The Magic of Goa

If you ever go to Goa to unwind, you are bound to be found lazing around at Curlie's shack at South Anjuna- Dando Beach. In season (Oct-Mar), you can try para-gliding from the hillock nearby, or dive into the beach for some water sports. But, on a blissfully cloudy off-season afternoon, this still is where you go.

On arriving, you may happen to order a vodka-fied Mojito called Vojito (pronounced as वोहीतो). This smooth cocktail of mint and spirit, believe me, is something you shall not regret. Considering you crashed late, the night prior, after having explored karaoke at St Anthony's, Baga Beach, much to everyone's agony (there is tremendous joy in pain sometimes), you may be late. You may have awoken post noon, feeling the day is done and so were you. Therefore, the sumptuous breakfast at Brittos/ Infantaria that you had until then fantasized about, would have become a distant dream. That morning breakfast dream, will also be fulfilled at Curlies. This is when you will happen to look queerly at certain 'goan aunties' right in front of the shack (see pic). No, they are not here to catch fish; they have not come to Dando to stroll by it; neither are they there to make a painted tattoo on your ankle .They are there to make wonderful egg omelettes.

As the sun sets , you will see one of them pour herself a glass of brandy, light a lamp on her stall and drink to the Arabian Sea in gay (happy-wala) abandon. Watching this, you may imagine her dancing to the hilariously contrasting trance beats playing in your background. Merry and laid-back, comical at times, that's Goa.

The lady along with her daughter, son and husband, has been into the business of putting up stalls by beach shacks to sell knick-knacks, since the past 40 years or so. Her stall costed some 60k, which she clearly told me, was out of my reach; way beyond what I could afford in this lifetime. It made me realize, I might be looking like a hippy to her and I started smiling. This tete-a-tete with the hawker woman, really got my pals and me rolling with laughter. She had some 'masti' about her; a sense of joie-d'vivre ; a 'devil-may-care' attitude. She even scared off a little kid, who was bothering her with too many qs. saying ' Don't talk to me--go away '. Riotous entertainment! Sittng a little far away, as we raised our glasses to her, she returned the gesture with a carefree giggle.

The thing is, in Goa, everything goes and everyone is happy. It’s a place for nature lovers, party hoppers, foodies, artistes and adventurers alike. People of all ages and from all walks of life can find a way to relax and enjoy out here. Whatever be your mood, on landing in this state, you are a liberated soul. How automatic is that? And why is it so?----- Goa simplifies everything! Old dim-lit lamps on weathered wooden tables by the beach, seem perfectly romantic and why not! The tingle in the air grows on you. Music is just a swinging step away and at times the buzz of the ocean waves doesn't even let you miss it. There is an unmatchable charm in this minimalism. Goa paces with you, speedy or slow. You are completely in the moment and each such moment seems infinite. From getting drenched in the rain to rolling in the sand, to dancing your socks off and strutting about in torn shorts----- everything goes. 

So if you ever go to Goa to unwind, leave everything on your mind.... behind.... and you will find yourself there ! Such is the magic of Goa.....

Anna Rocks, like no one's Business!

Who knew that a sweet and simple old man with an infectious and toothless grin, would be an icon to reckon with? Who knew he could stir an anti-corruption movement and touch the hearts of a gazillion followers? Am sure no one knew that India would be united in a non-violent revolution for her second freedom, under the leadership of a Gandhian in the 21^st century.                                         

Should the Prime Minister's office and the Supreme Court be included under the Lokpal  | How should the Lokpal team be elected | Who should constitute  the Lokpal | How should they function | What powers should they have? ---These are important questions that need a second look; another discussion; a deliberate thought. Corruption is rooted at the micro level and has spread  like a disease to the highest levels in our country. It's high time some reform took place and such desperate times call for desperate measures. The answer to some of these questions can be found in Anna’s leadership at this moment. The man is staring at his 9th day of fasting, having had nothing more than 3 litres of water every fasting day. Even if the followers who have taken to the streets, are clueless about the intricacies of the Jan Lokpal vis-a-vis the Government's version of it, they are united against corruption. They have lost faith in the government when it comes to corruption and have found a leading light in Anna Hazare's tenacity. He says in his trademark style 'Yeh sab log jo raaste par aake protest kar rahein hein, yeh sab tang aa gaye hein sarkar ke brashtachar se, aur ab isko rok ke hi rahenge'.

