THE ESSENTIALS OF A BIG FAT INDIAN WEDDING

Indian weddings have their own charm. Isn’t it ? The band baaja, the gaana bajaana, the khaana khilaana… & so on. November just passed by & its considered a very auspicious occasion for marriages, primarily because of the movements of the moon & the stars. Same goes for February.
Ahh.. humein kya, humein to jaane se matlab hai...

Anyways, what I will share with you all today are the five basic ingredients of the GREAT INDIAN WEDDING. Do let me know if I miss out on some.

So, here goes the list.

1) LETTING THE WHOLE CITY KNOW ITS YOUR DAY :

If its your birthday, you won’t be running around the streets shouting “ITS MY BIRTHDAY ITS MY BIRTHDAY…..” , but if its your wedding…. your family, relatives & friends do that for you, absolutely free.

While the groom is perched on the horse, rest of the crowd, or in simpler terms.. the BARAATEES sing & dance their way to the venue. There’s a band in the background, playing the pepepepeeepeinnn….. & waiting expectantly for  the notes the elders just throw away in happiness.

Quite a joyful experience.. huh??? Well ask that to the cars, the autos, the buses that just got stuck in a jam. Thanks to you.. J They will have some good words for you…

But who cares… this day comes once in a lifetime..(thankfully).

2) THE “OH MY GOD” RELATIVES :

We all are busy, & we don’t really have the time to meet all our relatives. Its just occasions like these that you get some time to catch up with your long lost relatives. Well, the reason this CATCHING UP makes it to my top 5 is the OMG factor. Figure this out…

An aunt who lives in another state, last saw you on some XYZ occasion, 10 years back !!! suddenly sees you now…. & what will be her first reaction ?????? 

Yes you got that right…

"OHH MY GODDD !!! KITNA BADA HO GAYA"

I can’t fathom what gets them so excited. Aren’t we supposed to grow in 10 years.. ??

Thanks to such REUNIONS, the uncle jees & aunty jees can feed your latest personality in their minds. . &  share those “JAB BACHPAN ME DEKHA THA TO…….” stories with everyone !!

3) THE MICHAEL JACKSON MOMENT :

Dance floors are an indispensable ingredient of get to gathers… & marriages certainly can’t be left out of the mix. It’s the DJ who brings alive the child in everyone, & its that moment when each & every person feels like MICHAEL JACKSON, HRITHIK ROSHAN, MADHURI DIKSHIT…..etc.

We create our own dance moves, our own expressions .. in short, we all become choreographers.

As far as I’m concerned, my presence on the dance floor is restricted to being a guest appearance, or an extended cameo at the most !!!

Just imagine what would happen if selections for dance shows were based on how you dance at weddings !!!! J

4) FOOD FOOD :

I’m talking (rather writing) about weddings & how can I miss out on the food. The stalls, the buffets, the dishes…. If DJ makes us dancers, the food makes feel like food critics, just like those in master chef shows.

There’s a famous saying regarding Indian weddings,
“ALL THAT THE GUESTS CARE FOR IS THE FOOD”,
& rightly so.. they don’t cover long distances just to bless the groom & the bride.. J         

And one more thing, while the hosts spend a lot of time figuring out the IDEAL MENU, they hardly get a chance to get a taste of it on D DAY. Trust me, its my personal experience !!
Only after watching the DVD of my sister’s wedding I realised that my favourite dish was also there & I myself couldn’t enjoy it…. (because I was busy welcoming the “michael jacksons” & “masterchef judges”… )

There’s also one  mocktails section…  At a recent function, I tried 4 different mocktails just to figure out what exactly they were. Its another thing that after having them, I still couldn’t understand what they were…. 

NO problems, there are plenty of marriages next season, & therefore many more mocktails to try!!

5) THE Photographers/Videographers :

Photographers are to wedding functions what Invigilators are to examinations.

Inke bina, FEEL HI NAHI AATI !!!

Though its all so good, giving smiling expressions, getting photographs clicked, hoping that one photo makes it to your facebook profile, it gets irritating beyond a limit. Ask the groom & the bride about that, they are the ones who have to pose & smile in 50 different ways to please the shutterbugs.

AND then there are the videographers. Again, from one of my personal experiences.. here’s what happened at the time of vidaayi (farewell of the bride )….

While the ladies were getting all emotional & crying,
the man behind the lens was trying to get the the perfect SMITA PATIL expression.He was indeed the orchestrator & said these words, literally……

“HAAN YE HO GAYA !!!  STOP !! NOW, START CRYING !!!!!”

(To the bride’s mother….)

"AUNTY JEE, IDHAR…. HANJEE IDHAR DEKHIYE…. PERFECT… HAAN AB ROYIE !!"

(to the bride’s sister)

“WAIT !! YE HO GAYA !!! STOP.. . AB AAP DULHAN KO HUG KIJIYE !! PERFECT !! HAAN AB ROYIE !!”

Well atleast he made the emotional moment funny.. I love that photograph of my mom staring at the videographer when he said to her.. “AUNTY JEE IDHAR DEKHIYE !!! HAAN AB ROYIE !!!””

..........

PRICELESS !!!!

