Right from the time I exited the самолёт (समल्योत = aircraft) to the time I arrived home (90 minutes), I must have received 12 Thankyou’s and 5 Sorry’s, approximately. Quickly I panicked to restore my North American ‘polite’ avatar which I had, after intensely painful efforts, buried for over 3 months. This avatar had a nasty habit of sneaking up in unexpected places when I was in India or even Russia – leading to embarrassing situations – usually causing me to apologise for being ‘polite’ in the American way, which again was met with glares and a sympathetic ‘oh, the poor boy is Americanized’ look.

I was walking in the very crowded Moscow metro when the tip of my wrist brushed against the tip of a woman’s handbag who whizzed ahead of me. Like any normal person in Toronto would, I thought she was rude for not apologising to me but nevertheless I said by reflex, “I’m sorry, извиненте!” (इझविनीच)
The huge lady turned around, stopped and giving me a look said, “что?” (श्तो = what?)
I laughed inside my head, said “ничего” (निचीवो = nothing) to her and left.

I spent many hours explaining to both, Americans and Indians, what the American ‘polite’ manners mean. The Americans don’t understand why Indians never seem to thank or apologise (one survey even put Mumbai as least polite city in the world – imagine!) and the Indians don’t understand why critical words like Sorry and Thankyou are treated like commodity and used hundred times a day. Well, cultural differences are so beautiful and I discovered that in spite of living in India for first 25 years of my life, I could not, after just 2 years in Canada, switch to a different culture in an instant. Predictably, it will take me some time to get used to thanking and apologising hundred times a day here too.

Moscow from the sky

My Аэрофлот (ऐरोफ्लोट Aeroflot) flight flew from Mumbai to Moscow, change plane, Moscow to Toronto. Aeroflot served me BEEF in my Hindu meal (will make a post with pictures on my travel blog), they are known to flatly refuse to serve plain Water (which is what Indians drink), served a drink called “chai” which they think is tea (well it is Russian tea), their flight was 4 (FOUR) hours late and their seats are designed for discomfort. Yet, I flew them because I had to go to Moscow and the ticket cost was too good to be true. I discovered that the airhostess had a bias against, well, Russians and non-Russian-looking-but-Russian-speaking people like me on one side compared to other non-Russian-looking-and-no-Russian-speaking people on the other. boooo. Nevertheless I found this international discrimination less insulting than what happens in Mumbai between different ethnic groups ironically belonging to the same country…

As the flight landed, I was deeply touched to see the passengers clap as a ‘thank you’ to the pilot.
“Nyet nyet” my neighbor said wisely, “They clap to thank God that the plane has finally landed. It’s Aeroflot, Russian airline!”

View from my window

I was finally glad to be home. Toronto looks beautiful, wrapped in a blanket of snow and occasionally glittering with a scarlet glow from the rays of the sun. I tried to sleep, but I was still tuned to IST. Still I tried to get into my bed and catch some sleep something that was difficult to get without the familiar barking of street dogs…

We are thinking of organizing a blogger’s meet on Sunday, November 16^th somewhere in Thane / Mulund area. I live in Dombivli so this location is quite convenient for me (LOL) and people of central, harbour and some of western suburbs.

This is intended to be like a blog-family meet and we do not expect loads of absolutely random, unfamiliar faces (there are mainstream blogger’s meets for that kind of socialization.) So if you can make it that evening, please RSVP by Friday (November 14^th) to my email address, and we’ll all get in sync

mail at priyank dot com

I guess you are surprised by this constant use of ‘WE’. hmm…, since I am only a non-resident Mumbaikar, this whole affair is spearheaded by Nita.

cheers,
Priyank.

These kids from Bhivpuri village near Matheran, a hill station close to Mumbai, were eager to get photographed. The toddler in the girl’s arms started laughing after the flash of my camera went off It was such a wonderful moment!

