Prince of Pretonia

The other day Dev called up late at night to announce, "Arey suno, Rannvijay aa gaya hai...."..I jumped out of my chair. The wait had finally ended after nine months. (Dev and Anjali are glued on to this reality show called "Roadies", whose host is a dude called Rannvijay) Despite repeated requests that whichever way your kid turns out, if however, he doesnt turn out to be a dude, the name will look really dud. And I have this fetish for names you know...it brings about a lot of character to the whole person....it does not define it or anything but yeah it does make a difference. Madam "X" gets really pissed with me when I ask her the names of her acquaintances and I say, "Hmm..punjabi? marwari? madrasi?....I am sure he will be like this or that or whatever"..And she with great aplomb rubbishes my assumptions.......

So, I picked up Atanu to pay the new father a visit at Gangaram hospital in Rajinder Nagar. Its a fair distance away. Actually from where I stay, everything is a fair distance. So, I was reminiscient of the time when Ishan was born. It was lovely feeling to hold him for the first time in my arms when he was just a few minutes old. He looked at me, blinked..and closed his eyes again. Now When I look at him making fun of me, its hard to imagine the time gone by. But I do remember my imaginations..So I told Atanu the story of "Prince of Pretonia"

Pretonia is a planet which is exactly 30,000 light years away from the edge of Milkyway. It is in the galaxy Zaphhirexo. Unlike Earth Pretonia doesnt have an ozone. People there do not need oxygen. Pretonia exists before the start of time i.e. before the primeval atom. Pretonia funtions under Monarchs and ruled by the Psymasts. Since time immemorial they have been living happily under them. Exactly 27 earth years before, power for lust started to loom large on Pretonia. King Mazoos' military leader Shinkoo planned a genocide of the Psymasts. Mazoos got to know about the conspiracy and launched an offensive, but he slowly realised that he was going to lose the war. His family was small consisting of queen Fimilee & son Kasumi.

Shinkoo wants the "Jamascus". "Jamascus" is small crystal ball that has unlimited powers and can begin and end life at will. The holder of "Jamascus" rules the Universe. Psymasts have forever possessed it & used it with discretion. In fact our earth and the milkyway are a few of its creations. (thats why there are still undiscovered life forms beyond earth. Apart from earth, the only other planet to have people like us is on planet Minjus)Over generations, each king has come to possess the "Jamascus" and had rarely used it.

With threat looming large over King Mazoos, he was more bothered about "jamascus" than anything else. He then had to take the tough decision. He wanted to fight Shinkoo, but wanted to ensure that in case he lost, "Jamascus" must not fall in the wrong hands. He entrusted the job to his little baby son, "Kasumi". In a packed container he sent out baby Kasumi to earth.

Baby Kasumi's space container crashed landed in Delhi, India. He was found by a family of a Government servant living in Timarpur. Its been 27 years and he has been living with this family he calls his own. Little knowing about his past and the powers he possesses. He also does not know that somewhere in the Universe, Shinkoo is searching for him. And when Shinkoo and his men find Kasumi, Earth will witness a battle that will shape the future......of everything.......

Atanu in all his innocnece asked me, "Where is Kasumi?"..........Does anyone want to help him out??

The illusive Madam "X"

I remember having mentioned her in my last blog, I mean her comments on the changed look of the blog. Lots of queries on this mystery woman. (Madam "X", must be giggling right now). I totally understood the fact given that we are constantly searching for a face, an identification....we cannot accept people like Spiderman, Superman, Batman as they are....We want to know who they really are..... Well it matters to them though. Anounimity tends to beget a freedom of expression which may otherwise may not come naturally.

