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Waqt ne kiya, kiya Haseen Sitam

2012-01-15T15:21:00.003-05:00

Tum rehe na Tum, Hum rahe na Hum...(Kaifi Azmi)

Khwaab...

2012-01-10T13:11:00.000-05:00

Jantaa hoon

Hamara Bichad Janaa hi

Ab Meri Zndagi ki
ek Zinda Haqeeqat hai

Par

Baqi Ye Sab khwaab sa Kiyoon hai?
Mitne ka Ehsaas Sa Kiyoon hai?

Economic Empowerment of Muslims (Beyond Sachar)

2011-12-19T08:47:00.000-05:00

2011-12-19T08:24:00.000-05:00

Economic empowerment of Muslims (beyond Sachar)

View more presentations from jebroni

2011-12-04T09:12:00.001-05:00

Tum ne mujh ko piro ke rakha tha.....(Gulzar)

28/11

2011-11-28T15:49:00.001-05:00

Ansoouon ko Kaise Pata hota hai

Kaun si Taarikh hai ?

Kiya hua tha aaj ?

Kaun mila tha ?

Aur Kiyoon Bichad gyaa koi ?

Kaise Ye Bin Bataye chale aate hain?

Har Lamhe, Har Pal ko Apne Sath liye

Aur phir Sab Kaam Kaaj Rukwa kar Mere

Saari Tawajjah ye le lete hain...

Tareekhon aur Salgirahon ka Hisaab

to Bas Sirf Tum Khoob Rakhti thin...

Tawajjah = Attention, Salgirah = Anniversary
(C) Shahid Parvez Sayed

Din dhale jahan, Raat paas ho!

2011-11-27T13:04:00.001-05:00

Din Dhale jahan, Raat paas ho

Zindagi ki lau unchi kar chalo

Yaad aayen gar kabhi

Jee Udaas ho

Meri awaaz hi pehchan hai

Gar yaad rahe...

(Gulzar)

Tumhari Aakhri Araam Gaah...

2011-10-23T16:40:00.001-04:00

Jab kisi ne meri Tanhayee ka sabab pucha

Tum se is Darjaa Judayee ka sabab pucha

Ye bhi Pucha ke tum kaun thin? Kaisi thin?

Kahan se Aayin thin?

Kiyoon chale Jana tha tumhen?

Kiyoon Tum Ruk nahi payin thin?

Main ne ye Keh diya, Sach keh diya

Ke Arsa hua, Mar Chuki ho Tum

Bandhan woh Saare Tod Chuki ho Tum

Apne hi Hathon Tumhen Dafan kiya hai main ne

Khud Pe Ek aur Sitam kiya hai main ne

Dafan kar di hain woh Muskurahaten

Jinhen dekh Dil jhoom jhoom ho uthta tha!

Woh Adaayen bhi

Jo Sirf Tumhen hi aati thin

Aur Woh Gussa

Jis main Mahobbat ki Tapish hoti thi

Woh Aankhen

Jo mere Naam Pe Muskati thin

Ab Mere Dil ke Niha khano Main Madfoon ho Tum

Kaun kehta hai Meri Jaan Mujh se Door ho Tum?

Ab Ye Dil mera -

Ek Qabar hai

Tumhari Aakhri Aaram Gaah...

Ye batla do...

2011-10-02T04:35:00.000-04:00

Kehte hain ke

Waqt ke sath sab badal jate hain

Rishte, Naate, Chere, Naam

Mahobbat ke woh lamhe bhi

Waqt ke aage sar jhuka kar

Poorane jazbon main

Naye maani talash karte hain

Aur Suraj ke gird ghoomne wali dharti

Ek naya mahwar talash kar

Phir se usi tezi se ghumne lagti hai

jaise ke kuch hua hi na ho!

Yehi zaroori hai shaid

Zindagi ki irtiqa ke liye
Badalna Laazim hai
Naye Rishton se wafa ke liye

To phir, ..
Halke dhaani, Aasmani rang

Jo Waqte-Rukhsat main

Tumhare Dupatte pe chod aaya tha

Woh kiyoon nahi badle?

Ye batla do

Bas ye batla do...

Ramzan in Atlanta

2011-08-01T10:37:00.006-04:00

Jab koi dhaan paan si

Sanvli si dikhne wali ladki

Wazu kiye

Safed dupatta odhe

Mere khayal -e- masjid ki

Seedhiyon pe aa khadi hoti hai

Aankhon main bas ek lafz liye

"Chalen!"

Main ye samajh jata hoon

ke Ramzan aa chuka hoga!!

Mumkin...

2011-06-23T13:32:00.002-04:00

Aur phir yaad ke saare panchi

ek ek kar Ud jate hain...

Umr bhar ka sath kahan mumkin tha?

Yaaden...

2011-03-26T13:34:00.004-04:00

Jab Khuda kisi par khush hota hai to use Mahobbat ataa karta hai. Tumhen woh Atiya mila hai jo bahut kam insano ko milta hai. Aise halaat main jab ke tumhen is ki zara bhi tawakko na thi - tumhen mahobbat mili. Aur phir kaisi piyari ladki ki masoom mahobbat!

