Yesterday I was watching a documentary on The Ganges on Discovery channel. The Ganges is the lifeline of millions of Indians. Lakhs of hectares of paddy plantations are alongside the river Ganga. The Sarus Crane thrives on such paddy fields and also in protected bird sanctuaries in Indian subcontinent. The Sarus crane is the tallest flying bird in the world with a height which can reach more than 6ft. (taller than me )

The name “Sarus” comes from Sanskrit which means courtship. The males (as always) dance to attract the females and then both of them then dance together. The Sarus cranes are almost always observed in pairs. In fact the Sarus cranes are a symbol of love as they mate for life. They are one of the most loyal and faithful species. It is also said that if one of the crane dies then its partner never mates again.

The nests are built on ground and are protected by both the parents together however the males are the main protectors. The hatchlings follow their parents from day one of their birth. It has been observed that the males even drive away cattle which venture close to their nests.

The species is venerated in India and legend has it that Valmiki cursed a hunter for killing a Sarus Crane and was then inspired to write the epic Ramayana. In the earlier times the birds were considered as holy by farmers and their arrival was a sign of good faith and fertility. However today less than 20,000 adults are remaining globally and half of it are present in India. They are classified under “Vulnerable” which means that the population has declined by a third since 1980. If steps are not taken fast by our Govt. then this great bird might be extinct by 2020.

Some of the other species that mate for life are Gibbon apes, wolves, termites, coyotes, barn owls, beavers, bald eagles, golden eagles, condors, swans, brolga cranes, French angel fish, sandhill cranes, pigeons, prions (a seabird), red-tailed hawks, anglerfish, ospreys, prairie voles (a rodent), and black vultures

PS: This post is published using ScribeFire which is a blog editor for WordPress and an addon which integrates in FireFox.

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In the last 2 months-

1. We are watching Vantage point and it is interval time at Adlabs I am talking on the phone in the corridor with my dad and see 2 doors – one with a huge poster displaying Aishwarya’s jewelry and the caption “A Rajput princess” and another which shows only Hrithik’s moustache with the caption “A Mughal Emperor”

   

   Obviously I enter the first door. A few shrieks, screams and I sprint back to my seat. The posters were used to differentiate the washrooms.

2. Avadhut is back in town and we are standing outside Malaka Spice. Seema’s giggles and then her description of my zip being open.
3. 2 days ago…in my office washroom… the jet spray slips from my hand leaving my white full shirt (upper right hand side) wet.

   

   The shirt turns transparent. Next 10 minutes I am crouching and ducking so that the shirt is exposed to the dryer…all this in the in-between-times when no one is in the washroom. Still a bit wet and obvious.. I quietly sit on my place and I don’t move for the next 2 hrs.

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Since a few months we (my family) had been planning a dinner but for some reason it always got postponed/cancelled. The primarily reason were my unavailability on weekends and my gym (which I go after 9pm) on weekdays. So I decided to plan something special for them and take them to a 5 star late night as the coffee shops of all 5 stars are open 24 hours.

We reached Sun ‘n Sand which is just next to my office on D.P. Road. My parents and my dad in particular was very excited about the plan. He had been to Taj Blue Diamond on very few occassions for his office conferences. My mom and never been to any star-rated hotel before. She kept on saying, “Why spend so much and that too when there is no special occasion”… and that’s what I wanted exactly..to take them to a nice place just like that..when there is no special occasion.

My dad in all the excitement brought our cordless phone by mistake. I warned him not to take it out from his trouser pocket. It was not also as if he brought the cordless mistaking it for his Motorola, since his Motorola was in his shirt’s pocket. Sun ‘n Sand has those big rotating doors with three slabs and one needs to be quick in between those slabs to enter. My mom stood still and when one of the rotating slab touched her she screamed..but a in a low tone ..THANK GOD !!

My parents were having a glance at the menu card and in the next few seconds.

Dad: “Mineral Water, 80 Rs…too much.. yeh kuch jyada hi ho gaya..”
Mom: “Masala Chai, 90Rs.”