Madam "X" works in Delhi, but not a Delhite. (For typo ease, i will refer her as X) X is sophisticated and classy. But she is not snobbish. She can carry herself very well in both traditional and modern attire. (But I guess the traditional Indian wears look real good on her. The best ones are the bandini ones) She mostly listens to rock music (Zombie is her favorite song), but can associate with soft numbers as well..but mostly english. Hindi songs are..... well....optional....( Like the other day, she said, "Kishore used to sing wel..I mean Kishore Kumar)She has her views on issues, which are point blank and straight. These views are well thought of, but they are not uncouth and unparliamentary. In fact X maintains an absolutely enviable aura around her. She is approachable and friendly. But one must not mistake that for friendship. Its another thing to have her number and another to talk to her. She is a good listener and is an excellent counsellor. She laughs and appreciates jokes with nods. Armed with a radiant face, you might even mistake her for a celebrity fighting for social causes. I often tell her that she has an "Ageless" beauty. While she refutes it politely, I am adamant that there are people who grow old gracefully. Not that she is in her 40s going on to 50s. And unabashedly I classify her in that category.

There are people in my life, there are friends, there are enemies, there are people I would not want to meet, there are people I love and can go to any length and she does not fit into any one of them. (She always says that I love to categorise people as if It was some food chain. The truth is that I am insecure about people) She is a character in herself. In fact there are certain things that I do not understand, and one of them is how and why I should be friends with this Madam "X".

Our first few meetings revolved around my churlish poetry. To one such stupid line, she said, "Ahemm...Deepak thats a good line, but I believe the use of words within words is quite confusing...I am sure its profound, but it would be nice if you can decipher it for me..." After a long time while sipping beer at Cafe Mondegar in Mumbai I realised that she was actually making fun of me. Her poetry were so deep and the use of words was limited...Just five lines with five words in each line...that did not rhyme......I was like what kind of poetry this is that doesnt rhyme....neither is it confusing.....what is so great about writing lucid poetry.....what a stupid poetess...though I could never make out any head or tail of her poetry, but I always appreciated it. ......So it began.....

I am "Confusion personified"....I have many agony aunts and uncles....I try to get a mix of views, collate and finally arrive at a plan of action...sounds managerial and definitely not for normal human beings.....It would also give an impression that I have all the time in the world and aloot of problems at hand. Well these issues range from "people pains" to "social and national issues"....sure I do.........One of my agaony aunt was (or is, whichever way you to put it) X. X used to listen very patiently and answer my stupid queries......I felt she was relating to my problems more than I could myself...I really enjoyed her answers...In fact I had so many issues and problems in life that whenever we used to meet to discuss my problems, we used to call it, "The Madam "X" show"...where she would act like an interviewer, I would be the the interviewee...she would question me and I would answer as if it were a talk show......At the end of it, we would often burst out laughing at our childishness of the whole thing..

Even though, our range of topics expanded it never encroached upon the life of X. Each time I would want to know more, she was political about it. Giving me stray answers without referring to any particular incident and definitely not people, that would leave me all confused. Any specific question would be bulwarked against an invisible chinese wall that I so wanted to break into....I would get frustrated and keep thinking on what is keeping her mind off from sharing her life with me when I was practically naked before her...All my friends take deep interest in each other's lives. Or at least that was the case some time back. We tried to be involved everywhere in their lives. We took it as a matter personal aspertion if any of them hid anything......but thats the way it was......X was always non challant about the whole thing and found this constant scrutiny in lives very claustrophobic.

It never mattered to her, her privacy was of primary importance. Life went on as normal. The desperation to know more about X became sporadic and eventually died down. I was happy that I had a sounding board, whom I can call upon anytime in the day. I might be sounding very selfish, like a parasite. She never gave me the impression that she was not impressed with my company. Because she never said no, whenever I asked her out. We would discuss on numerous matters, people, her parents, her school and college but never her very personal and deep thoughts.

I have made my own attempts to make her as comfortable with me as far as I could. After I returned to Delhi, I tried to meet her up on possibly every weekend. Once, she told me that she had got promoted. The next day I lied at my office & delivered a bouquet of flowers....personally. While her response was lukewarm, which sort of upset me the most...But I was offerred a compensatory lunch...I was realizing..this was going nowhere........I think what really upset me was that we never had any major fight or disagreement. ....fights and disagreements are part of growing up........Both us remained forver political and choosy about the expression of thoughts with each other lest they upset either one of us........