Well that is what I intended to share with you all. Next time you go to a wedding, I hope these 5 moments will make your experience memorable. They did, for me atleast…..

Take care all & until next time…

With love & laughs....

PUNEET BAJAJ

That 5 letter word E.X.A.M.S.

Yes it’s been a lonnngg time since we last met. Well, November was a very busy month for me, both personally &  professionally. But it’s December & I’m as free as I would want to be. So, the first thing I did is write something for you all.

Well, many of us had our semester exams recently, while for some they are going to start pretty soon. School students also, must be getting ready for their second term.. well if that term exists anymore…. J

Since it’s the EXAM mode, let me share some of my EXAMS RELATED experiences from my school days.

We were taught by our parents for the first few years of schooling, isn’t it ? Same was the case with me. It was my Mother India who dutifully availed medical leave form her office just to prepare her CHOTA BACHCHA for the paper - shapers… J

Like every other thing, being taught by your mom has its pros & cons. What conned me was her OBSESSION, yes obsession with the English articles.. the, a, is, are, blah blah.. Yeah, it was irritating for me at times. Just figure this out for instance…

We are studying Science, or General Science as it was called then (have no idea what was general in it !!) The question was something related to mosquito bite. So, while I was trying to remember what happens when you get by a mosquito, her focus was on whether it was A MOSQUITO or THE MOSQUITO !!!

Really, what difference did it make ??? It wasn’t that mosquito with an A was well behaved than a mosquito with THE… was it ?

Well, time passes. And after almost 7-8 years, now when she has any problems with her English, it’s me who helps her out. IRONICAL haan ??

My  sister is 7 years older to me, but haven’t felt like that anytime though !!

One memory I have of the time when she was being taught by maa are the TRUE/FALSE questions. At that age, I just couldn’t understand why was she saying 

“TRUE, FALSE, FALSE, TRUE, TRUE, FALSE, PASS !!!”

 It seemed a game then & I too played it sometimes… yaa TRUE, FALSE, TRUE, FALSE.. it was fun & even now. Just that now the examiner wants the reason as well for that true/false & there’s no pass option either.

Finally, after putting in a lot of effort, I convinced my mom that from the VI class onwards, I would study myself.  It was then that I first took upon the challenge of MIGHTY MARATHAS & MUGHALS from my history book .

The kind of MATHEMATICS we study now… makes me cherish those days when the question paper was something like this…

Q.2) SOLVE ANY THREE

a) 78 + 21

b) 43 – 17

c) 12 X 7

d) 40/ 4

e) 123 + 228………   I still remember that part e) was supposed to be tough, because it had 3 digit nos. 

YES, 3 DIGIT NUMBERS were indeed the INTEGRATION questions of those times.

I also had constant fights with my parents regarding going to tuition classes.. While they wanted me to join them, it was a strict “NO” from my side. I had seen some of my friends who went to tuitions & their routine was school in the morning & tuitions in the evening. Where’s the TIME TO PLAY ???

So I asserted that I would study myself & not compromise with the playing time… though the ploy backfired as I was free but my other friends had joined tuitions, so there was no play possible anyways !!! :P  I had to stay home & used to watch cricket on TV, that’s how my love for the game multiplied…

Finally, after giving reasonable performances without tuitions, the TUITION MANIA was back in the Xth standard, you know na, parents really care for that BOARDS EXAMINATION (yes, I was among the last batch of students to appear for Xth boards before they were scrapped).

So, my parents & my sister put this condition before me…

“IF YOU DO WELL IN THE MATHEMATICS UNIT TEST… WE WON’T FORCE YOU TO JOIN TUITIONS ELSE………………”

With pride at stake, I finally managed to score 45 out of 50 & had my wish…

There were some “PARLIAMENT LIKE DEBATES” when it was the time to decide… NON – MEDICAL  or COMMERCE. While my mom wanted me to opt for the former, I opined for the latter... just because my relationship with SCIENCE was not working. I tried to give ourselves chance, but a BREAK UP with science was inevitable.

The expression my mom gave was like that of a mother whose son had refused to marry a girl of her choice !!

That break up with science was the first BREAK UP of my life & consequently, the LINK UP with ACCOUNTS, BUSINESS STUDIES, ECONOMICS etc. was my first as well…. J Way before any girl entered the scene !!!

So from those fun years to the present, 2012… it has been quite an eventful journey.

Pursuing my 2^nd year in B.COM (H), I don’t really know what lies ahead of me, & that is a fun in itself. Sometimes, you plan so much but what has to happen, happens…

I never thought I would make videos for my friends, start a blog one day… but here I’m…

Time to say bye bye to all you lovely people out there… (yes I’m in a good mood )….

Take care, hope you enjoy reading THE ARTISTIC EXPRESSION….

& remember, when  a mosquito bites you, ask him if he is A mosquito or THE MOSQUITO… J

Until next time…… 

With love & laughs

PUNEET BAJAJ J

 

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THE WORLD IS HAPPY, ARE YOU ???

“GO TO HELL !!!”

“I DON’T CARE !!!” 

“JUST FORGET ABOUT  IT!!!”

