Happiness maximised in Mumbai

A UK study from the University of Sussex also found that being outdoors made people happier:

Being outdoors, near the sea, on a warm, sunny weekend afternoon is the perfect spot for most. In fact, participants were found to be substantially happier outdoors in all natural environments than they were in urban environments.

The American Meteorological Society published research in 2011 that found current temperature has a bigger effect on our happiness than variables like wind speed and humidity, or even the average temperature over the course of a day.

It also found that happiness is maximized at 13.9°C. 

(source: fastcompany.com )

It was 13.6°C and I was by the sea for hours last evening. Mumbai was just perfect for happiness!

Suddenly Unsafe

The city is suddenly unsafe, or I would say most would be of the opinion that the restlessness has been lurking around for years now.

Today's TOI screams of Vile Parle - Bandra  stretch being the most unsafe part of Mumbai. It really saddens to read killings happening in what I hitherto thought were among the safest places. Of course, these numbers are only of the reported crimes, the unreported crimes, resilient victims go unaccounted.

Mumbais-wild-west-Bandra-Kurla-Vile-Parle-citys-most-unsafe-areas

Girl arrested for harmless Facebook comment

What has happened to this country? A loosely worded vague IT Act lets police to arrest any innocent person. Bandh for a day may be a relaxing holiday, but the on-going tension of probable bandh since Thursday, actual shut down on the weekend does cause inconvenience. And everyone has freedom of speech - a fact completely ignore by the govt, police, netas. Hatred speeches by politicians are not considered to instigate or annoy or insult. But a view on bandh leads to arrest of the common man. Time & again, whether it is a cartoon, tweet or Facebook status, high levels of intolerance, vague & biased interpretation of new laws is saddening. Are thieves, murders, rapists, terrorists, goons, mobs, etc so less in number that police now arrest the common man for expressing his or her views on social media platforms? Has Bombay turned into a city that is scared of mobs & lost its freedom of expression?

At least an ex-SC judge dropped a sensible email to Chief Minister of Maharashtra, which has not been answered.

"To my mind it is absurd to say that protesting against a bandh hurts religious sentiments. Freedom of speech is a fundamental right. We are living in a democracy, not a fascist dictatorship. This arrest itself is a criminal act... Hence, I request you to immediately order the suspension and arrest of police personnel (however, high they may be), failing which I will deem it that you as a chief minister are unable to run the state.

Freedom Lost.

End of an Era

Sena Supremo Still Brings the City to a Standstill

A mixed set of memories of joys of unexpected holidays in the past because of Bandhs and also frustration of cancelled plans. If only it were not so fundamentalist, so much about "Me Marathi", so much against North Indians, it would have been an apt opposition party with measured nuisance value. Even a Bharat Bandh is not really a bandh in Bombay unless it is supported by the Sena. 

A Short excerpt from today's ET: 

"There are two words any Mumbaikar learns to respond to instantly : Sena Bandh.

Whether formally declared by Bal Thackeray,the Sena supremo,or taken out apparently spontaneously in response to something momentous in his life (the death of his wife,threats to arrest him,or as we have seen in the last few days, his declining heath), the implication is clear trains will be stopped,cars stoned,buses burned, shop windows broken, so you had really best be safe at home. Mumbaikars feelings about this are complicated. There is apprehension, of course, since no one wants to be caught in the chaos, and possibly irritation at the time lost, plans disrupted and workdays wasted. Yet, along with that is a certain schoolkids sense of satisfaction at an unexpected day off. Till recently at least, Sena Bandh was the excuse no employer could contest, even in a hardworking city like Mumbai. And unlike festival holidays, which had their own pressures of rituals and visits, a Sena Bandh was a totally relaxed and peaceful day at home.It is true that in the early years of the Sena, there was always apprehension at the scale of violence,which turned against different targets.During the agitation against south Indians, Udupi restaurants were attacked and burned,and there was also the horror of the anti-Muslim riots in 1993.Yet, as the Sena got increasingly established,the bandhs took on a ritualistic aspect that was high on strong rhetoric but reassuringly limited in actual violence and disruption. The pattern would start early in the morning with party workers lying on tracks to stop trains, and this, in a city so dependent on long distance commutes,was enough to send people home. Shiv Sena shakha workers would fan out in their neighbourhoods and warn shops,which would quickly down shutters. A token bus was usually burned,but in recent years the focus has been more on taxis that tend to be driven by north Indian migrants,who are acceptable targets for the Sena."

The Come Back post

Posting after years.. literally!

And what compelled a come back - it wasn't the potholes, water logging, auto rickshaw fare hike, inflation, FDI in retail, IAC / Kejriwal, 1962 War completing 50 years - nope, none of that.