A time came, when I started to hear about the events of her life from others. Even though it was staring at me, I respected her space and never tried to breach it. I never asked or enquired about it. While others talked and gossiped about it around me, I would stare elsewhere refuting what was being offered to me. I was sure that things like these are definitely shared with "close" people. Thats when it hit me. I still batted for her at various public forums justifying her decisions. It was not my responsibility, but I was trying my best.It was getting really mysterious to me.

How can a person do that? What is this fear about telling me personal things when the whole world knows about it? Was I being too curious? People always trusted me, they believed me. Even though I pressed hard, it was futile. But I never asked her any personal questions on her life. She never asked me for any help, even when "I thought" she desperately needed one. Only thing I had to offer was, "I hope you have friends whom you are talking and who want the good of you." X replies, "Dont worry Deepak. I am alright. I am talking to friends." I was dumbfounded. It was a good slap. I thought to myself and said sarcastically to myself, "So, who are you Mr. Perfect in her life?". Since, I am confused all the time, I am forever searching for clarity in decisions, events and people.

Finally I lost hope with her. I thought May be something was wrong with me. There was a hiatus of over an year. In between, I found it hard not to message or ask her whereabouts. The irritating part was that she never even noticed my absence. While narrating this chain of events to one of my friends in Mumbai, I asked him, "What do you think?". Like a typical mumbaikar he replied, "Whats with you dilliwalas. Just enjoy the company and the time. Why think so much? Besides its her life, her set of mistakes, her people. I dont think its really a matter to get upset about the fact that you should know everything about her. I am sure there are umpteen things about you that she doesnt know. Has she ever castigated you for that?Not many people are lucky to have people around them and here you are merrily shunting them away. I think you should call her". In a drunken state, I called her and she was talking to me as if nothing had happened. Here I was in deep contemplation mood on how can a person be there and not be there with you and this lady hardly has any clue. I did manage to vent out my anger at her for her apathy for which I got a muted response. The next day I apologised for my behavior.

I realised over the hiatus that partly the problem was with expectation. I know it sounds cliched, but it was back to the basics. I ruminated over it, sorted out that the problem was with me. It must have been easier for me to have blamed it on her and moved on and left a beautiful person along the way. I guess thats what maturity is all about. Maturity is about accepting that you can never have the entire world at your feet and feel happy over it. I called her one day. While we have always had an open discussion, but when it concerns tricky issues, we always impersonalise it to make it more comfortable. Thats really innocence lost.. I feel sad. She says I am judgemental ...too much...Well so is she....But that day while talking, I confessed my problem with her...and again.....she just said, "Ahemmm.." I realised that though one must be spending time with you, listening to you, being a really good company does not necessarily translate into good friendship.

While re-reading this blog, I have realised that I have made her quite a villain in this whole situation. I do not feel it that way as I think that people are different and react in their own ways based on experience in the past. Its totally natural. What is not natural are people like me who are emotional, impractical, quixotic, unrealistic, unreasonable ...and whatever whatever with people.

I do not know how to end this, but I have to else it will become veeery boring....So, thats the brief introduction of Madam X. She will be a regular now on my blogs because of her urbane and sophisticated views and perspectives....And yes, we are back to gether....(She wants to break free , but I am not letting her go.... poor girl must be cursing the time she met me......must be saying to herself, "Why didnt I lie to him that I dont write poetry")

Two days back I lied to her and picked her up from her office on the pretext that I was going on the way to her home. When she asked me what my work was around her home. I replied, "You are such a priveleged company that I have to cook up stories to be with you.." I winked.....