Halaat par tumhara kaboo nahi. Waqt ke sel ko tum nahi rok sakte - TUM DONO KO JUDA HONA THA!

Aise dil - aawez lamhe Lafaani hote hain aur mit jaate hain, lekin un ki yaaden reh jaati hain. Aur ye yaad zindagi ke udaas lamhon ko jagmagati hain-

Kaisa Qaif aawar khyaal hai ke kabhi tumhen ek bholi bhali mukhlis ladki ne chaha tha aur shaid ab bhi duniya ke kisi goshe main woh tumhen yaad kar leti hai - Kitni haseen yaad hai -

Sab kuch fanaa ho jataa hai - Yaaden Fana nahi hotin - Yaaden Zindagi banti hain...

(From Himakten by Shafiq-ur-Rehman)

Help is on the way....

2011-02-20T04:52:00.006-05:00

One of my friends 80 year old mother heard about Parveen's plight and donated Rs 100 today.

I was touched by her gesture. Earlier the same friend Shagufta Farouqui had offered Rs 10,000 which I refused. The reason being I am interested more in developing a genuine chain or a grass root movement than taking quick helps from my buddies.

There are so many Parveens out there. You can count on meeting hundreds of Parveenss in every city and every nook and corner of India. It will not be humanly possible to find and each and every one of them due to constraints on resources. What we need is a group of like minded people so that we can work on politicians to enforce minimum wage in India.

The government needs to step up to the plate to enforce child labor laws on the books and to provide education and job opportunities to these kids specially girls that have traditionally been left behind for thousands of years.

I am looking forward to being a part of that chain of people that can help transform the big picture as well.

I will report more donations as they come.

Enjoy the ride!

Parveen...

2011-02-16T15:59:00.004-05:00

Name: Parveen, age 19, Education: school dropout
Father: Paased away when she was 10, Mother: Lost her senses
Brother: a retard, Occupation: Embroidery worker since age 10.
Earnings: Rs 50 a day ($1.15 a day). I repeat $1.15 a day.

She lives in a 50 sft corner of someone else’s house. She is the only bread earner of the family. She cooks and does household work herself as her mom cant do anything.

Her day starts at 6:30 as makes breakfast and lunch for her brother and mom and then she goes off to work. She comes home, cooks dinner and feeds them before calling it a night. This is every day, 365 days a year rain or sunshine.

I wonder what makes her get up in the morning each day? Knowing well that it will be another day when she would not be able to even communicate with her mother or brother.

I wonder why she is not jumping off a bridge or into a river to end this un-ending tragedy? Living with two half dead relatives cant be fun.

And I wonder why she is at least not bitter about life and its gruesome treatment of her? Why she never complains? What makes her smile even in these circumstances? What dream she cherishes, if any?

Her optimism and confidence inspires me as I begin my day.

Her story will inspire you too as you end a bad day at Emmanuel’s or at the nearest watering hole with bud light and a bunch of friends by your side.

Yet, your story will not help her in any way nor she is aware of your existence. She is not even aware that I am writing about her on the internet or what the hell internet stands for.

So people, while you may be having a bad day, someone 9000 miles away is having a bad life, for no fault of hers. Yet, she is keeping her chins up and her head high as she struggles in this life – all alone.

Have a good one!

Ps: I would be glad to be a conduit if someone wants to help her in any way.

Ghar wapas jab aaoge tum....

2011-01-14T23:20:00.004-05:00

Rains outside a mumbai local

2010-10-09T15:14:00.009-04:00

It had rained unexpectedly. I was rushing out from this suburban railway station and this sight halted me in my tracks.

I stopped for a few minutes; first to feel sorry, and then to admire her enterprising spirit. In a few minutes folks had gathered behind me assuming that I was a TV reporter. They were appreciating my eye for a good shot. None had anything to say about that frail woman.

PS: I have seen small section of corporate India do "rain harvesting" and now this old woman was so enterprising to take advantage of some unexpected rains.

Rest of us are just passing by, that too in slow motion..

pps: This was my FIRST edit with my new I Mac. However, I still love my old one!

Heres to the misfits , the rebels...

2010-10-03T09:01:00.003-04:00

The dinner table...

2010-05-02T03:58:00.001-04:00

The class act...

2010-04-07T16:56:00.013-04:00

They sat down next to me and started what teenagers do while waiting for a train - non stop talking on various topics. Even though I was absorbed reading a book (on insurgent Obama), I could catch a line here and there making me remember my college days.

Those girls were talking exactly like the ones from my college days. Whoever said that girls of one's youth stay forever young in the minds was correct. Giggles, exam pressures, careers - they were quite adept at covering most topics in no time. An awesome display of camaraderie and friendship.

And then as a train rolled in, they quickly disbursed into two segments. One headed for a first class compartment and the other one , a lone girl ran towards the second class compartment.

And suddenly it became clear: these two were rich girls from well to do families and here was a 'poorer' girl. They would travel a few miles, a few meters away from each other in a train headed towards their common destination.