Don’t worry. The above phrases are not for you . It’s just that these words somehow helped me in writing my thoughts down for you all to read.

We all have friends, buddies, dosts JINKE LIYE HUM JAAN CHIDAKTE HAIN !!! Don’t we ?
But sometimes, we do have arguments with them as well & 99 % of the times, its about petty things. But what’s disappointing is that these useless fights tend to spoil your whole day.

Some days back, I too had a sort of argument with a dear friend. It was about a small thing only, but we humans are experts at aggravating issues… J

So, this FIGHT began in the morning, over the phone, & then transferred onto sms…

No matter how composed you try to remain, such things tend to be the day spoilers. That’s what happened with me. I left for college in an angry, upset mood, just letting my agony  accumulating inside me. It was hard to tell when my mind would blow off & on whom.. I expected nothing from the day, literally.

So, here’s how the day went for Puneet Bajaj, the angry young man ;)

As I entered the class, the anger seemed to subside for a while as I saw my friends greeting  me with a smile, trust me, a smile works wonders. Despite the sad mood, I kept quiet & tried not to pass on my negativity to others around me, and as it turned out, I was quite successful in doing that. Being with the people you value & treasure automatically makes you happy, isn’t it ?
But, it happens slowly. The day at college passed quite the usual way, I was still a little upset, but was in a much better position than what I was in the morning.

Its 2:40 pm, I’m in the bus, on my way back home, still thinking about the argument. I guess we all know such small things are hard to get out of the mind. With so many people in the bus, I felt like swearing at all of them. Meanwhile, I got a seat..... “LUCKILLY” J.

As I was looking out of the window, I saw some school kids having fun, playing & teasing & running & what not. That somehow brought a smile on my face. Just then, a woman came & stood near me. She was loaded with shopping bags, it appeared as if she had done shopping for the whole month.. J

So, I offered her my seat. She gleefully accepted it & as a return gesture, offered to take my bag. I gave it to her. The moment she held it, she said “KITNA BHAARI HAI, KITNA PADHTE HO ??”

I smiled, because I wasn’t in the mood to explain.

Here’s why my bag was heavy..

It had 3 BIGGG library books I had got issued because I was too lazy to buy them,

then there were my sports clothes, since I had lost interest in studies & was more interested in playing now 
& lastly there was a small package I had to give to my father’s friend on the way.

That’s it, & she found it HEAVY !!
Aunty jee, horlicks piya karo… J

I got off the bus when my stand arrived, handed over the package to the uncle who was waiting there, and sat there waiting for the most empty bus on the planet… remember my bus pass ?? it’s such a treat to have it…

So I got home @ 3.30, had my lunch, & dozed off, the best way to put your brain to some rest.
As I got up in the evening, I thought of reconciling the differences with my friend, but then again....
 EGO came in between, WHY SHOULD I ??

So I ditched the idea & switched on the TV &  time passed smoothly. Later I went to the the weekly market to pick up my mother who had gone here to buy some grocery. Some of the sights there really made me laugh.

One vegetable vendor was busy figuring out how to play music on his SMARTPHONE.
Yes !!! he had a smartphone, even I don’t have one. As he was busy with the gadget, he paid no attention to the customers that stood over him..
“ARRE BHAYIAA YE KTNE KI HAI BATA TO DO !!!!”

Then I saw one man arguing with  4- 5 persons, “YAAR TUM PLEASE MERE NAAM PE CHOLE BATHURE MAT KHAAYA KARO, 6 PLATE KA BILL AA GAYA HAI !!”

There was one guy who was going about his business in a rhythmic way…
"20 rs. Killo, 20 rs. Killo, le jao, 20 rs. Killo…..”

&  to cover that all,

I found my mother arguing with one vendor, “15 me dena hai to bata !!”

Sometimes, its funny watching her argue for 2/3 rs., but then again, Indian ladies are expert at bargaining,

We got home, & then the most lovely sight greeted me. The dog that keeps sitting outside my home came running towards me, & started licking my feet.

I gave him milk, biscuits, &  sat with him for a while.

I have to tell you, dogs are indeed man’s best friend. They don’t care what you did, what’s ur mood, whether you gave them milk the previous day or not, they just love you !! I’m glad to have one J 

At the end of the day, as I sat on the bed, the things that had happened during the day were running through my mind, and I thought,

“So what if I had a fight with a friend, the world is still a happy place.

The next thought that cam into my mind was quite filmy..
“MAYBE GOD WAS TAKING MY TEST” &  I knew I failed in it. 

Definitely, I could have done better & not let the small argument pester my mind all day. But thanks to all those things that transpired during the day, I realized that the world outside gives a damn about what your mood is.. it just greets you with a smile.. 

I thanked God for the day I had, decided that I would never spoil my day over petty things & decided to patch up with my DOST the next day.
Just as I was about to sleep, guess what happened ???

I got a msg from my friend.. “HEY ! SORRY FOR WHAT HAPPENED THIS MORNING,  I SHOULDN’T HAVE MADE SUCH AN ISSUE OUT OF IT” 

My eyes lit up, at the end of such a tipsy turvy day, it seemed like a reward. We both buried our differences that very moment &  things were back to normal.