अनेक पुरस्कारांनी नावाजलेल्या, प्रेक्षक आणि समीक्षकांच्या प्रशंसेस पात्र ठरलेल्या तसेच राष्ट्रीय व आंतरराष्ट्रीय पातळीवर गौरविलेल्या “डोंबिवली फास्ट’ या चित्रपटाने आपल्या शिरपेचात आणखी एक मानाचा तुरा खोवला आहे. ….
आज जाहीर झालेल्या राष्ट्रीय पुरस्कारांमध्ये सर्वोत्कृष्ट प्रादेशिक चित्रपटाचा (मराठी) बहुमान त्याने मिळविला. स्वदेशी एण्टरटेन्मेंट प्रस्तुत समीर गायकवाडनिर्मित आणि निशिकांत कामत दिग्दर्शित या चित्रपटाने चांगले यश मिळविले होते.

तुम्ही हा चित्रपट पाहीला नसेल तर लगेच् बघा, चुकवू नेये असा चित्रपट आहे. माधव आपटे ही व्यक्ति चित्रपटात तुमच्या-आमच्यातली आजवर लपून रहीलेली एक गडद रंग छटा सादर करते. माधव आपटे – एक सामान्य माणूस. बॅंकेत चांगल्या पदावर नोकरी, बायको, दोन मुलं, संसार सुखाने करावा, अशी इच्छा मनात, पण तत्त्वं सांभाळताना त्याची कसरत व्हायची…. अतीशय छान परीक्षण येथे वाचा.

खरंच… खुप काळानंतर मला उत्तम कथा, सादरीकरण व छायाचित्रण या चित्रपटात बघायला मिळालं. कथेचा वेग योग्य तर आहेच्, पण त्याच् बरोबर कलाकारांची भूमिका ही अप्रतीम. शेवट जरा विचित्र वाटला, पण तरी बराच वास्तववादी आहे.

[tag]Dombivli[/tag] Fast is a [tag]Marathi[/tag] [tag]movie[/tag] that was made in 2005. It is the story of Madhav Apte, a middle-class Marathi man who lives in Dombivli, a suburb some 50km away from Mumbai. He is a man with principles, who has a simple aim in life – to support his family and keep them happy. Madhav is troubled by the endless struggle and the problems that surround him. Suburban trains in Mumbai are referred to by their destination and speed. [tag]Dombivli Fast[/tag] thus indicates a local train that originates / terminates in Dombivli and stops at select stations (hence the word ‘fast’).

The film has won a string of domestic and international award, latest being the National award for best picture. The movie is based on a storyline that people of Mumbai can instantly identify with.

Marathi director Nishikant Kamath is making his Tamil debut by remaking this movie(starring R. Madhavan and Sangeetha) – Evano Oruvan

I remember watching the movie in a house-full hall. Even after the movie ended, people just sat there, in silence… it is a story that everyone can associate themselves with.

Dombivli is my hometown by the way.

Dombivli or [tag]Dombivali[/tag] is a suburb of Mumbai on the Central line. It has a population of about 1,193,000 (2001 census, provisional results). It is the first fully literate town in Maharashtra and the second in India. Dombivli is a predominantly Marathi speaking middle class city….

Sunset behind the Parsik hill where the [tag]Mumbra[/tag] devi temple is located. In a few minutes the path to the temple should be illuminated, and it looks like a bright serpant on the hill.

The blue-white [tag]Diva – Vasai[/tag] shuttle:

Finally, a goods train chugging silently:

The main [tag]Mumbai[/tag] suburban rail tracks are not visible in these pictures.

Benches in [tag]Mumbai[/tag]’s [tag]suburban[/tag] [tag]local train[/tag]s have a fundamental flaw. They accommodate 3¼ persons each. Usually the trains are crowded and the entering commuters are on a mission to grab a place to sit. It takes monumental effort to snatch the first 3 places on the bench. But the mission doesn’t stop there. There is an equal urgency to occupy the balance ¼^th piece of real estate – the fourth seat, erstwhile known as ‘request seat’. The fourth seat means compromise and submission to constant brushing against outgoing and incoming commuters. And whats worse, you just get to rest your butt partly.

Me standing on the footboard while the train chugs into the next station.
Hypothetical situation: Three passengers are sitting on the bench and there is a tiny strip of empty space.