I told them to look only in the left hand side of the menu card. Sun n’ Sand had an Italian Festival and the waiter got its menu card. My dad wanted to try some Italian liquor which my mom didn’t allow obviosuly. We ordered for Pasta (Penne, Spaghetti, Fusilli) and a Veg. Sizzler. To my surprise my mom simply loved the Sizzler and as expected they didn’t like the pasta much. My dad even said it “Maida che gole” (Balls of maida.. although the shape was nowhere like a ball). I was teaching them dining etiquettes in a 5 star ..thank God Avadhut, Seema etc. were not there!!

My mom was observing the minute details of the restaurant like each bouquet was kept at equal distance and was exactly the same, the frames and the overall ambience. My dad, on the other hand, was more interested in observing the people- the way they present themselves.

I knew that my mom was eating just for the sake of not wasting any food and so I helped her out in finishing the pasta…I was extremely hungry (like always) after the gym and could have finished half the pasta easily. My mom asked me the time and only then did she realize that it was 12:30am…and she was like “Oh my God!! 12:30.. I thought it must be around 11:30.. we should go back to our home”, but my dad was enjoying every moment of the dinner and he immediately responded “Not today!”. Just when they thought that the dinner is over I ordered for a Sizzling Brownie. I had it the last time I was here and it was yummy, so scrumptious that leaving the hotel without tasting it was like a sin.

The waiter got the Sizzling Brownie and then in style poured some liquid (which I think was alcohol) around it and lit it with his lighter. My mom watched the flame around the brownie like the kid who enjoys the sight of gas balloons drifting in the air. My dad made gestures (which reminded me of Calvin’s dad) as if he is used to this luxurious life and eats a Sizzling Brownie almost daily .

I could feel some sense of pride in the heart of my parents. While returning my dad simply said “maaza aa gaya” and my mom (who generally doesn’t express her feelings) said that she enjoyed the brownie and sizzler. I felt really nice. Its Kobe Sizzlers the next time for sure!!

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No, no, no.. I havent forgotten about my blog…but for some reasons had stopped from blogging. The primarily reason was everytime I thought of posting a write up on my blog I had just one thing in my mind.. but didn’t want people to know about it. Its something what Charl once composed in her blog titled- I would post everyday. But I hated I couldn’t express my emotions, my feeling freely on my blog. Since a few days there were many things which spurred me to write this blog..

1. Apurv’s mail appreciating my blog and my style of writing it. Felt really nice after reading it.
2. Mukul’s write ups on his rajasthan trip.. boy.. they were so nicely written.. and very honestly better than my expectations.
3. Exclusion of my blog link from Charl’s blog..  .. I was disappointed but it also means that my frequency of blogging was declining like our tiger population.
4. Manmit’s blog …that was probably the biggest inspiration.
5. Finally I decided to make it official on my blog

Since my last post things have changed a lot in my life on the personal front. I missed blogging a lot, but was a frequent reader of others blog. Rather I have even subscribed to everyone’s blog in my outlook, so I get updated each time someone posts a comment or a blog. There were so many moments, so many emotions, so many opinions that I felt like writing about it… Let me recollect happenings in the last 2-3 months.