My life had taken a full circle in the last 24 hours, everything was just like before.

This experience taught me that there are many things you have to deal with in life, don’t let one small thing affect you so much.. &  that’s exactly what I want to share with you..
Fights with friends are common, they are meant to strengthen your relationship, don’t allow it to dent you from within because no matter....

HOW LONELY YOU FEEL, YOU ARE STILL SPECIAL FOR SOME !!!! 

We all go through such experiences at some point in our lives, what matters is how we deal with them.

Until next time, stay happy, stay blessed &  keep writing !!! J

With love & laughs

PUNEET BAJAJ J

A Very Very Special Person.....

"ALL GOOD THINGS HAVE TO COME TO AN END"

This line has come to the rescue of those struggling to find out as to why, some things, however desirable, have to come to an end. Today, these words yet again sum up the occasion that has arrived before us. A legend, a master batsman, a magician with the bat & one of the most humble humans,

V.V.S. LAXMAN, has bid adieu to international cricket today.

It was on  9^th March’2012 that my personal favorite Rahul Dravid retired from international cricket, today, 6 months & 9 days later, another compatriot of his has decided to hang his boots.
For all these years, we’ve heard that Sachin is the God, Ganguly the king of off side, Dravid the wall, Dhoni the coolest captain ever... another name in that list is that of Laxman, the disaster management expert. His best always came out when India was down in the dumps, more often than not, in the 2^nd innings of a test match. Kolkata (2001), Johannesburg (2006), Napier (2009), Colombo (2010), Mohali (2010), Durban (2011).. the list is endless.

His impeccable timing, wristy stroke play & calm demeanor played a crucial role in India’s rise to the top in the last decade. We as Indians, have been lucky to have witnessed the likes of Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Kumble & Laxman play together for India for many years.
The Aussie great Ian Chappell, called VVS “Very Very Special” after his 5 centuries on the Australia tour in 2003/04, and rightly so. For a long time I actually believed that VVS LAXMAN actually meant Very Very Special Laxman... :)
Laxman, like Dravid has always done his job for the team without being noticed while the limelight was on the Tendulkars & the Gangulys..

For a long time it was the no.3 & no.5 batsmen that the Indian cricket team relied upon. Dravid & Laxman have had plenty of partnerships over the years that sailed India’s boat. The magnificent Eden Gardens test, 2001 comes first to the mind, then there is Adelaide in 2003 & many more to follow. But their partnership started long time back, from their early days in cricket.


This veteran of more than 100 tests played the anchor role in many of India’s feats, but was always a humble gentleman who played the game in the right spirit. Unfortunately, sportsmen have always been judged on the yardstick of their statistics.

One thing, that Laxman has himself agreed was a dream never fulfilled was that he never got to play the World Cup. Other than that, it was, is & will remain an illustrious career.
Many of his fans must have wanted him to play at least the 1^st test against New Zealand, starting
23^rd August, as it will be played at his home ground, Hyderabad... But… he had some other plans.

I grew up seeing the likes of Steve Waugh, Inzamam Ul Haq, Brian Lara, Andrew Flintoff & Muttiah Muralidharan announce a series or match as their last & seeing thousands of fans giving them a standing ovation as they made their way one last time on the cricket field.

But first it was Dravid & now Laxman, 2 legends have bid good bye to the game without giving the world one last chance to witness them.

To sum up, I would like to state that Laxman did nothing wrong in his 16yr old career, except the fact that he played in the era that was dominated by Sachin Tendulkar…
He would have been a celebrated legend had he played the sport for any other country, as many greats of the game have said.

VVS LAXMAN, you are VERY VERY SPECIAL indeed… thank you for the memories. Here’s wishing you a great life ahead… J
                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                           With love & laughs                                                                                                                 Puneet Bajaj :)                                                                                                                                                                      

OH DEAR GUEST !!

How often do we give that weird expression when our parents tell us that a guest is coming to our house… quite, I guess. Those mannerisms, sitting like good children, smiling at their silly jokes & a plethora of things to deal with. So, this time, I will share these very MEHMAAN – NAWAAZI anecdotes with you all...

In my home, the first task for us after the BREAKING NEWS is to glorify the house, or in other words, the SAFAAI  ABHIYAAN. My mom keeps on saying, "Atleast you should keep the drawing room clean, what if somebody comes, suddenly" & to that my answer has been the same for the past many years…

“As long as all the things in the house are not scattered here & there, it doesn’t feel like a home,lagna to chayie na apna ghar hai."

Anyways, glorifying the house is no big deal, we Indians have the innate ability to make things right at the very last moment. But, the most mysterious circumstances come to the fore when the ATITHI arrives. Exchanging greetings, giving hugeeee smiles & heartlessly plucking the cheeks of the younger ones, as if to make sure they are real.

As the dog in our building keeps sitting in front of my house’s gate, many guests are scared at that very point. That’s my favorite moment, but before I cherish it, my father calls me to salvage the situation & I have to go out & tell, “Don’t worry, he won’t bite…” & take him away.

