Humanity v/s Helplessness

It was afternoon time whn i was returning back to home from Andheri on Friday.. had some office work so finished it up ... nd headed directly to home... as ther was 78 hours MEGABLOCk, strating from Friday evening till Monday morning.... between Borivali - Virar for quadrapling of tracks.

I got down from the bridge on Platform No. 4 where Virar train comes... and was going ahead where Ladies compartment comes... nd i heard one small kid crying badly... whn saw around... one small boy, around 10 yrs old, with no clothes on his body except one halfpant - sitting on platform was holding tht kid on his lap.... the kid was jst wrapped in one thin, small nd dirty cloth... nd it was really crying badly.... i asked him, "wherz ur mummy".... but he didnt answered.... i asked him again, thn he jst pointed his hand in some direction... so i thot she mst be somewher here and as i saw the train coming .. i ran towards ladies compartment nd got in.

As it was afternoon time so ther was hardly 10-12 ladies in the whole compartment. I got window seat so was jst njoying breeze.

Again i heard one kid's voice crying... didnt paid ny heed as thot tht it might be of some passenger's kid's voice... but i saw one lady, watching someone sitting on the door nd gossiping abt it with her frnd.... so was curious to see.. abt whom she is talking. So.. got up nd went to the door... nd I was shocked.... the same boy was sitting beside the door with tht kid in his hand.... nd the more the kid was crying... he started hitting tht kid. I jst lost my temper... nd yelled at him.... "arree kya kar raha hai.... itne chote se bacchhe ko kyu maar raha hai..." but he didnt answered.

And then... some one or two ladies came running to see wht was going on... kya hua.. kya hua... nd i told tht .. ths kid is crying so much.. nd ths boy is hitting him ... One lady moved tht cloth nd said tht ... aree yeh toh ladkii hai... nd we were shocked to see... tht kid was jst of 10-15 days.. newly born kid... everyone was shocked.. such a small kid... wher ths boy must have taken her.. or wher is he going....

It was crying so badly tht her whole body had become red... i had some water so poured some drops of water in her mouth... nd she stopped crying. I asked him to come nd sit inside... holding such a small kid near the door.... dont u hav sense.... nd he came in... I again asked him ... wherz ur mom.... nd y u were sitting on the platform... but he didnt answered nythng. All the ladies came nd asked wht happened.... nd i told them tht he was sitting on the platform with ths kid.. nd now not answering wher his mom is.

Now... some said ... he must have taken her for begging... as looking to the kid.. ppl tend to giv some money... while some of them started saying tht sach bata.... "Chorii karke to nahii laaya haii naa isko".... nd no doubt nyone can get tht feeling... as he was not saying nythng. After asking him so many times... we said tht we would take u to police if u dont say nythng... nd tears rolled down his eyes nd said ... "chorii karke nahii laayaa"... thank God.. he said somethng... thn we asked... so.. wherz ur mom? he said Miraroad.... i m going ther only. We asked... Miraroad mein hai.. thn wht were u doing at Andheri station? He didnt said nyhtng... again everyone started saying tell the truth or v wld take u to police...

In the meanwhile, ths kid again started crying ... we all knew tht she was too hungry.. was worried wht to do now.... One lady who was sitting beside me said... shall I feed her??.... And I was like..... shocked.. she said I too hav one 3 months kid... I cant see her crying like ths.... nd I said... dont tell me nythng.. jst go ahead... she took her on her lap nd fed her.... nd the kid was so hungry.... tears rolled down from both of our eyes... she said... wht to do.. I cant see her crying like ths... v dont even know since whn she is hungry..... U can feel presence of God everywher... isnt it?

Everyone was trying to ask him.... as u nevr knw..... ther r so many bad instances tht r going on these days... nd on top of ths... tht kid was a girl.... so everyone was so worried .. wht the matter cld be... Initially, we asked him polietly.... but whn he was not ready to say ntyhtng.. v said tht v all r getting down at Miraroad nd wld take u to the police.... thn he said tht My mom died some yrs back... nd my father got married to someone else.... so we asked her.. thn whose kid is ths? so he said tht ... ths is my aunt's (mom's sister) kid.... v asked him tht wher is she... so he said tht she is at miraroad.. nd i m going ther only. We asked him if she has some other kids also.. so he said yes.. she has one more kid of around 2 yrs.... We were all shocked... wht kind of heart does ths lady has... she dont even bother giving her 10 days kid in the hands of ths boy who himself is of 10 yrs... wht if he wld hav lost her somewher? wht if he wld not have handled her properly..... nd v all decided to get down at miraroad... nd search for her. Everyone was so angry.