Change is the only permanent thing...off how clichede

Well, guys how do you like the new look...Am sure all of you are grinning from ear to ear...it sure now looks great......Ms "X" told me that it should look contemporary & appealing. I asked her what she meant. She said, "make it more interactive, some pictures, a few lines here and there....." Normally Ms. X doesnt give suggestions even if you ask her for one. She is one person, whom I have been trying to make friends with for the last six years now, but I have only managed to get "call backs" from her after my repeated "missed calls". (I am not stalking or hounding her...for once give your brain some rest).

Since, the blog is about me (ohh..you self obsessed bastard), I will write something more about me...he he he he he. Off late the last few of my blogs were depressing and morose..well so was I. Not that there are any new problems around me, but you just feel cornered sometimes....People have their own ways of reacting to them. I used to write diaries for a long time. Then realised that the Diary was not acting as a vent, but rather bank. It stored and accepted everything & when I used to flip through those pages of past, it used to return some memories with unasked interest. Then one day I stopped writing it altogether. The diary is still with me though, but I dont flip through it.

Blog is a new way. I am still not entirely candid about me or my events. I carefully chose the ones I can & want to share. I dont think it has anything to do with the fact that whether I am a public figure or that many people have access to the blog...its jus what Arvind (the "Super Purple Patch" guy) told me sometime back. He said, "Deepak, There are parts of my life which remain unearthed within me. There are multiple variations & interpretations to those events and people. As of now I am comfortable with my perspectives on them, but I dont want anybody else' interpretations on them. I fear that what I write about them may not be congruent with what I perceive about them today." But I was never too candid with my Diary as well. But as they say, "making the changes in the soft copy is good for the environment."

The change keeps happening around you. Either you are the catalyst of it or somebody else is, it really doesnt matter...

Ms. X just called me for some help....I can already see some clouds in the sky....So, change is inevitable I guess.....

Bouncing people

When Atanu told me that he might be shifting to Kolkata after marriage, for a second something struck me..... I thought, "Atanu is leaving, Dev has given a few interviews in Mumbai & might also get relocated, Shagun's a drifter, Upasna is not here, Rachna is also too busy with her life, Gupta is a gonner, Shankar is too self obsessed, Arihant is now in Bangalore......"

It was staring at me. My next bounce from people. You keep bouncing from one person to another or from many to many others. There are few constants and many variables. It happens all the time. It happened in college, then in Post Grad, in Job & now life in general.

You build your relationships, grow old with them, learn together, but somehow the people around you never stay forever. I guess there are a few exceptions here and there, but I dont think that its possible to stay immobile in life and progress. You got to move on. Over time with certain people you become possessive and then when these people move out on their own you just are left with no option but to seek newer and enriching relations.

My parents spent a bulk of their lives in delhi and since my father worked in Delhi Government his friend circle remained fairly permanent. But in my case, since my PG, there have been a multitude of people that I have met at various cities and grown old with. Delhi, Nashik, Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and then back to Delhi.

There was this initial fear, when I heard what Atanu said, but then I realised that I have done this far too many times. Each time its been an amazing journey where I have lost myself totally in the character of the people I met only to find myself again......... colored with several shades of the people I met..

Holi and Introspection

Initially I thought that my next blog entry will be on Gupta's dhamakedaar shaadi, but then I found myself engulfed into an eternal boredom. I felt (and am still feeling) stuck. The drive to try and break the pattern is also missing. Each day dawns and night descends as if it was meant to be that way.



So, then when it started to weigh on me, I decided to introspect. Ashwin suggested, "lets go to tughlakabad. Its a historic place and you will find peace there." Seeing my reaction, we dropped the idea. We finally zeroed in on Rajghat at Mahatma Gandhi's Samadhi. I said, " will pick you up at 9 am". Ashwin retorted back, "Why the hell will you pik me up, we will go by Metro. People like you are so pseudo. Crying out for MRTS at public forums & crowd the roads with your bulky veihcles carrying just one passenger." I looked at him with vengeance and cdnt say a word. Not that I couldnt or didn't, but it just sounded so true for me that silence was my best arguement on offer.