It is, of course, Starbucks. 

Yes, yes the one that has opened in Mumbai at Horniman Circle (Please forgive the taxi walas for calling it Hornyman or Honeymoon or Hanuman Circle).  Had seen tweets & Instagram images of the frenzy to welcome Starbucks with open arms on the opening day, but a particular video just showed how ridiculous it had actually got. People standing in queue for 2 hours for 200 bucks coffee. Ok, I know it is Starbucks coffee, but seriously 2 hours!! You could watch a movie, read a good book or magazine in that time! Come on, Bombay... city that runs, hops & rushes against time. Wasting hours waiting outside a coffee shop just shows how insecure we are & how ridiculously important peer pressure is. Had anyone insisted on waiting for even one fourth of that time in lodging complains against local issues, those potholes & what not that ails this city; would we? Not really, we are so busy, who would spend thirty long minutes for things that really matter!

But it's Starbucks - Yes it is Starbucks, but it is your inner impluse to "Check-in" before the weekend ends, the peer pressure to have registered your mark on FourSquare, a click on Instagram & of course, a status update on Facebook, not to mention the incessant tweets. Imagine what this city would turn into if all would be so active during elections, or to raise their voice against something, to demand for right to information, to get the freaking auto meters fixed for once & for all. 

And then finally, if you say - it's coffee - if you really know coffee so well, participate in a coffee cupping which requires more skill than wine tasting. 

Do not become a martyr in this country

Do not commit the mistake of becoming a martyr in this country
Your image will be tarnished by being called as `Headless Chicken’ or
`Dumb Ass’
Hence, never commit the mistake of being a martyr in this country.


Why has the martyr being adorned with `Ashoka Chakra’?
Is what they will argue aimlessly and insensitively
Even the `Ram Pradhan Committee (meant to give justice) will hang the
martyr
Hence, never commit the mistake of being a martyr in this country.


While fighting terror, why didn’t help come in time? Why were the injured
lying for 40 minutes without help?
As a martyr’s wife in this country, never ask such questions.
Firstly, never commit the `crime’ of being a martyr in this country.


Nowhere in the world is a martyr tested for alcohol, but in this country this humiliation is also not spared
Never try to understand the politics behind this irrational demand.
Never commit the mistake of being a martyr in this country.


Which senior officer switched off his mobile during the hour of terror?
Or which senior officer twiddled his fingers on a terrace?
Never pick up courage to point such fingers.
Never commit the mistake of being a martyr in this country.


We have been reminded a hundred times about compensation to martyrs
As also the money we got as their `Leave Encashment’ and `Provident Fund.’
If that was not enough, we were reminded they paid us Rs.15,000 for our husbands’ funeral,
Never commit the mistake of being a martyr in this country.


By being in the government service
Never make the mistake of being a martyr in this country
In this country, the crime of murder is pardoned
The corrupt released from the prison
Walk in public, with their head held high
But if you become a martyr, you are ostracised from society
Never commit the mistake of being a martyr of this country.


Should the martyr be hanged?
Or should he be kept alive?
You will decide that
We have set aflame the torch,
Which you will keep it burning.


by Kavita Karkare

Kavita Karkare’s heart rending poem which she read out on the occasion of the Marathi edition launch of `To The Last Bullet’ on December 22, in Pune should pierce the heart of every conscientious citizen of this country.

What's wrong with the world?

Why is everything blowing into pieces?

- Earthquakes in China,
- Typhoons in Far East Asia,
- Hurricanes(one after another) hitting Mexico and other little islands which have no place to evacuate people,
- Delhi blasts (er.. are we supposed to live in fear, should expecting blasts be our second nature?)
Blasts continue in Afghanistan, etc.. troubled area (does anyone ever think about those people dying?!)
- Nightmare on Wall Street as Lehman Brothers files bankruptcy(It has more than $613 billion of debt), Bank of America buys Merill Lynch, AIG looks to get $20 loan, crude below $100; its a blood bath on Monday DOW falling 500 points the same kind of slide that it had witnessed after 9/11 attacks. It is also known to be the worst financial condition since the 1929's Great Depression.
- Europe's market, down by 4% (Britain's FTSE 100 fell 3.92 percent, Germany's DAX index lost 2.74 percent, and France's CAC-40 fell 3.78 percent..)
market cap of domestic stocks owned by Lehman Brothers(LB) and Merrill Lynch(the world's two largest investment banks) was eroded by Rs 20,000 crore. While Merrill Lynch & Co(ML) agreeing to be bought by Bank of America created the world's number one securities brokerage, Indian stocks owned by associates and affiliates of the troubled financial giant saw investor wealth plummet by Rs 17,800 crore
LB holds stock of 30 Indian companies, while ML held stocks of over 140 Indian companies in which its stake in around 84 companies was above 2%
The analysts call it Lehman Tsunami!!
- Metrolink crash in LA,
- Coup in Bolivia,
- Millions without power in Texas,
- Rupee's free fall, while otehr currencies rallying against the dollar,
- HP to cut 24600 jobs
and.. back to China... infant formula contamination(tainted milk powder) has sickened 1253 babies

back home.. local.. Mumbai road caves in killing 3 people, IM sends terror mail targeting Congress.. etc..