So all this hi hello done, & we all are sitting in the living room, & just when anyone says, “Such a lovely house”, I say to myself, “You should have seen it an hour back”.  Then starts the conversation, & all you can really do is nod, smile, affirm, smile, nod, smile &; in between that customary dialogue “OHH, ACHCHA !!!

However, when the guests are someone you are comfortable with, it’s a whole different ball game.

The climax, or should I say, ANTI – CLIMAX starts when your mom goes into the kitchen, dad gets an important call, & you are left stranded in you own house, with the guests.. NAHIIII !!

It is at this point that the quiz contest starts..

“So, how are your studies going ?”

What I want to say : I am having my vacations, how dare you bring up the question of studies

What I say : Quite good 

“What course, which college, where, what time.. ?” as if they are plotting your kidnapping..

As the KBC continues, you keep looking at your cell, & shouting from inside, “COME ON, DAMN IT,  JUST RING..”

Just as I fix my eyes on the flower vase kept on the table as a potential grenade, my parents enter the room, surprisingly, all at one. Mom is done with her preparations, dad finished his call, & its hunky dory all gain.. huh !!

Then it’s the time to have those snacks, cold drinks, & all that stuff. This is my favorite part though, you enjoy the drinks & snacks while your parents engage in trivial conversation. In between all this, there are those 2 – 3 seconds of silence, & then someone brings upon a new topic. Then suddenly, one member of the OUTSIDE PARTY  says to me “AAP TO KUCH BOL HI NAHI RE…”, & I’m like, “WHAT DID I DO TO YOU, JUST ENJOY THAT DRINK YOU'RE HOLDING ”

I remember this moment when a family had come to our home, & uncle was looking at the trophies in the cabinet, at that point, I felt like on cloud 9 as that reminded  me what a great thing I did by transforming the TV trolley into a trophy cabinet, which was otherwise going to the scrap dealer. Just as I was enjoying this moment, that uncle suddenly said
“You have so many trophies in there, but why are you so sitting so quietly ??” &  I said
“That’s because I don’t get trophies for talking"

& that uncle did not ask me one thing after that, not till today… :) I still remember that look on his face after hearing my reply,  to put it in one word, flabbergasted..  Yeah, I got the spelling right..

Then the custom of “Arey aap bhi lijiye na.. beta aap lo, aap bhi lo, arrey aap to kuch le hi nahi re" goes on & on.

Another advantage of having guests at your home other than the snacks & drink moment is  the wide variety of food items cooked by your mom. After all, guests do bring in some plus points, I have got you 2 so far.

And then, after all that hulla baloo, its time for them to go, preceded by a narrow glance at the watch & the words.. “ACHA.. AB HUM CHALENGE…”

Many a times, you do get that Rs. 101, 251 or 501 cash from them which you unwillingly have to refuse first, knowing it to be just a formality, “Arey iski kya zaroorat thi,aap aaye utna hi kaafi hai..” & from inside, we are like “Chalo.. do naa..vaise hi pocket tight hai” & that, by the way is the THIRD benefit of having guests. 

Of course, when you have guests coming from overseas, it’s the imported gifts as well.

If any of our relatives has read this, I doubt they would pay us a visit any time soon... :)

So, this is it with the GUEST EDITION of my  blog, hope you guys enjoyed reading it. And if you want me to write about something particular, feel free to share it. My email id is at the right of your screen.

Until next time we meet, have fun & enjoy your guests… 

                                                                                                            With love &  laughs 

                                                                                                                                    

                                                                                                                      PUNEET BAJAJ  :)

MEMORIES... INDEED

Its been a long time since I last wrote something. Honestly, no idea came to my mind. But, here am I again, finally managing to decide upon some topic. MEMORIES is a great word, some of them are nice, some are not, but any ways, they get engraved in our hearts, isn't it ?

So this time, I will share some of my favorite childhood memories with you all. Read on.....

# 5) 2 *2 = 4 : Its nearly been 10 years since I first wore specs. My sister, who was in  class IX then, complained to Dad that she couldn't read properly from the blackboard, so they decided to go to an optician the following weekend. God knows what excited me then, I too went to give them company. "Papa, mujhe bhi na thoda blurred dikhta hai, main bhi chalunga..." My fate was sealed that very moment. The optician said I had a number & had to wear specs. Only I know how hard I tried to convince my parents the next day, that suddenly, everything was crystal clear to me & I didn't need two extra eyes. "Papa, mujhe naa sab saaf saaf  dikh ra hai..." But.....

I remember when I first took out the pair from my bag & wore it, everyone around me was staring as if they had seen a ZOMBIE.... quite natural, what reaction do you expext from CLASS 2 stuudents..

Its 2012 now, & I still have these 2 extra eyes... AADAT SE MAJBOOR :)

# 4) LET'S PARTY :  School vacations were terrific indeed. The best part about them was the last day parties. Back then, everyone was assigned to bring some home made dish & we would gather at the stairs of the stage, really great days still. I was usually assigned CHOWMEIN, which my mom dutifully cooked. Bread rolls, toasts, sandviches, spring rolls, maggi, chips, coke, chocolates, they were the IN - THING back then.

The list goes on & on.