In the morning, While rushing through my breakfast, my mother asked me where I was heading. I replied, "I am off for introspection today at rajghat". There was no reaction from her side, which was quite unexpected. I got on the Metro. It was going to be a long ride. I got down at Moti Nagar Metro station. Ashwin came a few mins late and said, "I guess I am on time as per IST. He giggled." I had no giggle to offer. We boarded the Metro.

Ashwin: I am thinking of resigning

Me: I thought you were shifting to Bangalore

Ashwin: I am nt getting a raise man (I raised an eyebrow). But this is logical. LAst year, the people who joined with me are all at salaries which is at a significant discount to those being hired this year. I am asking for a salary correction not a hike.

me: Whichever way you look at it, it is infact a hike right.

Ashwin: Yes, But then I cannot work for long at the salary that I am at today. I like the sector and the work I am doing, I am just asking for a commensurate remuneration. If they dont give it, I will look elsewhere.

Me: But in the same sector

Ashwin: Yes...

I thought to myself, " At least somebody is clear about something in life". We deboarded at Indraprastha station where the train terminates. We took an Auto to Rajghat. As we entered, there was hardly a soul around. We walked a few steps and found ourselves amidst total tranquility. "This place is just beside the ring road & you can hardly hear anything. " Ashwin said. " It could be because of the trees, they are good insulators of sound. We ascended a slope from where we could see the Samadhi. A few firangs here and there. That was the crowd.

We, then descended the slope on the other side and found a loner tree. I thought we will sit there. It was near the dustbin. I thought to myself, "All of us are in big shit anyways, whts the big deal about sitting near a dustbin." There were numerous thoughts that crossed my mind when I was there........" Republic Day & Indepenedence Day.......What a formailty for the great man......and who made this thing anyways..........I am sure they would have eaten into this contract as well....anways.........There is shaanti sthal as well.....where Indira Gandhi died.....God, the country needs her man..........wonder who should I vote for this election........Sonia Gandhi is not going to be the next PM....yes, thats for sure...........There, you go...another couple.....disgusting man.....at least they can leave these places alone man...........We do deserve a ram sena here......ram sena ram sena......That reminds me...........I can see it there.....the family of four....riding on a small and fragile looking LML.......a little boy standing in front......a thin man driving the scooter.........a little girl sandwiched between the man and a woman clad in a printed cotton saari.....its brown with white flowers on it.......its going at 40km/hr...or may be 50..........on the long wide road.........with cars zipping past.........with the afternoon sun beating down on them........they all look happy and content...........That used to be my family........we used to take the ring road to noida........it used to be a long journey....it still is......."

The mind kept getting cluttered with these random thoughts, some positive, some negative, some just did not have any relevance at all...IN nut shell, the supposed introspection was going nowhere.....Ashwin was getting restless & he finally broke the silence.....take me to a place in delhi which not many people know about.......That sounds better, I thought.

We took a bus, yes we took a bus.......Its been a long time since I took a bus.....Felt just like old days.......afterall I have also sacrificed my sweat on the flyovers on ring road........Those days DTC (Delhi Transport Corporation) used to make an All Route pass valid on all buses.......We would roam around aimlessly in Delhi........singing songs & making fun of each other at the backseat........And wind carefully sifting through your hair....yes, I had hair on my head.......lets not touch upon this sentimental subject of my flat top.......

There is a very nice place at Parliament street. Its called "People Tree". Its a different kind of shop. It mostly goes unnoticed. Its an ethnic place..prly only for firangs & for (pseudo) intellectuals) like me. You get books on varied subjects. Subjects like female foeticide, folk tales from punjab, rise of hindutva, is communism at an end...and loads of intersting topics.....I love going there. But the best part are those naturally colored clothes, stuff which resembles tantra but looks a little intellectual...that was really refreshing......

I returned with a very heavy head. The day I compromise on my afternoon nap on a holiday, my head starts spinning. I was not a new person when I returned back. Not that expected to be one. The visit hardly made any difference.