This [tag]commuter[/tag] enters the compartment and frantically searches for a place to sit.

The meek: Realizes that this is a request seat. Asks the other [tag]passenger[/tag]s politely, “May I sit here?” These kinds are usually senior members, or those who are new to Mumbai and shy.
The frequenter: “Please move, I need some place to sit”. This is considered to be a plain ‘no-nonsense’ request typical to Mumbai. Most of the Mumbaikars belong to this category, and this is a part of their daily life. They know that its not possible to get anything without asking it, albeit he is polite.
The imposer: “Hey, move, I want this place”. The ill mannered consider the half seat as their birthright. They will often enter into arguments with others if they don’t give sufficient space to sit. Many people in this category are those who are some weeks new into the city, or the infrequent travelers.

Now lets look at the passengers who are already sitting on the bench.

The liberals: These people crunch and make space for accommodating the fourth person even before he requests it. Again, they are typical Mumbaikars, who realize that some day they would be the ones looking for a seat. These people are comfortable with ‘The meek’ or ‘The frequenter’. However, the moment they encounter ‘The imposer’, they get converted to ‘The unyielding’.
The reluctant: This group shows extreme reluctance to crunch. They are very lethargic and often the fourth person will have to repeat his request to get some concession.
The impostor: On request from the fourth person, he will make a token gesture of moving. This person is unwilling to cede any space. He is also confrontationist and short tempered.
The unyielding: These are the people who flatly refuse to accommodate the fourth person unless he is ‘The meek’. Often a gang of friends returning after a exhausting day at work fall in this category. They are not interested in confrontations and will simply ignore the fourth person.

Something worth mentioning is that the ‘fourth seat’ exists only in second class compartments. The fourth person can remotely be described as being comfortable, Tapan and full2faltu, write more about it. Vishy describes how the fourth seat is an ignominious position… lol

I was traveling in the second class compartment in a crowded [tag]local train[/tag]. Every now and then, a [tag]salesman[/tag] would board the compartment and advertise his wares. These salesmen have innovative strategies to attract the bored commuters’ attention. It’s definitely an art!

A [tag]perfume[/tag] seller got in at Thane and soon the whole compartment was filled with a sweet scent. Automatically people’s curious heads turned and he captured their interest in no time. He started speaking.

महिन्याला दोन हजार कमावता, दहा रुपयाचा परफ्यूम का नाही परवडणार? राजा सारखे जगा, घामाने भिजून कामाला जाण्यात काय अर्थ आहे? हा परफ्यूम वापरा आणि बघा सगळे कसे इंप्रेस होतात ते. तुमचे साहेब केबिन मध्ये बोलवून तुमहाला प्रोमोशन देतील! गारंटी देतो, घेऊन तर बघा.

(You are earning Rs. 2000 a month; why cant you afford a perfume for Rs. 10? Live like a king, whats the point in going to work smelling of sweat? Try this perfume and everyone in your office will be impressed. Your boss will call you into his cabin and give you a promotion. Just try, it works.)

He then went about offering free samples to everyone who stretched their hand. Within minutes the guy sold about 15 bottles and happily exited to the next compartment.

What left me stunned was his line ‘You are earning 2000 per month’. How can people survive on such a paltry amount? Initially it was self-denial, ‘nobody earns so low’. But dammit, there ARE people who work in my office doing odd jobs such as cleaning the tables in the cafeteria, or keeping fresh stacks of paper near the printer. These guys earn an annual [tag]income[/tag] less than my monthly [tag]salary[/tag]. And yet they are much better off than the daily wage workers, who not only toil physically all day, but also wonder at the end of the day where their next meal is going to come from.

Yes, there is lot of money in Mumbai, and if you are hardworking and educated, you share the pie. If you are not educated and lack communication skills, the pie is a distant dream. Of course, I’m making this sound as simple as two plus two four, rather than talking about the grim facts. Things are getting increasingly polarized and the economic divide is staggering.

The perfume seller spread fragrance in the train, but thinking of all these things raised a stink.