Tht lady who fed her ... wrapped tht kid neatly with the cloth... nd tied a handkerchief on her head.... Station came... nd we got down... We were searching for some police... but as we walked ahead on the platform.. we saw tht one lady was sitting there with one kid.... as she saw us... she came running ... tht boy said tht yes she is my aunty.... nd everyone was so angry on her.... they yelled nd said... tht how can u send such a small kid for all these things.... dont u feel nythng.... we warned her tht if ths boy is seen again with ths kid.. we wld take u directly to the police.. mind tht... nd everyone returned back to their home.

That day... I learnt one lesson.... tht v shld never encourage beggers.. I always used to giv some money to them... but once... one of my frnd saw ths.. nd said tht y do u encourage them.. do u knw wht do they do of ths money... from tht day.. i used to giv them some biscuits or some chapattis.... but not money. Today whn i saw ths boy... i really felt like thanking my frnd. Was somehow feeling very bad tht... poverty nd want of money has made these ppl so helpless tht they dont even bother sending 10 days kid with tht small boy with a hope tht looking at such a small kid ... ppl wld surely give some money...

Was not able to sleep properly tht night.. all these questions kept on coming al the time... Had a fear tht wht if tomorrow again ths lady wld send her kid with ths boy for the same thng.. then???

Sometimes dont understand wht all God have planned for his holy play......???

Life in A..... Metro

Hmm... so once again up with a review.... read on...

After a hard-hitting ‘Gangster’.... Anurag Basu now comes up with ‘Metro’... a multi-layered story revolving around several characters.... Each story is stacked with another and are somehow connected to character(s) in another.

And there are ppl like Rahul [Sharman Joshi], Neha [Kangana Ranaut], Ranjeet [Kay Kay Menon], Shikha [Shilpa Shetty], Akash [Shiney Ahuja], Shruti [Konkona Sen Sharma] and Debu [Irrfan Khan].... who come together in ths METRO.... "One city. Countless Emotions".

Shruti (Konkona Sen Sharma) is a 30 yr old girl who still has no love in her life. She meets Debu (Irrfan Khan), a possible suitor, but rejects him... Shruti has a crush on a RJ at the radio centre she works in. But her small fling with him ends with a shocking revelation.

Shikha (Shilpa Shetty), Shruti’s elder sister, is married to Ranjeet (Kay Kay Menon) and has a 6 yr old daughter. There is no love left between Shikha and Ranjeet. Theirs is more like a marriage of compromise.

Ranjeet is the boss in a BPO firm. In the same office.... works Rahul (Sharman Joshi) who lives in his uncle’s flat, which is often used by his colleagues and seniors for.... ah... no words to say.... Rahul obliges his seniors because he wants to rise up to managerial levels in his office... (hard to believe .. tht all ths cld be real)

Rahul has a crush on Neha (Kangana Ranaut), his colleague. He doesn’t know that Neha is in a relationship with Ranjeet, until the day Ranjeet asks Rahul for the key to his flat to ‘spend time’ with Neha.

On the other hand..... therz a series of brief encounters between Shikha and Akash (Shiney Ahuja).

Akash is a theatre artist who does his rehearsals next to an Old Age home tht Shikha regularly visits to meet her former teacher Shivani (Nafisa Ali).

Dharmendra plays Amol.... Shivani’s lover from the past who comes back into her life to spend his last days with her.

Neha chases Rahul. Shikha chases Akash. Debu chases Shruti.

Oh... now i wont narrate whole story over here... but wld surely put some best points which i liked v.much in the movie...

1. The constant fights of Shilpa nd Kay Kay Menon or teh serious immersed-in-lust relation of Kay Kay and Kangana make you look forward to what 'worse' could happen next.

2. When 38 year old Irrfan Khan [who likes to be called 35] takes a 'lil younger Konkana Sen to the top of the terrace and vent with a scream.... tht chhillaao.... sab gussaa bahar nikaalo... zor se chhilaao... nikaalo... nikaalo nikaalo... nd thn... he pats her on the back and says... "Good job, your servicing is done. Now live on with life."

And later in the film..... when Konkana finally realizes her love for him.... a flabbergasted Irrfan asks with a quizzical expression... "oh.... pehle batanaa thaa naa.... "sab blouse aur peticoat to uske naap ke siilaaye hai (the one whom he was getting married).... i tell u ths was the best ya..... the person sitting next to me.... jst jumped off his chair laughing.... it was too good..

3. Sharman has always been adorable.... he delivers yet another contrasting yet noteworthy performance after STYLE and RDB.... He is really v.cute.... Here too... he actually makes you weep a tear as he plays a role which Shahrukh Khan describes as his saddest ever in YES BOSS. He is a man who just knows two words - YES BOSS, esply. whn someone wants the keys to hs apartment...

4. Kangana and Shiney may have relative smaller parts..... but they ensure tht they do a good job in the limited screen time they get. And frm Kay Kay.... it is now quite obvious to expect nothing but a very good performance.