The next day was Holi. It really didnt matter much. I spent the entire day watching India thrash New Zealand and clapped my hands in joy. My four year old nephew roamed for two hours around the colony and came back unscathed. And when he found nobody to empty his pichkari, he happily drenched me. At least somebody was happy at the end of these two days.

Its a phase of life which I would not want anybody to go through. Its not depression but there is no sense of enthusiasm either. Its just one of those state of mind, when you are waiting for an external stimulus to wake you up and break the inertia....Even though you might try to break through the whole thing, efforts do not necessarily fructify, 'cause the sum total of efforts is also negative....Ok ...hope to bring some smile on with the next blog....

Gupta ki Shaadi - 1

This is an extension of the story on Gupta, "Dil, dosti etc.."

Gupta got married this 12 february 2009 or 13 february 2009(I mean, the North Indians get married in the weee hours of the morning, I am left confused as to the exact date of the marriage. Or may be they like to spread the agony in the subsequent years for the two days) whatever..how does it matter..I think he is married....I havnnt called him up after I left the premises, not that he would pick up the phone anyways these days...But there were a few suggestion that we should check if he actually got married, 'cause we left before the lagan...(How silly really, no wonders that the suggestion came from yours truly)

In the winter of 2000, Gupta used to tell me, "Srini bhai, Main shaadi aisi karoonga ki duniya dekhegi.." I used to giggle and wonder what can you do in a marriage after all. How much can you innovate in tambu, pandit, baraat, food and invitation? But he proved me grossly wrong?

As I mentioned in one of my earlier blogs, how me and Gupta have grown apart. Thats besides the point. So, Mr. Gupta prior to the Shaadi-waadi organised a bachelors party. I told him that I will try to make it. I was returning from Jaipur, when I get this frenzy of calls from the friends. "Arey u going?"..."I will go, if you go"....."Arey how will we return"....."Sharaab milegi kya???"..."Bhaiyya, Baniyon ki shaadi me sharaab kaise milegi..??"....."babu, wht bachelors this is? no sharaab only veg springrole..."......"Guys, are we goin or not....If we go then how do we return.."......"Boss , if there is no liquor I am not going.."......"Kya baat kar raha hai? Gupta ki bachelors kaise miss kar sakta hai??"...."arey yaar, itni door jaakar naachne ke liye dope milna to zarruri hai na.."....."Arey function kab chalu hona hai??"....."Around 8 or may be 9"......."Liquor for only 2 hours.....what nonsense????".......and there were endless discussions on the conference call with no apparent solutions and then Gupta entered the conference call......

Gupta: where r u guys??? (Panting...guess he was dancing....."beedi jalaile" was playing in the background)

Caller 1: Bhaai, Srini is returning from Jaipur...uska mushkil hai
Caller 2: Bhai daru hogi?
Gupta: Only on demand..
Caller 2: Meaning
Gupta: Meaning preferably no.....
Caller 3: Kya baat kar raha hai? Abey ladkiyaan to bulaai hai na...??
Gupta: What are you saying? No ladki shadki.....but gathering acchhi hai
Me: Jaise???
Gupta: Mummy, Daddy, Behen, jeeja, bua, phupha, taya, mama, mami, bareilly wale uncle aur unki wife...
Me: Did u invite Baba Raamdev??

Long silence..........

Then a huge burst of laughter....
Gupta: You guys coming or not??
In chorus: We will try...


None of us went eventually.......


But we eagerly awaited his marriage.....

Chicken Do Pyaaza

There were times when we used to pass "Barafkhana" while going back to our home to Timarpur, when my mother would cover my eyes and nose (allowing my mouth free for ventilation, thank you mom for that...). In those days 8 year olds never questioned the acts of their parents unlike today when kids typically have an opinion on everything from toys to sex. For the first couple of trips I didn't protest. But the seeds of protest were already sown , and they were slowly germinating.