“Rick it out.”

Stumped? Let me explain. ‘Rick’ is a common urban condensed form of the word ‘Auto Rickshaw’, which by the way is the preferred and most popular mode of transport (‘taxi’) in India. In Mumbai, the super fast city especially, you may miss an appointment if you patiently speak the whole word ‘Rickshaw’. So you just say ‘Rick’ and zap to your destination. Of course the English speaking uptown crowd (whom we call ‘angrez’) might consider saying ‘Rickshaw’ a bit too Indian, hence may prefer saying ‘Rick’. Whatever is the reason!

When you call for a rick and hire it, you are ricking it out, i.e. taking an auto rickshaw on hire.

The other day:
Me: I have to go to XYZ, do you know which bus I can take?
Other person: Better rick it out rather than taking a bus

That’s all. I love the new phrase, but doubt if I’ll ever use it.

It was only when I got inside the local train that I realized something was wrong. It just couldn’t be so comfortable on a weekday. Ah! righto! Today is optional holiday for the occasion of Muharram.

I was amused by the way all this happened. The whole system in Mumbai works with clock like precision and the sequence is so seamlessly integrated, that you reach destination wholly by reflex action. So Mumbai’ites, being in a state of perpetual race against time, are more-or-less oblivious to things happening around them.

Kurla, a suburb dominated by Muslim population wore a different look. I’m not aware if the population there comprises of Shia Muslims or Sunni Muslims. I’m not aware if Sunnis follow Muharram at all (I know Shia’s do). Hell, I’m so ill informed about this religious day, that until last year I believed that one wishes ‘Happy Muharram’ or ‘Muharram mubarak’ or something like that. No dear Priyank, it’s a day of mourning for the Muslims.

Return journey in the evening from my office at Kalina to Kurla railway station took forty-five minutes against the usual twenty minutes. On the way was a procession of mourners – who I believe were Shia’ites mourning the death of Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, commemorating the Battle of Karbala. It is interesting to note that I have seen on the same street a procession of Hindus on Ganeshotsav, Jains on Mahavir Jayanti, Neo Buddhists on Buddha Pournima and Sikhs on the Guru Nanak Jayanti. (And every time, I reached the railway station late!).

There are many more “odd” things visible in Kurla. The holy cross church and missionary school running in an area barely populated Christians. A saffron flag or banner suspended from the window of an Islamic madarssa run on first floor of a crooked building with a Shankar Vilas Hindu Hotel – which is no more than a tiny tea stall – on the ground floor. A number of tiny little ‘durga cosmetics’ or ‘pragati stores’ managed by a bearded man with a white cap. There is even a पुणेरी पाटी (placards with slogans written in a style particular to Pune) saying ‘काम नसल्यास दुकानासमोर उभे राहू नये..’ (Don’t stand in front of our shop if you not dealing with us).

I don’t know how all this works in our country. But it does make me feel proud of our social system.

Came across these links while browsing: Mumbai Cyber Lab (MCL) is a joint initiative between the Mumbai Police and NASSCOM. The Cyber Crime Investigation Cell is established by Crime Branch of Criminal Investigation Department (Mumbai). The functions of these websites include reporting cyber crimes and assisting the victims, raising general awareness about cyber crimes and collaborating with national / international security agencies so that the common user has safe internet experience.

Cyber Crime is a crime that is committed over the internet. This is what MCL says about cyber crimes and the magnitude of the menace.

It is not a surprise that Cyber Crimes like money cyber stalking, denial of service, e-mail abuse, chat abuse and other crimes are on the rise. Cyber Terrorist and cyber mafia are emerging with great force, whose activities are going to threaten the sovereignty of nations and world order.

The websites give general information for users of all categories, and describes in brief the types of cyber crimes such as hacking, child pornography, cyber stalking, software piracy, virus dissemination, Denial of Service (DOS) attacks, net extorsion, Phishing, online frauds etc. There is also a section dedicated to Indian IT Laws.

Overall excellent websites and an essential bookmarks. Such initiatives by Mumbai Police department are definitely commendable.