The Vettel victory did bring some smiles though, overall its gloom, sad, depression, loss. .in all terms , everywhere.

What's wrong with the world??
Can't we just wake up and say all of that and more was just a bad dream?
no we can't coz worst is not over yet...

Switch on the Evening news.. .Any blasts today?!

With the frequency of bomb blasts occurring in India, locals might very well be ready to see the evening news for the day; with stories of serial blasts in the "target town/city of the day"...

Now 2 days back to back, Bangalore blasts and then the 17 serial Ahmedabad blasts, all of them low intensity blasts meant to create panic. I switch on the news channels often, to know whether all's fine or today's the B-day for which next town in the row. Security seems to be just an eight-letter word.

Sad, but true.
With triple high alerts in cities, people wondering which town would be next. The country seems to be at the mercy of little known terrorist groups.

RECENT BOMB ATTACKS

May 2008: Eight bombs in Jaipur kill 63

August 2007: Two bombs Hyderabad kill more than 40

May 2007: Bomb in Hyderabad mosque kills 14

February 2007: Twin blasts on train travelling from Delhi to Pakistan kills at least 66 people near Panipat

July 2006: More than 160 killed by seven bombs on train network in Mumbai

March 2006: Bombs at Hindu temple and railway station in Varanasi kill 15

October 2005: Three blasts in Delhi kill 62

Mumbai has always been a favourite target since 1993, blasts have become a part of the Bombay culture unfortunately. Last year when they bombed the local trains of Mumbai, the very life lines of travel of the city, hundreds were dead, injured and some still in hospitals or in a state of shock and trauma. The railmen did get Bombay running not because we are resilient, but because thousands depend on daily wages and cannot afford to stay at home. Most of the blasts here are high intensity, killing many people and the trials for such cases goes on for decades. Its a pity that people enjoy watching movies starring actors who actually had information about these blasts.

Wonder what is the point in knowing the various intensities, terror emails, pinpointing groups, etc.. the damage has been done, someone's family has already been destroyed, someone has lost a child, while someone else has lost a limb. Arrests are a farce and nothing related to phrases like 'curbing terror', 'justice to terror attack victims' , with the snail-paced court trials of the '93 blasts... we can very well gauge the time when the merciless hands behind the latest blasts are behind the bars, or better still sentenced to death for their heinous crime. For if you keep them alive, there will be some hijacking drama demanding the release of these terrorist.

From Taslima to Tibet, India proves chicken-SECOND OPINION-Jug Suraiya-Columnists-Opinion-The Times of India

From Taslima to Tibet, India proves chicken-SECOND OPINION-Jug Suraiya-Columnists-Opinion-The Times of India

too good to miss!!

Coldest Winters in Mumbai!!!

Mumbai chills at 9.4 degree celsius!!! 46-year low temperatures!!!


wowwweeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
I'd thought Bombay was doomed to be hot and humid as not a single day in December/January was even worth wearing full sleeves, woolens would be extinct here, I would curse the shopping windows which flaunted Winter Collections, but this winter has surprisingly been the best of all!!!

It's awesome... Cold breeze, chilly winds... I love winter.
Best part of it.. enjoying it in Bombay!!!!

The whole city has transformed over the week. From the normal hustle bustle to people pausing to adjust their scarfs, stoles, jackets etc... little fire places on the road-side. Hardly anyone without winter wear... looks like some northern city. The affluent flaunting their best jackets with fur collars, people all wrapped up in variety of winter clothing n paraphernalia and the absolutely cute looking toddlers in their caps & mittens!!!

Finally, I can pull out my full sleeve clothing which I had once pushed into the bottom most corner with a heavy heart. yaay!!! Matching or complimenting sweaters, scarfs, stoles, mittens... yippee!! I'm happy or what! If its 10 degrees at SantaCruz be sure its 8 at Powai & I just love the breeze there... I wish I could fly with the cold chilly breeze. Ice-creams @ 10 are the whackiest ideas that one could opt. Wonder where are the ad-men & gimmicks people hibernating?! This is the season to rake in mullah in the name of "COLDEST WINTER IN CITY"