1. Mukul and Avadhut completed their dream-trip till Pakistan border on a CBZ from Pune. At first when Mukul told me about it I was like “Is he crazy!!”, but he proved all his critics wrong and listened to his inner voice and went ahead with the plan. I missed it!! I missed it!! I missed the trip. I hate working in a typical corporate firm for the first 29 days of the month  !!
2. There were moments when I was extremely irritated and disappointed with Haval. Felt like slapping him really hard. Rather than being angry I was ( I still am) extremely hurt. Now he is on a month long business trip.. that’s what he wanted, I guess.. but its of no use.. I know, he won’t change… he is a very stubborn, adamant and a selfish person. Having said that when it comes to his family he is the most selfless person I have known, that’s Haval for you.. sometimes I feel he suffers from multi-personality disorder.
3. Seema got married  and 12^th Feb she had arranged a small “Daru” party at her place. We had Mauritian rum and Wine with Surmai Tandoor and Biryani for dinner. It was one memorable party. I like such a small house party. The comfort level is so very different and we can discuss on any damn thing and laugh on any stupid joke. Ranjeet & Family proved to be a great host. They were so made-for-each-other. 
4. Talking on marriages, Omkar and Mayur also got married and all of us had met on 10^th Feb. Suddenly things seem so different in the group, the topics, the discussions they all have changed.
5. Kanchan too got married (but it’s a long time now).. though I must say it was a bit late by our expectations.. as in since our school days we used to say that she would be the first one amongst us to be married.. but even Sukhada married before her…
6. I thoroughly enjoyed spending the first weekend of Feb with Mukul..missed Manmit though.
7. I also enjoyed playing cricket at Pandya’s place this weekend. Reminds me of my good old gully cricket days… but somethings haven’t changed.. like false appeals for a catch etc, using every inch of my body to stop the ball from hitting the stumps, chatting post cricket mostly on football or cricket, appya’s passion for the sport.. It reminds me in my 11^th and 12^th (fergusson college) we used to play inter-division unofficial half pitch cricket matches. We lost something like 16 matches in a row with G Division…and still the excitement never reduced. And then finally we won a match. We celebrated by running on the ground and then eating bun-wada sambar in FC Canteen. Appya was the happiest of all. I remember, once while umpiring I gave Appya caught behind to Himanshu’s bowling . It was a controversial decision but according to Appya he was not out. He still curses me for that.
8. I spent the most memorable new year..in Goa.. Unforgettable.
9. I will never repeat the mistake of driving my car the whole night on the highway, it’s a promise!!
10. Nowadays I have started lying to my parents regularly, cant help.. will stop it soon… its one of those scenarios when everyone is right in their place.    
11. Since the last 2-3 months we all meet so rarely and I sometimes feel that Avadhut should shift back to Pune… it’s a selfish thought but I don’t know why.. I really miss the fun we used to have.
12. I don’t find time for myself.. and I really hate it.
13. I now understand that it’s too difficult to find really great friends at your workplace.
14. I also feel like visiting Hyderabad once and meet Jeeten and cherish the 4 months I have spent in Hyderabad… miss Manisha, Praby and Sanket a lot.. only God knows if I will be able to meet them.
15. Felt sad for KT, but atleast she is enjoying ghar-ka-khaana.
16. I still haven’t gathered the guts to talk with one of my best friend’s parents…don’t know the right words to console them.
17. I have realized that too much of happiness leads to insecurities
18. More than 1/3^rd of the day I spend in my office.. it’s is my 2^nd home. I like working there (apart from the obvious reasons) as I have an identity.. I can speak on friendly and personal terms with all the senior people in our projects. I like such an atmosphere to work in.

Confession Time… well it deserves a separate post… PART 2 … promise and it will be very soon

One of my closest and dearest friend, Prasad is no more with us. He expired on 9th Nov. in his hometown, Indore by a heart attack. Just 4 weeks back I had spent an entire weekend in Thane with him and everything seemed very very positive about him.

He had called me before boarding his Indore flight and said that he wants to talk something very important with me. The mystery as to what he was going through and what he wanted to tell will haunt me all my life.

I extend my condolences with his family and I wish and I hope that his family comes out of this traumatic phase as soon as possible.

May his soul rest in peace.

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I was returning from my weekend trip to Thane and was all alone in the bus. My head phone broke and was left with no other option but to converse with my mind(which I didn’t want to).

Suddenly a thought came to my mind and I scripted this poem and stored it in my Nokia 1600. I think traveling single inspires me to write a poem. The last time I wrote one was while returning from Goa in Jan. I had already posted it on this blog over here.

I know Manmit and gang is going to hate me for this but still I am gonna post it

 

Where is this highway taking me?

Darkness behind me,

And a dim light ahead.

 

Speeding vehicles waiting for no one,

Telling me life has to move on.

 

I hasten to reach my destination,

But my bus halts at an undecided station.

 

An impatient and desperate self waits in desperation,

As the passing time makes me realize,

That sometimes someone else also has control over my life.

 

The journey resumes after some time,

And I am again eager to reach in time,

Although my heart whispers that I have lost the race with time.

 

The travel finally comes to an end,

But by now I understand that their was neither any winner,

Nor any loser,

So I board the next bus and set off to another adventure.

 

-Kiran Vaidya