What is ensuing before our eyes today is nothing but a Kung-Fu hustle between the people and its representatives. What a classic irony! A simple request to consider her people’s demands is being looked at , by this government, as some sort of a crime! The snake-style defence that the leading  party-the Congress has adopted, against all dialogues, is three-fold. 1.They say that one person musn’t sway the masses and mislead them to believe they can pressurize the government and form laws as they deem appropriate. 2. They believe that bringing the PM and Judiciary under the ambit of the Lokpal would undermine the very office they hold. 3. A question lingers around the accountability of the Lokpal itself....

I am no expert on politics or legality, but would like to share my view point of these chains of thought one by one.

Firstly, the perfect counter example for point no.1 is Ramdev and his antics. They didn't work. He tried and failed to garner as much support for the same cause, despite being such a popular personality. A certain lady professed her desire to marry him and that's about it. The fact is, people are not in awe of popular icons, masses are not asses for once and definitely not lame sheep to blindly follow the herd. They are not supporting a person, but the ideals he stands for , the cause he represents and the course he takes to achieve the goal! They are united against corruption as they have faced its wrath, in some form or the other, while dealing with government agencies. It is high time they know where their taxes go and its time they got their money's worth. Now you may say, the Lokpal is an independent investigative agency meant to persecute only public servants against corruption. How does this affect corporates, private agencies etc.? My answer is that, if the government leads the change, things are bound to be set in order gradually. Isn't it?

Secondly, if we, the people who elected the party to power in the first place, are showing our peaceful solidarity towards a positive change, the govt. should see no harm in considering our inputs. This power has been given by the people; should be used for the people; to satisfy well-justified demands of the people. And what is this demand?---- the formation of a pro-active anti-corruption body, which has teeth to bite anyone who flounders! That sounds quite fair to me. The Parliament must follow by example.

Thirdly, the Lokpal team would be accountable to the Supreme court. The CAG would conduct their yearly audits and so on. Guidelines need to be laid down on the manner in which they can function, so as to curb misuse of authority by the Lokpal members themselves. The Jan Lokpal itself might need more fine-tuning, but by and large, I am with Anna and I think his recommendations must get a decent hearing .The political parties must take a justified stand on this issue which has struck a chord with  every citizen.                                                                  

On the lighter side,  I love the way he says ' Main aaj raat tihar jail mein rahoonga , aur aap sab ko kal subah Ramlila maidaan mein miloonga'. His simplicity & easy charm coupled with a strong sense of purpose & conviction makes him an affable leader. Anna's cool quotient is soaring high and he has surely kicked the boat shaped cap back into fashion !! Like Arnab Goswami, the Times Now journalist-of-the-moment, says  'Anna Hazare doesn't need any Z-security like some of our politicians do, as the entire country has joined the cause he is leading '. We, the people, are his security cover and the echo in his voice ! I hope to see a positive resolution to the Lokpal revolution and I hope this voice is heard......

Born on 15th Jan 1940, in a village near Ahmednagar, Anna Hazare had a stint in the Indian Army, post which he has been working as a social reformer towards rural upliftment, against corruption, redtapism and bureaucracy. He set out on a 15 day fast on 16th Aug 2011, pushing for the Jan Lokpal to be heard in Parliament. He and his dedicated team of leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and the like, are all for a robust Lokpal bill and will not stop till they succeed!

To join the 'India Against Corruption Movement', follow this link http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org/  and to know more about Anna Hazare go to the following link http://www.annahazare.org/biography.html  or watch his video on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96BirWKnco0&feature=related

My Island of Bliss.....

Peter D’mello is not working today.

Off he shrugs his shoulder and turns around to say,

‘Don’t bother me with frivolous work; it’s time for my siesta.

I will wake up only by evening, ready for some fiesta.‘

When D’mello awakens, the oath is taken.

‘To Kings Beer and Tiger prawns, I hereby surrender

The moment gets jazzed up to the strumming of a Fender

Laughing & Singing & Jiving & Living......

Anchoring my laziness on a hammock of sloth

Under the golden sun I bask

No worries…not a question, I ask

Fixing that golden fizz on merry sands

What happens next is out of my hands......’