# 3) WE ARE ABOUT TO DIE PEOPLE : I remember many a times, we read in newspapers that so & so research was being conducted & if anything went wrong, the Earth would be destroyed, this still sounds funny to me :) Nevertheless, flashback to September 2008, that Big Bang experiment. If you are wondering how I still remember the year, I just read about it in the newspaper yesterday. Coming to the point, every news channel was showing that some big physics experiment was going to be conducted, 2.00 pm IST & if that went wrong, BHADDUUMMM. It was the last period at school, it was an arrangement. We all were wishing each other good bye :) :D, & at around 1.58 pm we put our heads down. We all woke up simultaneously after 2 - 3 minutes, it was past 2, we were still alive. HUM BACH GAYE,  OLAA !!! Stupid, but as I said above, memories are memories.

# 2) SOMEONE DOES CARE ABOUT ME : I had my section changed in Class IX for taking Sanskrit & not Hindi. I was furious early on, as I had been in "B" section right from the very beginning, but now when I look back at it, it was the best thing that happened to me. The friends I made in C section, made my last four years of school the best ones.

But that one day stands out for me. Class IX - C, the class teacher had changed my seat, no one else's.. just mine. Me & my friend requested mam not to do so, but to no avail. The friend from whom I got separated by virtue of this, got so emotional that he STARTED CRYING.. I wiped his tears, but deep inside, I cherished that moment. It wasn't a big issue afterall, we were in the same class still, but that made me realize that someone, atleast someone does care about me. We still are in touch & I can proudly call him my brother. Thanks bro for that moment:)

# 1) I WANT YOUR WATER : Now its time for the best memory. Ironically, I don't even remember this as I was about 5 then, but my parents do & whenever I hear about it, I can't stop laughing. So, my father told me that...

It was time for admission into the school, me & my parents went to meet the principal for the interview at the junior school. Halfway through the conversation, I took the glass of water kept for the principal & drank it without any fear, look or permission, to say the least... :) YES, AT AN INTERVIEW...

But the principal SMILED instead & ordered another glass of water. What an experience that must have been, only if I was able to remember it... :)

That brings me to the end of this post. I wanted to include some more but a friend of mine told me that I write way too long. So my friend, if you are reading this, You have your wish. (I know its still long for you, can't help though :) )

So dear readers, take care & have a lovely time reliving your memories, memories indeed...

                                                                                                     With love & laughs 

                                                                                                       PUNEET BAJAJ :)

WO BAADAL NAHI THE…

As I pen this down, I am happy that I have blissfully passed my first year in college, well… assuming that the examiners will be kind enough to clear me in all subjects. Talking about the Ist year, it has been a fun filled journey for me. And I suppose that’s the case with my other friends as well. College is fun, no more rigid rules, no more fixed timings and more importantly, no more year round studies…. You can’t do that anyways!  EXAMS SE 1 MONTH PEHLE SAARE TRACK PAR AA HI JAATE HAIN.                                                                                                       

So, this time, I will share with you all what was the 1^st year like for me…

1> THERE’S A PLACE CALLED “LIBRARY” :

I  hardly had anything to do with the school library. Never once did I even go through the collection of books, issuing them was a far cry. But here I enter the college, & there is a thing called LIBRARY & READING ROOM CHARGE, worth Rs. 350. ARE U KIDDIN’ ME?? Well my first reaction to it has definitely subsided, college library is indeed useful. Not that I spent hours studying there so as to VASOOL MY RS.350…. J but given the whole set of books you are recommended to study by lecturers, the 3 books you can issue definitely comes in handy. And by issuing, re – issuing, re - re – issuing the books, I think I can say that I VASOOLED my fees…. :D !!

2> NO BOOKS :

Continuing from the first point, another peculiar thing  I did was not purchasing the books. My sister has been so BHOLI that she preserved her B.COM (H) books from 2005 for me. And I, being the ADARSH BHAI, didn’t even bother to buy new books. 3 books from the library for one whole semester, 1 or 2 from my sister’s “RETAINED EARNINGS”.. & that’s it ! APNA KAAM TO HO GAYA. While it worked for 8 of the 9  1^st yr subjects, now I realiaze that I should have cared to buy the COMPUTER BOOK. Technology does change in 7 years, I realized it the hard way, when I saw the question paper !!

3> THE MAGIC LAMP CALLED “BUS PAAS” :

Well I didn’t get any NORTH CAMPUS college, much to the amazement of my family & friends, but now when I look back upon it, NSP,Pitampura is not a bad option, and my dear bus pass helped me in believing this. I could jump from one bus to another anywhere, any time, for any reason. For instance; If the bus is crowded, wait till the empty one arrives. The advantage was such that many a times, there were only 3 persons in the bus: the driver, the conductor & me !! & when he asked for ticket, I proudly said “PASS HAI !” If the Metro goers are wondering what’s the big deal here… well ask someone who has a bus pass & you will come to know. If Aladdin had his magic lamp, I had my bus pass… :D

4> WO BAADAL NAHIN THE !! :                                                                                          

THE BAADALS !!!

