Something Small

Exhaustion or Laziness.  These are my two most important reasons to NOT write. And of course some other lame responses like “no mood” or “no ideas” also feature now and then whenever anyone broaches the topic.

Writing stories according to me always meant a few thousand words till I chanced upon this site.  Quite kicked by the fact that I must conjure up a plot in 140 characters, I decided to give it a shot.  

And a pint-sized love story was born.  

Small joys of life :)

Behind the Beautiful Forevers : A Review

Written in a lucid and engaging manner by Katherine Boo, this book is a deep dive into the lives of those at Annawadi, a well-known slum two hundred yards off the Mumbai International airport, and surrounded by five star hotels.

When I picked up this book, I expected yet another story about poverty that we may have read in many a magazine. No doubt, it does definitely feature poverty. In fact, poverty so acute that I find it difficult to believe that there are people who manage to survive in such inhuman conditions – read rats, worms, sewage and the like! But the difference is that no matter what the misfortune may be, the survival skills of many narrated in the book is absolutely laudable. It is also a story of dreams and courage, and gives an interesting insight into the relationship of the slum dwellers with the unforgiving external world.

Although the story starts and ends with the young and ambitious Abdul, the reader is also introduced to his neighbors and family through a series of mishaps. A family that consists of a father who constantly dreams of shifting the family (of 11!) to a mere 269 square feet of land in a far off village; a mother who has lost count of her children and has only profanities and stale food to satisfy the families’ appetite; and siblings who are forced to accept whatever job they are thrown into. Abdul, being the focused and hardworking youngster is the breadwinner and aims to be the best garbage dealer in 'Slumbai'.
Other characters in the story being Fatima, the one legged dancer, also the laughing stock and the reason behind Abdul’s troubles. Asha, the shrewd kindergarten teacher cum Shiv Sena flag bearer, aspiring to be a slumlord and a politician someday. Manju, Asha's demure and kind hearted daughter who tries her best to turn a blind eye to her mother's not-so-worthwhile activities.

The reader comes across drug dealers, murderers, brothel owners, NGO activists, businessmen, police officers, doctors and many outsiders who exploit the slum for their selfish interests and leave the inhabitants at their mercy. Many of the actions reek of corruption and exhibits loopholes in our judiciary system.

Uneducated and superstitious, these slum dwellers have learnt to accept their fate, bite the bullet and move on with the hopes of a better tommorrow. They are forced to accept lies, theft and shockingly even murder as a part and parcel of day to day existence. Inspite of pitiful living conditions and the constant fear of the airport authorities, what is noteworthy of each of these characters is the desire to excel and the growing greed for a better life.

The Pulitzer I believe can be accounted to the narration, detailing and not to mention extensive research that would have gone into the making of this book. You will be pleasantly surprised to know what "Beautiful Forevers” actually is! :) 

Kudos to Katherine Boo for capturing the real essence of Annawadi and describing it vividly to her readers.  Ready to be informed, intrigued and shocked, all at one go? Then this one is for you.

And now they call it App-titude!!

Not so long ago I chanced upon the words Granny Smith and Subway Surf on my Facebook feed. My immediate reaction went something like this Weird name for a new movie. Or is it really? The next few seconds were spent in Googling and realizing how shockingly App-illiterate I was. More proof follows.  

Picture a scene at a Manhattan bus stop.

        Me:   Hi, when is the next bus to the 42^nd ?

Stranger:   In about 20 mins

        Me:   Thank You…

Stranger:  You know there is an App that you can download to know the exact time. 

                  It’s pretty helpful. 

        Me:  Errrr.. ok. Thank you (Show-off!)

Picture another scene.

At the Path station in Jersey city at 6:30 am. Me and an elderly gentleman eagerly wait for the next train to New York city. Frustration gets the better of me when no train arrives for 20 minutes! Around 7:05 am a petite lass walks onto the platform.

 Me:  Hi, do you know when the next train to the 33^rd is?

Girl:  It is scheduled to arrive at 7:09 am.

Me:  Oh. I wanted to reach NYC asap, didn’t know the trains would be late!

Girl:  (very seriously!): Oh they did update it on Facebook. Do you have their App?

Me:  Ummm..No, I don’t. Thanks a lot. (Waaaattttt??? Interesting! 

         And no, I don’t plan my schedule around an App, thank you very much!)

(Yes that’s Amreeka for you, my dear.)

I was too judgmental then I realize, and had zero App-titude. Clearly 4 months back, I used to think App meant just games and making conversations with e-animals.

But now, with almost everyone owning an android / smart phone, words like Flipboard, Runkeeper, Subway Surf, and not to mention talking cats and parrots (Did u say goldfishes, elephants and Sunny Leone too?) definitely count for topics of conversation. I mean why not? Now with the spouse getting hold of a new telephonic device, Google Play is well within my reach and I am slowly moving away from App-illiteracy!

Recently at work, I overheard someone discussing an App for IRCTC and Mumbai locals. The percentage usage of this App may grow at a snail’s pace, but nevertheless I was happy with the steady progress. Finally, it is no big deal at all. I can show-off the next time I wait for a train too. Hah!

While some of us go gaga over the run-of-the-mill, some others have moved waaaaaaaaay ahead!!

In case you didn’t know, they have an:

• App to sleep deeply (I am getting one before next Diwali)
• App to boost memory (Honestly I prefer vegetables)
• App to pop pimples!! (Ugh!!Nasty!!!)
• App to tackle awkward moments ( iPology it seems!)
• App for Potty Training (*rolling eyes*)
• App to be invisible (OK!! so I made that up!!! :P )

 Phew! 

So friggin’ obsessed with technology you’d say, but then isn’t the whole world?

Fall, Storm, Snow and a Happy Birthday!

It has been two weeks since Sandy and one week since the 44^th President of the Unites States resumed office. 

Moving onto slightly lesser known events if I may:

Little did I know when I woke up one Saturday morning that I would:

• Miss my bus even after numerous wake-up calls from another continent :-/ 
• Miraculously be far from power outages and floating debris. Dear God, Thank you.
• Be visiting an utterly gorgeous and quaint town called Cambridge
• Meet John Harvard, sitting proud and pleased
• Do a fun road trip with added perks such as wine-tasting, cider doughnuts, and maybe some storm warnings?!
• Eat a Beef Tongue Pizza! I would be lying if I said It didn’t taste good.
• Discover deliciousness - aka Corn bread. I want!
• See some weird-ass DIY Halloween Costumes. Lol!
• Visit a spooky old cottage in the middle of wilderness. 
• SHOP – ..................!!!!!!!
• EAT & Drink : Bibimbap, Salumi, Sake, Costa Rican brunch – The only pronounceable names that I managed to remember!
• WALK all day lost in sights and sounds, closely accompanied by the guilt of over-eating! Weird.
• Fall in love with FALL. Absolutely.
• Get addicted to marathons on Netflix. Who doesn’t?
• Attend a music gig only to realize later that the singer IS really a famous dude, part of a former famous band! Ha ha!
• Have a memorable B’day away from home. It was one helluva surprise! :)

This rambling would be incomplete without some eye-candy?

What is NOT to Love.

The early signs of an impending 'food-coma'!!

Eerie..

...and then Snowfall! I was super excited, though many weren't. 

A few hours before it turned into a White Blanket!

It has been an amazing few weeks and now looking forward to better ones........ just around the corner!

 

*Wink*