5. Moments between Dharmendra and Nafisa are feel-good to begin with. Scenes like Dharmendra jumping the railway tracks to meet the woman..... whom he had left 40 yrs back or eating 'kheer' directly from a 'kadai' makes make u adore the man all over again.

6. And yes....how can i forget..... the manner... the entire BAND METRO is placed. Comprising of Pritam, James, Soham and Suhail.... the band comes at jst the right places in the film nd brings an altogether never-experienced-before mood to storytelling.

7. The film belongs to each nd every character in the film but.... if someone stands out.... it is "Irrfan Khan". Shilpa looks extremely gorgeous even in daily wear..... while Konkana proves yet again tht she deserves to be utilized more for her immense acting abilities.

Though for some situation.. its hard to believe it to be real metro life... ya.. i cld be wrong... nyways.. In short... a nicely crafted movie.... ought to be seen once.... :)

20 yrs and counting....

Today.... India’s sole aircraft carrier ‘INS Viraat’..... a 28,700-tonne and 226.5-metres long vessel.... completes 20 yrs with the Indian Navy. It holds a special place for Mumbaikars as it is mostly based in the city.


As per the source... India purchased ths vessel in April, 1986 and the floating airport, called ‘HMS Hermes’ by the Royal Navy, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on May 12, 1887 at Devenport near Plymouth in the UK. The mighty vessel..... which proved its mettle during the Falklands War in May 1982, was named as “Viraat’’ (giant) by the wife of the former Indian high commissioner to the UK, Aakama Alexander.


Also, Captain Vinod Pasricha, the first officer who commandeered the warship between May, 1987 - December, 1988... said tht.... whn the Royal Navy handed over ths warship to them for a pittance amnt of Rs 400 crore, the British officers appeared convinced that its life span wld not extend beyond 10 yrs i.e. till 1997. They even expressed doubts whether the Indian Navy wld be able to manage the aircraft carrier.

Pasricha, now retired and settled in Pune, said... "They (Royal Navy) have been proved wrong because she (‘INS Viraat’) has operated for 20 yrs and I am confident that she can remain in service for another 10 yrs or so. And the Royal Navy is extremely happy at the way we have looked after it. It has undoubtedly exceeded their expectations.’’


The present captain of the naval giant, Girish Luthra, said tht the warship was tentatively slated to remain operational till about 2015. It is expected to undergo a routine refit programme next year which will further increase its life span.


On August 17, 1987, ‘INS Viraat’ arrived off Mumbai and was taken for customs clearance to Goa. And on August 21, 1987, she was accorded a red-carpet welcome off the Gateway of India.

Pasricha Also said tht like INS Vikrant, Viraat too cld be turned into a naval museum once it is phased out in about 10 years.


The navy will hold blood donation drive and feed the poor to mark the 20th anniversary of INS Viraat....




VIRAAT FACTFILE

- Built by Vickers-Armstrong in the UK

- Launched as ‘HMS Hermes’ on February 16, 1953, by Clementine Churchill, wife of former British PM Winston Churchill

- The warship entered service with the Royal Navy on November 18, 1959. She saw glory during the May 1982 Falklands War

- She served with the Royal Navy till April 12, 1984 and was sold to the Indian Navy in April 1986

- Between July 1999 and April 2001, she underwent a major life extension refit. This resulted in upgrading her propulsion system, an addition of a new package of sensors, the introduction of a modern communication system, a new long-range surveillance radar, weapons systems and also a new hangar

- The aircraft carrier’s lift system was revamped to reduce the reaction time in the event of air attack.

- A new flood alarm system was also installed

- It has been equipped with a 12’’ ski jump to operate the Sea Harriers

- In 2003 she underwent another major upgrading and came back to service in November 2004. During this period she became the first warship of the Indian Navy to be equipped with the Israeli Barak anti-missile system. The warship’s magazine capacity includes about 80 lightweight torpedoes. It also has the capacity to transport commandos for around 750 troops

- She is equipped with an air search, air/surface search, navigation and fire control radars. She has a hull mounted sonar with a search and attack capability

- She has a hi-tech combat information and a satellite communication system

- She has the capacity to carry 30 Sea Harriers. She also carriers the Kamov airborne early warning helicopters

- Carries the Sea King commando assault and vertical replenishment helicopters. Hindustan Aeronautical Limited’s Chetak and Dhruv helicopters also form a part of the warship’s air group

- The maximum speed is 28 knots and it has a maximum range of 6500 miles at 14 knots

Up Up and Up.....

Re edges toward 9 yr peak.... Rs. 40.88

Read Here

The rupee has gained more than 8% ths year, with most of the gains coming in the last 2 months.... boosted by capital inflows into the fast-growing economy.