If the heading put you in some doubt, here is the catch. Throughout my 1^st semester, the MICRO ECONOMICS teacher came & drew SOMETHING, ya something… on the board, day after day. I just wondered, “YEH KYA ROZ BAADAL BANAA KE CHALI JAATI HAI BOARD PE !?!”   When I finally sat down to study, one month prior to the exams, & had ONE – ON – ONE with my books, I realized that those BAADAL were actually the COST CURVES. I had a hearty laugh about it when that question came in the exam. So guys, next time you see some CLOUDS on the board, check again, they may just not be the BAADALS !!! :D :D

5> YOU DO FIND SOME NICE PEOPLE:                                                                          

As I left my school days behind & entered college life, I was excited to know the persons who would come across. I have never been a person to walk in a group of 9/10 buddies, but I have always had those 4 – 5 persons who I could rely upon. In SGGSCC also, I have got those FRIENDS.

# One guy is as enthusiastic about wrestling as I am about cricket, we both can wake up @ 5 in the morning to catch our favorite sport.

# Then there is one who I can confidently see playing the lead in “DON 3” :D J

# There’s one who is doing B.COM (H) + CA + CS, perhaps, not leaving out any option. He remembers the various sections in law as I remember various matches, & trust me, he is really good at these sections.

# Then there is one from the north east, through whom I came to know about the life culture there.

# There’s another who, over time, has become my bus - buddy  & talks avidly about future planning !!

# Besides him there are a couple of girls whom I can put under the category of “BUS FRIENDS”, one of them, considered me as her senior on the first day @ college. It was fun !!

# And lastly, but definitely not the least, there is one guy who has created a special place for himself with his PECULIAR, SENSE LESS JOKES. No one can beat him at that. He definitely knows “EK ACHE JOKE KI BAND KAISE BAJAATE HAI !!”

I found a little of me in all of these, & consider myself to be lucky to have met them. I’m sure my school friends reading this must have the same feelings about their new friends.

So that was what the first year in college had in store for me. I would also like to thank you all for your response to my previous blog. Apart from NESCAFE, a good response definitely  brings out the best in me. :D :)

Now that the FIVE STAR I was enjoying while writing this has finished, mujhe apni  baatein

“EK BILAANG CHHOTI KARNI PADEGI !!!!”

Hope u enjoyed reading it as much I did writing it.

With love & laughs…

PUNEET BAJAJ :D :)

EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE IN A RELATIONSHIP !!!!!

The other day, on my way back home, in the bus, I had these 2 boys talking quite avidly about their current life. I could not help overhearing as they were not allowing me to have a nap, and mind you, taking a nap in the bus is fun...  you sometimes even miss your stand in the process. But anyways, their conversation started with the ordinary talks of college, studies, parents……. And then, their RELATIONSHIP STATUS !!

While one was cribbing about his possessive girlfriend, the other was doing just what we Indians are good at, giving advice. From possessive nature to irritating habits, he had a whole script prepared!!

Listening to him, I wondered what was so peculiar about these relationships that engage you so much, so much so that you start preaching about it in a bus loaded with passengers. I wondered if his girlfriend would also be complaining about him to her some friend somewhere. After all, how can I imagine a girl not indulging in gossip… especially when I’m witnessing a boy doing it so passionately? I don’t know if there was a series of coincidences or what, that I had been witnessing such OPEN HOUSE RELATIONSHIP DIALOGUES for the past week or so !! After all, why would a boy, just turned 19, SINGLE, would be peppered with this stuff, when he’s not at all interested. Maybe I will get an answer to this when I also find that SOMEONE…. :)

Getting back to the torture… one thing I realize is that nowadays, the term ”RELATIONSHIP” is so casually & widely used. I always thought of it as a long word, not just because of its meaning, but also because of its spelling!!

I remember some of the younger boys  in my school flaunting their BANDI in front of their friends, and at the end of the day, it was for all to see, on FACEBOOK. This site is the “JEENE KA MAQSAD” nowadays, and I have lost some of the interest in this MAQSAD over time. But still, when I do log in once in a while, I can’t help seeing “SENTI STATUS UPDATES, PICTURES, STORIES” flogging the “LATEST NEWS SECTION.” That’s one reason I never put serious status updates, I already see a lot of them. Sometime back, while I took an off from college, I decided to log into facebook since I didn’t have anything much important to do. This is what dominated the LATESTNEWS….

LOGIN @ 11.45A.M. 

–                                                                                                                                                                         XYZ girl changed her relationship status from “SINGLE”  to “IN A RELATIONSHIP”!

LOG IN @ 7.00 P.M.

 –

That XYZ girl changed her relationship status from “IN A RELATIONSHIP” to “COMPLICATED” !

LOG IN @ 10.30 P.M. 

–

XYZ girl changed her relationship status from “COMPLICATED “ to “SINGLE” !

What was to follow was a series of updates about how selfish & indifferent boys were… I mean are..

Since that day, I never have logged in more than once a day, on most occasions I don’t have the time, college assignments have taken care of that.

Without hurting anyone’s feelings, I will clearly say that I find public bashing of relationships in the open quite amusing, & sometimes irritating. That’s what propelled me to put up a status as follows some time back:

“BEING IN A RELATIONSHIP IS ABOUT COMMITTING TO IT & NOT NECESSARILY UPDATING ABOUT IT "

About 20 – 25 people liked it, some even questioning if I  was also committed now!!

