Of Apples and Berries

Gone are the times when apples and blackberries were just fruits, and were affordable for even the aam junta.

Now apples are for the elite and blackberries are slowly finding a place amongst the masses, yet still not for the aam junta.

So where does that leave me? Well as much as I told myself and everyone around me that I wouldn't give in to the apparent juiciness of the blackberry, I did. It was last September when I laid my hands on my very own Blackberry. My excuse for buying it? Well, ease of communication, and, more importantly, writing. Writing has always been an outlet for my thoughts and writing on the go seemed convenient and exciting. At this point I can almost hear the non-blackberry users exclaim that there are other phones with the same function. But trust me, it's different. The ease with which you type on a BlackBerry as compared to a touch screen phone is incomparable. If there ever were a reason why I wouldn't go for the iPhone, this would be the sole one. Yes at this point, I can hear the sighs of disappointment and exclamations of disbelief. But it's true. I guess as much as I didn't want to...I've been sucked into the BlackBerry trap that I used to laugh and tease friends about.

And when friends now tease me about it, I just sit back and smile - their time will come soon.

Pages of my Waking Life will now be hosted on WordPress. Why? They have a BlackBerry app. Convenience wins yet again. You can read on here.

Indian Passion

Indians are a passionate lot - we love our food, our culture, our films, our festivals, but above all, we love cricket. Of course, I stand by what Aakar Patel pointed out - Indians don't love cricket, they love India - and this is the best way they can show it.

Well what more could we ask for after India won the World Cup - our country made it to the top...they broke Australia's winning streak. But if you thought that after the World Cup, no one was interested in cricket, you should watch an IPL match live in the stadium. More importantly, you should watch one with Sachin Tendulkar playing. The man is literally worshipped in the country. People in India may not know who our saree-wearing President is, but they know Sachin Tendulkar and idolize him. I truly believe that if Sachin, were to stand for President, he would win hands down, by more than just a landslide.

I had the opportunity to watch one such match this year at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where India's Godman had arrived, with his team of followers. They were to take on the Delhi Daredevils, and if you've lived in the metros long enough, you know that there is an unspoken rivalry between the two cities - with one being the national capital and the other the commercial capital.

The roar that the stadium erupts into once Sachin walks on the field with his bat, is enough to scare even the king of the jungle. That man, as little as he may be, is holding up the pressure from all his fans to perform outstandingly. Come to think of it, perhaps it was this that restricted his growth.

I can't say that I am passionate about the sport. Mine, in fact, is more of a seasonal passion - it comes every year with the IPL and doubles up every 4 years with the World Cup. But when you're at the stadium, the crowd's passion catches on and you find yourself jumping, cheering and even being a part of the Mexican wave.

You need to see it to believe it. But beware, their passion is contagious. You may find yourself back there again the next year fighting for your team in blue.

Live... Love... Write... Travel...

Live like everyday is your last
Love as though no one is watching you
Write like it's your only means of communication
Travel as though every place is next door

Discovering eternal love of the 1600s

Was love in the 1600s really simpler than today? These days we can get away with jewellery, chocolates and even roses. But back in the 17th century, Shah Jahan put his love for his wife Mumtaz on display with what became to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal.

Despite several trips to Delhi in my childhood, I first visited the Taj Mahal in Agra only in 2010. I was accompanied by my cousins and friends, and the trip was touted to be a legendary one. From my trip to both Delhi and Agra, I realised one thing - North Indians are not friendly, or we had some really bad luck, as everyone we met was just not interested in giving us directions. Though road signs started late, due credit goes to the state transport department who chose to count down the distance to the Taj in as much detail as every metre, but unfortunately missed out on erecting a sign at the most crucial sharp left turn. Alas! Perhaps the idea was to make finding the monument as difficult as finding love as pure and true as what Shah Jahan himself showed.

So we were left with just the dawn to see the magnificent structure. And if 2 of the 3 people you are travelling with love to sleep till noon, waking them up before dawn is a true feat, perhaps even more difficult than finding the Taj itself. The biting January cold doesn't make it one bit better.

So there we were being haggled by guides to let them show us the Taj. Any bright ideas to even walk the distance fizzled out when we found out it was more than 2 km away. We thought it wise to leave the walking and trotting to the experts and a horse carriage was the choice.

As we passed the rooms where the labourers lived, the main gate of the Taj Mahal was visible, with its 21 domes in 2 rows on top, one for each year it took to build the Taj. Thank God we took a guide along. Why were there so many entrances, why is the Taj open for night viewing only during a full moon, and what were the other 2 sandstone structures that guarded the beautiful monument? We would have been none the wiser.

While the precision and symmetry within the Taj is spectacular, it's the marble carvings that really catch your attention. Each flower and each leaf were carved out of that block of marble with such grace and accuracy, it makes you wonder what would happen to that entire block of marble, had the carver taken a wrong turn.

Behind the Taj Mahal stands the foundation of what could have been a similar structure in black marble. It would have surely been a sight with both standing upright, facing each other from across the Yamuna. Could the black marble marvel have overpowered it’s virgin twin?

Though January may not be the peak time to visit Agra, because of the biting cold, it didn't stop visitors from flocking there. Why? Perhaps they all just wanted to know for themselves that the love of the 1600s still stands strong.