So, finally one day I looked outside the window, to have my first glimpse of "Non-Vegetarian" food hanging mercilessly on a tandoor as if sentenced to a death sentence by hanging. I saw those wierd objects hanging. I wondered what they were. I didnt find the smell repulsive. I asked my mother what it was, my mother preferred silence and asked me to look elsewhere.

When we returned home, I was told that it was what they called "Non-vegetarian" food. I was told that brahmins are not supposed to consume it. It was unhealthy (as justified later in science books in 6th standard that the pesticides eventually reach the humans through that food chain gyaan), it was against our ethos. There were tales exchanged at family gatherings at how one of my cousins vommitted when somebody placed an omlette on his bench. And that somehow in many ways re-inforced that it could in fact be toxic or whatever.


Me and sister were always the adventurous trips. We discovered that omlette was an amazing dish. And when once my parents were away, both of us cycled to the nearby shop to buy those two "Humpty Dumpty"s. We rushed back home, and made two delicious omlettes garnished with coriander leaves, onion, ginger and tomatoes. As we finished hogging, we realized that our small two room flat was filled with the smell of the "Humpty Dumpty"s. We then lit two agarbatties and ran around the home trying to ward of the smell like it was some evil spell. When my parents returned they were obviously quite taken aback at the sudden religious feelings with the house filled with the smell of the agarbatties. They soon discovered the crime, when they found the broken shells and we were given a good dressing down. Not to be outdone, the audacity was carried out on a number of occasions by the same miscreants but we had soon perfected the art and were never caught. But I still had never had the chickens and the muttons of the world.


The first time I consumed was an accident when I returned late from a tour and the hotel attendant offered me some food. After enjoying it I asked him what it was, he said, "Mutton sambhar, sarrr". For a second I was speechless. I was not as much a brahmin I guess since neither did I vomit nor did I have a sleepless night. Since then I have ensured to try as many dishes to familarise myself with the cuisines in Non-vegetarian. From sea food to continental I tried to experiment with every dish. Have had enough though and feel that nothing can beat Vegetarian food.

A few days back, Dev said to me, "Lets make chicken do pyaaza". I replied in affirmative. Now, a chicken or a mutton is a dish when presented in a plate is appetizing, but its a different one when you see it alive and literally kicking. Dev said, "Tum rehne do, I will get a fresh chicken....I dont think you will be able to stand it.."....I was taken aback at the impudence with which Dev said it and I decided to go throught the whole thing.

So, we went to the nearby kasai. Dev chose a chicken. What happened after that was quite shocking to me. The chicken started to shreik as if it knew that its end was near. With one swipe of knife over the neck of the chicken, the blood started to ooze out. To avoid the blood show before everyone, the beheaded chicken was put in a closed container. After ten mins, its bereft of life & is a vegetable. The body is releived of its feathers & insides(except the liver, which is supposed to be the most delicious part of the chicken). The whole thing is then chopped off into little pieces to enure easier transportation.

We went to Dev's home. We spent two hours making the dish. With loads of ghee, masala, chopped onions, tomatoes, mirchi, spices & what not. The recipe was just perfect. With a scotch in one hand, the dinner seemed just perfect. But somehow I kept thinking about the poor chicken.

Now in the entire sequence of cutting and chopping, I stood there with total insensitivity. As if It was not the chicken which got slaughtered, but rather my own sensitivity towards many a things around me. I asked Dev, "What kind of people we are & what kind of life this chicken has?"...Dev's resposne was immediate, "Our life is definitely pathetic, but the chicken will go to jannat. Its purpose was to fulfill our hunger & complete our lives and make us happy...we are still groping for our purpose......"

A definite fact is to respect the life of other beings, but then many of us are definitely & consciously denying others the opportunity to survive & prosper. And surprisingly it has nothing to do with survival. Its all about the greed. And there is definitley no glory in getting sacrificed in this way.

Sometimes, I wonder....staring at the "Chicken-do-pyaaza".....What a chicken's life??