People who know me are aware that almost every time, I try to look at the funny perspective of things. For those who don’t know me well, well I’m telling you now…

I just feel that if you are in a relationship, you should value it & tender it, & if you are single, don’t worry, you will find that someone soon. And till you find that someone, be committed to the people you love & enjoy the person within you.

I am not a LOVE GURU or anywhere close to that, just a MAASOOM, NOT YET IN A RELATIONSHIP 19 yr old boy.

For all those still in search of that special human… I quote these lines from a song, which is my favorite these days…..

“KEHTE HAIN KHUDA NE ISS JAHAAN ME SABHI KE LIYE
                    KISI NAA KISI KO HAI BANAAYA HAR KISI KE LIYE....."

With love & laughs…..     

                                                                                                                                                                                  PUNEET BAJAJ @:_P

THAT DAY IS FINALLY HERE.......

As I pen this down, my mind is gripped with mixed feelings. They say life can change in a moment, well, even if you get a sneak peak into that moment beforehand, it still falls heavy when it arrives. First love is always first love, & before I include any girl in this bracket, undoubtedly, cricket was my first crush, my first love. 

And it will be only fair to say that if cricket is my love, RAHUL SHARAD DRAVID…. You  were clearly the cupid for me. I was mesmerized by this game because I was mesmerized by you

Today, the first thing I did upon waking up was to turn on the T.V. I never thought I would be so eager to watch a news channel first thing in the morning. But the occasion was different today, THE WALL was about to bid adieu today.  

I had a slight apprehension of it a day before, when I saw the man on T.V. saying….
“I announce my retirement from international and domestic cricket.” For a moment, everything else was forgotten. I could have easily expressed my feelings through a status, a DRAVID profile picture or even a tweet, my words were supposedly not short enough. I fondly remember the days when I woke up early in the mornings at 6, or watched the whole day of a test match, if Rahul Dravid was batting. 

2004, January, India V/s Australia, 2^nd test, Adeliade. At the end of DAY 3, Dravid was not out on 199*, I instructed my father to wake up as early as possible the next day, for I did not want to miss his double century, & I still remember the sweet words from my father when I was in the bed at 5.45 am, “BETA, TERE DRAVID KI DOUBLE CENTURY HO GAYI !!”. Down the years, my fondness for this legend only grew & it became evident to the ones around me. Playing defence after defence while playing with friends prompted them to call me DRAVID, sometimes even sarcastically, but deep down my heart, I always liked being called so. When the IPL began, the first match, Brendon McCullum smashed 158* against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Dravid’s team, & RCB was all out for 82.

My class mates teased me when we were talking about our favourite teams in the IPL, & I said RCB, without a thought. After that first match IPL 1, my friends even laughed at me more for being a RCB supporter. But that was nothing for me.

The most expressive moment I can recall is that of 2008, October,  when DRAVID was going through a lean patch. I was in Class X, had a Maths exam coming up. It was a Sunday afternoon, the 4^th test between India & Australia at Nagpur, 2^nd innings. I was glued to Neo Cricket just because he was batting, but not that he was scoring heavily then, infact as I said above, he was not in the best of form. He fought hard for 30 odd balls for 5 runs, but I was okay as long as he was there, I was happily solving questions from my Maths book. Then he got out for 5….. 1 minute later, the TV was switched off. I was no longer interested in studying, I threw everything my hand could grab at, some of my pens really bore the brunt of my anger. 

The next series against England, 2^nd test match, Mohali. The first thing I  did after coming back home from school was to turn on the TV & check the score. He had failed in the 1^st test as well, but on that Friday, when I tuned on the TV, my eyes lit up. Dravid  was 50*. I watched every ball till he got his century the next day, a big one- 136. 

Likewise, there are innumerable experiences where a good performance form him made my dull day the best day of my life. There were also moments when his failure on the field overpowered my happiness through the day. His ouster from the ODI team in 2007, recall in 2009, out again, & back again in 2011. My mood went through the extremes. My IPL royalty shifted from Bangalore to Rajasthan Royals when he was signed by RR.

Its difficult to imagine that I won’t see anymore of him now. The word RETIREMENT  has finally arrived. But, I am happy for the man. He is currently he oldest international payer to be playing cricket, at the age of 39 years. Not many managed to go that distance. He did. Though I still have some excerpts of him to witness in IPL 5, but that is just a consolation. I feel, the ending could have been a bit more sweeter, but life has his own ways. In the end, I am happy for him, he can finally spend the time with his loved ones, there was nothing much he could still achieve.

BUT DEAR RAHUL DRAVID, for me, cricket will never be the same as before. When next time India play a test match, & the first wicket falls, it will be hard to digest the fact that you won’t be coming out to bat. I doubt if  I will glue to the TV sets to watch an entire day of test cricket again. The no. 3 position will be different now. 9 MARCH’2012 will be a date to remember.

To sum up, I would use your own words to express myself as well……… "I leave with sadness but also with pride."