Kuwait to Bombay

After 15 years in Kuwait, I was a bit hesitant coming back to India. During the Gulf War, I had the opportunity to stay in Bombay for a couple of years, and the thought of coming back made me feel gloomy - no more football, no more shawarmas ! Damn !
In the coming few posts, I will be blogging about my experience of coming to Bombay. It has been six years here, and it still feels like yesterday. Despite a million and one things that I can rant about Bombay and its pale standing in comparison to Kuwait or Dubai, I still don't feel like I want to get out of here - not yet atleast.
Bombay is like a sweet drug that you want use though it abuses you in turn too.
Next post - The ego has landed...in Bombay.

Strange behaviour during travel

just read an article on the website of 7days, about how arabs behave on flights. it made interesting reading, but i must confess, such behaviour is prevelant in india as well.
i remember once when i was flying to kuwait, i saw a lady who was sitting with both her feet on the seat! i agree that it was practical though, keeping in mind the minimal foot room, two and a half inches to be precise.
same thing happens in trains and buses here.
sigh!

I quit

it seemed very odd during my last day in office. it felt as if i had joined there only yesterday - six months later, and i did not have much enthu on getting back home. just hanged around till 8pm, by then everyone had left except for a the 'regulars'.
do not know where i will end up. currently unemployed, job applications have been far from successful.
no worries about that though, have something really important lined up for today evening. if that goes well...i'm outta here in a couple of weeks

Mumbai rains...

well, there have been these forwards going around comparing the aftermath of katrina in us with the rains in bombay on the 26th of july.
let me just tell one thing to every indian who "basks in pride" with such a comparison - just shut up and get your head checked.
it is a shame that we guys are feeling "proud" of such a comparison. it is pathetic.
first things first, new orleans was hit by a HURRICANE, while bombay just received rain. i can bet that if a hurricane were to hit bombay.....we would have seen only half of it now, do not forget bombay is built on reclaimed land...so that would mean it would be half of what it is today
secondly, the hurricane and rains kept lashing new orleans for days, in bombay they lasted for roughly 12 hours.
and lastly and most importantly, it is such a shame that people want to score browny points over some elses tragedy. if law and order was maintained in bombay, it was despite the authority, not due to it, and because of the generally helping nature of all mumbaikars.
let us stop this kind of crappy comparison and instead convey our empathy and prayers towards those suffering due to katrina.
God bless

Fatwa against Sania Mirza...

some indian ulema has declared a fatwa against Sania Mirza for the way she dresses. allegedley, "it leaves nothing to imagination"! what a shame! and that comment coming from an ulema....hmm....it never triggered any of my imagination.
fine she dresses skimpy, but wht else do you expect someone to wear in the sweltering heat playing tennis?
what irks me further more is this selective targetting. my question is why target only her? i mean there are others as well......take for example Katrina Kaif in Boom...now THAT left nothing for imagination.
then there are guys as well...Salman Khan has roamed around in chaddis since times immemorial, last i heard, there is a dress code prescribed for men as well. should'nt the fatwa racket include all these people as well?
well anyways, that just shows where the indian ulemas are...
i just hope that they mature up and open up some more. instances like these go on to promote Islam as a strict and authoritarian religion...which in fact it is not. to top it off, Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) went on to emphasise that Islam is not to be forced on anyone.

In office, and bored !

well, nothing much happening, just going through some random blogs about dubai and i came across some pretty good ones:

www.secretdubai.blogspot.com
http://pixel8.rediffblogs.com/
www.bsak.blogspot.com
http://menademocrats.blogspot.com/

Anyways, work is still on with regards to my installment on the experiences of 26th july 05, the day it rained in bombay...

might also blog something abt work, but i'll wait for that for the time being...

hmmm...

life just goes on