churn huge amount of money, the wishes were already asked and the returns were already promised for the next festivals. In the meantime, who cared??

Today when I look at Maharashtra, I feel even more overwhelmed with grief. Maharashtra can be one of the perfect examples of biggest problem in India..no no, it's not corruption or poverty..it's the unending, ever increasing and well maintained Inequality. Invest huge amounts in the urban development(?) and completely ignore the real needy areas..completely ignore the environmental issues like this...don't even think about all inclusive development..let me fill my pockets first, let them overflow like anything...let people go to hell!!!!

Divide & Rule! Let there be some areas who will demonstrate how India is shining, but obviously there should be some people, some areas, some issues on which next election promises will be preyed. Meanwhile, there is a lot to engage the public...there are daily soaps..reality shows..celebrity marriages and just so many things!

When there was a terror attack on Mumbai or Pune, it caught the attention of all media & public. But what about the never-ending problems of farmers. The farmer suicides have become a routine??? Routine??? What can be more horrifying than this? What about the constant terror under which they are living(?)? The terror threat is not only from the terrorists, but there is a bigger one from those.. whom we have elected to make the right decisions.. on our behalf.. off our hard earned money..who spend all their intelligence & energy either in filling their pockets or licking the shoes of big fishes! And we, the city people, staying under a shell of 'feel good' factor, have no time and energy to think about other fellow countrymen!

I perfectly agree with Mr. Sarang Darshane..when the people in a state cannot be kept alive, all the progress, the celebrations and ultimately the proud feeling is worthless!!