Foreign funds hav bought more than $2.9 billion worth of stocks so far in 2007. And... the central bank bought $19.7 billion in the 4 months to end-February in a bid to stem the rupee's rise..... ths lead to infusion of rupee, which increades liquidity and ultimately lead to rise in inflation.

Updates:

One of the prime domestic reasons for the sharp appreciation in the domestic currency is the tight liquidity in the money market. The shock therapy applied by the RBI to cool down inflation has choked liquidity further.

RBI increased the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 50 basis points (bps) [100 bps make 1%] to 6.50%.... nd repo rates by 25 bps to 7.75% to control inflation [CRR is the proportion of deposits that commercial banks need to keep with RBI as cash...... nd the repo rate is the rate at which banks borrow from RBI for the short term]. Now... these measures absorbed Rs 15000 crore from the banking system.

Also.. the main cause for rupee's appreciation is Excess dollars chasing the economic boom in India.

Try to offer to exchange US dollars for Indian rupee... a person who is aware of market trends... wld probably decline the offer..... Re has lot of importance in the forex martkets. It has appreciated to an 9 yr. high against the $.

Improving economic fundamentals.... nd stronger growth prospects hav led to a global interest in the Indian economy. Foreign money is pouring in... to ride the economic boom nd take advantage of the rising interest rates.... stock nd real estate prices.

Can u imagine.... the net FII inflow (debt and equity) since Jan, 2006 was close to $10 billion. NRIs also remitted home a considerable amount of dollars. The higher intt. rates in the domestic mrkt..... compelled companies to borrow in dollars in foreign mrkts (u can say external commercial borrowings) to fund their expansions plans...... Naturally, when the supply of dollars exceeded the demand, the rupee soared...

FIIs usually get money in India in dollars to invest in stocks and other assets. A stronger re will mean tht..... they get a lower amount to invest. A rising re will add to the dollar returns of FIIs that don't hedge the currency risk. In order to prevent a rapid appreciation of the rupe, the RBI buys dollars from banks and sells rupees, which enhances the liquidity in the banking system.

If ths liquidity is not sterilised (absorbed).... out of the banking system by the RBI..... interest rates are likely to fall. These excess dollars usually find their way to the country's foreign exch. reserves. The RBI and the government incur costs on account of the sterilisation measures and maintenance of reserves.

Higher reserves can be helpful in the event of an external financial crisis, like the foreign exch. crisis in India in 1991.

The long-term intrinsic value of a currency is a function of various other factors, such as int. rate differentials.... trade equations..... and so on. It shlld always be kept in mind tht.... the rupee has appreciated primarily on account of the excess dollars chasing the economic boom in India.

And yes.... Any reversal of such flows.... due to a change in the global perception of India cld put the rupee under pressure.

Now, The RBI is facing a dilemma whether to control inflation..... or.... manage the re to maintain the country’s export competitiveness. If the central bank decides to maintain the rupe weak.... it wld end up generating more liquidity in the domestic mrkt.... which wld fuel inflation. With inflation ruling at above 6% compared with a comfortable 5% to 5.5% level envisaged by the central bank..... controlling inflation seems to be the priority.... :)

Whew.... dont knw wht concrete steps shld be taken at ths point of time... It again like... ????? :) :)

I hope i hav clarified some imp. points.... ok thn... feeling too hungry... see u later.. :)

???

do pal miiltey haii....
saath saath chalte haii.....
do pal miiltey haii....
saath saath chalte haii.....
jab modd aaye toh.. bachke nikalte hai....
kitney ajeeb rishtey hain yahan pe...

Rishte bharose chaahat yakiin....
unnn sab ka daaman abb chaak haii....
samajhe thhe haathon mein hai jameen...
muthhi jo kholi bass khaak haii.....
dil mein yeh shor hai kyun....?
imaan kamjor hai kyun...??
naazuk yeh dor hai kyun....???

Yeh Housla Kaise Juke,
Yeh Aarzoo Kaise Ruke...

Manzil Muskiil toh kya,
Bundla Sahil toh kya,
Tanha Ye Dil toh Kya....

Raah Pe Kante Bikhre agar,
Uspe to phir bhii chalna hii haii,
Shaam Chhupale Suraj magar,
Raat ko ek diin Dhalana hii haii,

Rut ye tal jaayegii,
Himmat rang laayegii,
Subhah phiir aayegii....

Yeh Housla Kaise Juke,
Yeh Aarzoo Kaise Ruke...

Hogii hame to rehmatt ada,
Dhup kategi saaye tale,
Apni khuda se hai ye Dua,
Manzil lagale humko gale

Zurrat so baar rahe,
Uncha Ikraar rahe,
Zinda har pyar rahe....

Yeh Housla Kaise Juke,
Yeh Aarzoo Kaise Ruke...

Nothing to worry.... jst felt like putting these lines on my bloggie.. :)