I too will move to Candolim

The moment my plane touches Dabolim

The mood may last from dusk to dawn

And the fun might just go on and on

Flying & Swaying & Smiling & Playing

I’m off to Goa and nothing’s amiss

Am soon to reach my island of Bliss!!

(All characters in the above text are fictitious . Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental :-P)

Listen Learn & Enjoy !

On a trip to Kolkata, last year, I got introduced to a wooden toad that croaks. It's an exceptionally perky toad that turns out to be quite an entertaining and handy percussion instrument (we had the august pleasure of meeting the croaking toad at the 'Iktarawala' shop, at the city centre 2 mall in Kolkata). I haven't yet been able to confirm whether  this 'musical clan of toads' originated in Kolkata/Tamil Nadu or from some place in South east Asia ...or even Africa but I am glad that I was taken to that shop, so one of these toadies could hop skip and jump onto my palm .The ever-smiling Iktarawala (Mr. Khanna) willingly played the Iktara (one among many instruments used by 'Bauls'- a syncretic religious sect of  musicians/entertainers from Bengal), as well as the croaking toad for us. He twirled a wooden stick on the toad's rough back and tapped its nose .... almost bringing it to life! We've made a video which is quite like a tutorial in itself.

It's nice to see how it takes one guy's effort to showcase the culture of a state to everyone. This definitely was one of the cutest kiosks that I have ever seen at a shopping mall---An experience worth savouring!

The interesting thing about the 2nd instrument in this video i.e. the Iktara is that---with just one string, one note , one can create rhythms to sing any song !! The string has to be tuned to the sound of Fa or मा note of the scale in which the song is being sung and Voila ....you've got music which can be endless hours of fun! Confusing??? Well, not really---Infact, the simplicity of these two instruments now makes me interested in more such . There is really no end to how engrossing and limitless music can be.

The bottom line is ---- Mr Khanna guarantees that practising these instruments for 10 mins every day can make me a 'Star' someday. So I am at it ....rocking and rolling ...tuurrruk tik tok ...tuuurrrruk tak tak ....:-D

Kick Start ...& Vroooom !

Is 'writer's block' the best way to describe how writing a blog was always on my 'to-do list' but I could never strike that done? Its not one of the things I just randomly decided to do. Its one of those things that I used to once like to do and now want to resume ! ...

I have been tongue-tied just like Amitabh Bachchan's character is in this scene from the yesteryear movie 'Chupke Chupke (one of my all time favorites) , where he is feigning to teach Jaya B Botany when all he knows is Literature ....'all that glitters is not gold ...gobi ka phool, phool hoke bhi nahi hota ...corolla you see is a form of karela ' :-D Like he looked and sounded funny trying to act ....I look and sound funny  keeping my to do list alive .....I too, was trying to do something new but would end up diluting it with what came easily at that moment 'sleeping ' .......So the idea of writing remained in my head , on the list and yet nowhere really.

I did once own a beautiful diary and wrote so much bunkum in it - Trashed the silliest parts of it one day for I could no longer identify with them . As the years passed by, all that was left was the cover (It was hard bound ...so hard to tear ! :-P) And yes, the diary was a special gift, so I preserved the cover for keeps . Loads of my writings from it are now locked up as faint memories, somewhere in a virtual attic up in my head or in a box at home....

Watch this video to know the level of my predicament http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8GsmUKOB4I Let Big B (Kumar) enter the scene and you can enjoy a good laugh .....He (Kumar) says 'arrey jo hona chahiye tha woh toh ho nahi raha aur jo nahin hona tha woh  ho raha hai ...aap log toh samajhne ki koshish hi nahi karte na ' And Dharmendra (Parimal) says .....' Mere khayaal se tum rehne hi do ' ......hahahaha ....But I say 'aaj toh main faislaa kar ke hi rahoongi ....'

To sum up,  my mind often thinks a little faster than i can write and there are always two, at times three parallel lines of thought dancing along in my head ....Writing , in such a condition could be exceptional fun or a hilarious disaster but nothing much in between . 

That said, I think I'll just go for it, dive in and this is where my motto comes in very handy--- 'Whatever it is , I am going to give it a fair shot and have a feeling I am going to enjoy it!' :-)