Reasons I can never forget an Nature Club Camp

1. The highest peak, the longest walk, the toughest climb, seems completely doable when the NC junta is around

2. No matter what, we always sing!

3. You see a place you’ve never seen before, talk to people you’ve never known, do thing’s you’ve never imagined, and come back with more stories than you can keep count of!

4. The C.O.M. (If you don’t know what that stands for, go for a camp!!!!)

5. On the first camp, the people I knew were 0. So what?

6. There’s never a dull moment! Even when you really really wishing there would be!

7. You’ll see birds you can never remember the names of (& hence get whacked )

8. You’ll possible even see an animal you will never forget for the rest of your life. In my case this was a tiger…

9. After a tiring day, trekking in some beautiful forest in the middle of nowhere, you sleep better than you would, any other day, any other time….

10. And, somewhere, on the banks of a distant river somewhere, or maybe sitting on a hill, overlooking the forest, you find yourself…
I know I did….

There’s something wrong with this city

This morning I saw something disturbing while on my way to work. Just before Lower Parel Station, I man lay on the tracks. For those who live in this city and travel often by train, this isn’t an unusual sight. We accept it as unavoidable accidents in a system that takes so many people to their destinations everyday. We deposit any feeling of discomfort to the almighty repository of fate and move on, station after station.
But today was something different. I said a prayer in my mind, so did some others who saw him. And then we got off the train as usual and went our way. But little did I know that a far more disturbing sight awaited me at the station. On the railway bridge, flocks of people gathered, craning their necks over each other and squeezing into the gaps to get a better view of the gore.
There was no sympathy in their murmur. No shock, not even discomfort at seeing another human being’s lifeless remains pecked at and scavenged by opportunistic crows. They just stood there, staring. It took me about 10 seconds to cross the bridge and all along the grilled fence, people stood, quietly absorbing the scene before them. Scavengers of another kind.
I don’t know how many of them realised that this was a human being, just like them. I don’t know if it entered their consciousness that what they were seeing was not just a murder of crows (I just realised the irony in that collective noun) feasting, but they were seeing the end of a life, much like their own, in the most disgraceful fashion possible. I wondered what was wrong with this city that I loved so much…
As I walked out of the station, into the scorching sun of the city, there was a world just like the one standing on the bridge. Only this one was speeding by. It was rushing about, feeling important. But both these worlds were deeply voyeuristic. Both these worlds had seen so much hardship and had survived it every day, that death and tragedy were but a spectacle, seen and forgotten.
Maybe then, this isn’t whats wrong with this city. Maybe this makes this city what it is. It gives her the strength to live through the gore and the scavengers, live through the hardships and eke out an existence, and again wake up in the morning, take the train, and live another day.

Clay Monsters- The MICA Edition

MICA Monsters:

The Placement Monster: Live in Fear

The DCP Monster

The 11.59 Submission Monster

The B-School Competition Monster (a.k.a.) the CV Point Monster (He’s friends with the placement monster)

My Experiments with Clay

There is something magical about clay. How you can create things and destroy them in an instant. How meaningless lumps become people, animals, things…anything you want! And the feeling of molding clay in your hands-the ultimate stressbuster Just wish I had a better camera!

Marathi Poems for Children

Khabdak Khabdak Ghodoaba

Ghodya var basle laadoba

Laadobache laad kartay kon?

Aaji ajoba, maavshya don

Ye re Ye re pausa

Tula deto paisa

paisa jhaala khota

paus aala motthha!

Ye ga ye ga Sari

Majhe madke bhari

Sarr aali dhaaun

Madke gele vahoon

Ithe Ithe bais re mora

Baal Deto Chaara

Chaara Khaa

Paani Pee

Aani bhoor udun jaa!

ek hota zural

chalat hota saral

bus madhe chadhla

tickit nahi kadhla

seat khali lapla

saral ghar ghathla

Chug chug chug chug ageen gaadi,
Dhuranchya resha hawet kaadi,
Palti zhade paahuya,
Mamachya gaavala zaooya…

Asawa sundar chocolate cha bangla Chanderi soneri chamchamta changla Chocolate chya banlyala toffiche daar

evda motha bhopla , akarani vattola , aat basli mhatari ani mhanali

chal re bhoplya tunuk tunuk

Leki kade jaeen,
Tup Roti Khaeen,
Jaad Jood hoeen,
Mag tu mala kha.

Govind Gopal Hey doghe bandhu,
Jeveet hote Dahi Bhaat Limbu.
Jevta jevta chamatkaar zala,
Undeer yeun paanaat mutla!

Kaavle Dada: Chiu Tai Chiu Tai daaaar ughad!
Chiu Tai: Thaamb mazya bala la aanghol ghalu de.
Kaavle Dada: Chiu Tai Chiu Tai daaaar ughad!
Chiu Tai: Thaamb mazya bala la sabu lau de.
Kaavle Dada: Chiu Tai Chiu Tai daaaar ughad!
Chiu Tai: Thaamb mazya bala cha aang pusu de.
Kaavle Dada: Chiu Tai Chiu Tai daaaar ughad!
Chiu Tai: Thaamb mazya bala powder lau de.
Kaavle Dada: Chiu Tai Chiu Tai daaaar ughad!
Chiu Tai: Thaamb mazya bala la teet lau de.
Kaavle Dada: Chiu Tai Chiu Tai daaaar ughad!
Chiu Tai: Thaamb mazya bala kapde ghalu de.
Kaavle Dada: Chiu Tai Chiu Tai daaaar ughad!
Chiu Tai: Thaamb mazya bala kes vinchru de.

Chiu Tai: Kudum kudum kudum kudum Kai khato re?
Kaavle Dada: Shengdanyache daane me khato re!
Chiu Tai: mala de mala de…
Kaavle Dada: Samp le samp le samp le!

atak matak chauli chatak
chauli zali god god
jeebhela ala fod fod
fod kaahi futena
gharcha pahuna uthena!

jeebhecha fod futla
Gharcha pahuna uthla!

gori gori pan , phula sarkhi chhan, dada mala ek navree aan

aapdi thapdi, gulachi papdi,

dhamak ladu , tel kadu

telangi che ekach pan donni hati dharle kaan

nakolya bai nakolya,

chandanachya tikolya,

ek tikli udaali,

ganget zaoon budaali,

Gangela aala londha,

Bhizla majha gonda,

something something..taaka la,

vinchu chavla naakala,
tyachi keli bhaaji
ti dili Mamala,
Mamala aali okari,
de ga maai supari!