Introducing 'my friend' Mr. Sharma......

Do you know mr. Sharma (not his real name)? Well, let me introduce him to you. He's roughly 32-35 years of age. He works in a public sector bank which serves a really bad lunch; where the AGM finance hardly knows his stuff and all that he really does is flirt around with his lady secretary.

The bank didnot payup the promised mid-year bonus to it's staff and fired 3 of it's senior staff for siphoning of a formidable amount of money.

Sharma lives in dombivili and has booked for a new apartment (a 2-BHK) in Khargar, Navi Mumbai. He'll then stop travelling on the Central-Thane line and move onto the harbour suburban train line. The frequency of trains on that line's not as good but it wouldn't matter much since he'll be travelling during non-peak hours.

He chose not to take a loan from the current bank he works in and instead chose to take it from a rival bank as a former colleague (who's now shifted to the rival bank) managed to get him a really neat deal.

His daughter's now 23 and will finish her engineering this semister. He's already on the look-out for good alliances and prefers a CA or a Lawyer for an alliance. But, strictly from the same caste as himself.

The train's usually not too crowded when he takes it around 7am and at 4pm back from his Fort office in mumbai.

Sharma recently had a fight with a neighbour 'coz the latter let his pet dog 'poop' near the entrance of the building. He thinks, pets are a waste of people's hard earned money and "the 'hutch dog' (as he calls it!) is nothing but a ugly beast".

And then I also almost know that a private bank's ready to offer him a job when he retires in two months.

I could definitely know more; and could have told you more about him; only if I didn't have to get down at 'currey road station'. And therefore friends, this is all I can tell you about mr. Sharma.

Well, mr. Sharma was my co-passenger as I boarded the train from mulund station in mumbai all the way to currey road station; where I alight each day (to get to work). And all through the travel (45 mins. In total) he kept me company with his conversation on the phone.

It was unnoticeable in the beginning to slightly irritating towards the end. But I barely managed to read the daily newspaper of the day that I'd carried along. I missed out on my forty winks and also on my tranquility today.

But, not mr. Sharma....he went on and on telling 'me' things about his life; befriending me; making me a part of my life; telling me his life's worries, explaining me his challenges and how he was working around it.

How would I thank you dear Mr. Sharma for making me a part of your world. I'm indebted; but no thank you....I'd rather take another seat next time!

Bollywood Bloggers..??

"I DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO WRITE A BLOG" (says shahrukh) screams a popular mid-afternoon newspaper.....probably a passing answer to a journo's question of... "y don't you blog? Amitabh does!"

Just a word of caution to shahrukh khan and amitabh bacchan. No, do I know you....yes, as superb artists of your respective genres...do you know me? No, ofcourse not! I'm just a plain journo doing non-consequential news and business stories (yeh, but my wife's a gr8 fan and I have a promise to keep that someday I'm going to take her along for some shoot with you) coming back! Sir's, both of you are gr8 ppl.....each of you have your own strengths & weaknesses...plz, plz, plz.... Do not get pulled into the muddle of us news junkies...! We have space to fill and that we have to....come what may..!

What else explains a Rakhi Sawant on TV channels all over..? We're either looking for TRP's or for eye balls...and what else could promise us both..?

Mr. Bacchan, but truly unfair....putting out sms'es that journos send you in good faith over the internet foir the world to see. Remember, we journos respect you and adhere to the "off record" request many of you 'celebrities' make. And thank your stars we do..!

Amitabh Bacchan's blog Link : http://blogs.bigadda.com/ab/

Aamir Khan too is a regular blogger...for those who didnt know. And guys, try reading the latest post. maan, this guy's in for some real trouble. Either he's got too much time on his hands or is simply suffering from a serious combination of verbal diarrhea and inferiority complex..! "Inferiority complex"...?? You may ask....well, what else could you call this..? "Shahrukh is licking my feet and I am feeding him biscuits every now and then. What more can I ask for? " (refering to his pet dog..!) Read on..!

Aamir Khan's Blog Link: http://www.aamirkhan.com/blog.htm

Mumbai on Track...!

"Pudheel station bhandup"......"Agla station bhandup"....."the next station is bhandup".....announced a pleasant female voice on the public address system....this went on for kanjurmarg, vikhroli, and all the stations on my early morning trudge to work from Mulund to Currey road.

No, haven't been to Shangai yet. But have heard these announcements on the London Tube.....Even as Londoners continue to read their newspapers and magazines or stay glued to their cell phones...or to the music on their I-pods, these announcements combined with LED displays all-around the compartments subtly remind them of the next station.

A change maybe for us Mumbaikars too...didn't have to crane my neck to the closest window to try and catch the place or the station that's just passed; or even have to ask the passenger next to the window, "bhaisaab, kaunsa station thha" ("Sir, what station did we pass just now..? ")

Yes, the train was equally crowded as is, generally during the peak 09:44 morning hour. But no one was complaining....or was it just the first day blues..? Each person just letting their eyes wander from roof to floor.

Steel bars separate sections in a single compartment. Iron upper handles have been replaced with solid steel ones to offer a solid yet cleaner hold. The breadth of overhead luggage rack seem to have been deliberately reduced to dissuade commuters from carrying heavy and larger luggage.

Even as this (first time) novelty on rails move from one station to another, we notice more and more people getting in. The rills being replace by aluminum close-knit ones offer a good view combining it with more safety too, especially for the passenger sitting near the window. We gradually notice that this train has just gotten a tard more crowded than usual. Guess, the novelty factor combined with general curiosity has attracted even the commuters waiting for the train after our's to take this one today.

And as the train reaches Ghatkopar the number of commuters gradually increase....."Bhaisaab aage badho na..!...Doosre logon ka bhi tho khayaal karo (Please move forward friend consider the problems of others too..) said a voice from the back. Used to the three (or atleast two) people standing in-between the seats. We did move forward...but with great difficulty. Sorry my friend, the leg-space has been reduced to just about allow two individuals to sit face-to face....but then you could squeeze yourself in if the person sitting is a tard short.

But then again, this means more space in the galley. The bigger windows with polycarbonate look out glass, bright LED's the steel finish, the solid floors, the powerful fans and the superbly ventilated compartment overall leave me with a good feeling. Surprise, I'm not even sweating as I alight at Currey Road station.

I take a glance back at the train as well as the commuters still hanging out of the doors...there still is the push and the pull...the cat calls as well as the hurry to reach their destination. But in the midst of it all, I also saw a smile on each face. Or did I..? I do not accurately know....but then again someone once said...when You smile....you experience a smile coming from everyone around. Thank you MUTP and the Railways...I smiled my way into office today..!!