I wondered: Will they resume their conversation from where it was left off, when they alight? As if there has been no change, no class divide, no difference of roads taken by families in the years gone past?

Empty Room

2010-03-25T01:42:00.006-04:00

As you return to the home empty,
left a few weeks ago
the loneliness of the apartment
decides to return to its home
- your empty heart
Finally both find a home

main aur meri tanhayee!

Dukh sabhi ka...

2010-03-13T10:32:00.014-05:00

Name: Sukhi Patel, Age: 52, Profession: Farmer, Married with no kids.

As I stood by the Ganges, watching his body consumed by fire, I kept asking all kinds of questions to his relatives and friends. They responded with courtesy, but I could see that they were confused about my relation with him. I stood out separate. They knew that I am not one of them.

Answers I got to my questions helped me construct his life. Brought up a series of images.

Sukhi Patel's only son died of an accident days before he was to get married. Sukhi was never the same again. He took to drinking and now - died of kidney failure.

This is how it mostly ends in small towns and villages.

I thought about his wife and wondered what would happen to her and how she would survive with no child to look after her. I wondered what she must be thinking having gone thru the rituals of breaking bangles, removing sindoor and changing to white. After having lost her son a while back.

I wondered where would he be, had his son not been killed in that accident. I wondered how he might have felt when he had showed up at the same Ganges with the asthiyan of his only son.

I stood there for an hour. Alone. My mind racing in all directions., thinking of anything and everything Sukhi Patel had experienced - like the first crops at his farm, the first look at his wife and how he must have reacted when he found out his wife had delivered a baby boy. What were his dreams for himself and his family. What did he think about world affairs if he ever did, and what was his favorite sport? What kind of movies did he see and who was his favorite heroine?

And then a thought occurred to me.

When I was thinking so much about a stranger whose existence I had no clue till about an hour ago...

What was his "creator" thinking about when Sukhi Patel's kidneys failed?

ps: As I was leaving, his friend asked me who I was and whether I had known Sukhi Patel. I told him that I just happened to be at the Ghat, stopped by to see a cremation, and did not know him at all.

Magar, Main us ke dukh ko jantaa hoon....

Sukh sab ka alag alag ho sakta hai. Dukh sabhi ka ek hai.

Sang.....

2010-03-12T12:56:00.003-05:00

Sang Pyaar Rahe -

Main Rahoon na Rahoon...

If I had known...

2009-08-16T15:42:00.012-04:00

"If I had known that divorcing her would result in my promotion then I would have divorced her much earlier"

This was Mullah commenting on his recent promotion to the top. At home.

The story goes something like this:

When Mullah's divorce came through and when the time came for both of them to part ways, G suddenly developed a new affection for him. May be it had something to do with the fact that her love - the jailbird for who she was leaving Mullah - was denied parole that she had been counting on. Seemed he is to be in for another 7 years with no chance of being out.

The 'Lovers' of today are very good at calculations... And so instead of going through the hassles of living a single life again, she 'promoted' Mullah instead. So now the hierarchy at home stands thus:

1. Mullah -

2. His FPN - i.e. G

3. the internet -

4. Oscar (dog) -

5.Becky (dog).

Mullah just switched places with Becky . Now he actually greeted on his return from work, food is being cooked more frequently than before by the one who never cooked, Mullah is valued far more than he ever been - and yes - he is loving it.

The great game of wooing the opposite sex only to take the one woo'd for granted after marriage is going on all over. And this has always been so. Most of my friends here and in India complain of the same problem. They all see themselves valued in the beginning, only to end up like a "handyman" as marriage fades into a distance and kids grow up.

In some cases, sooner than later.. Even in weeks...

And there are more divorces in the making...

In India, when the elections are announced, a "model code of conduct" is enforced which makes sure that no false promises are made to woo the electorate and to get their votes. Why cant we have the same model code of conduct in our interpersonal relationships? Why do we couples build the foundation of our relationships on falsehood and lies?

In the US the divorce rate is about 60% and Mullah's divorce just became another statistics.

It was not supposed to be this way. It need have been this way... 'Living together' without living together.

(Had uploaded my blog using this iphone... am still trying to get my bearings. on it.. .If I had known more about it...it is good to be back at a good ol' laptop....)

Jhoot bolo aur Salaa..

2009-07-26T12:16:00.009-04:00

Next month will bring the 6th month anniversary of Siddik Bhai's death. In these six months there is not a single day when I have not thought of him. Not one. My mind has not yet truly accepted his passing away. I still can not believe that a man like him can just go away. I often wonder where must he be now? How is it possible to reduce such a man to just bones and flesh?

He was an awesome friend, fearless, loyal, funny who could size anyone up in less than thirty seconds. Yet, he was full of superstitions and used to visit these Baba log for advice, to help him break his imaginary jinx's, for 'showing' him the way. I used to joke that Baba log should come to you for your blessing on increasing profits and clientele!

One time we drove all over Sion Koliwada area, looking for a certain baba. There was this girl, who he thought I must have, since I loved her. I told him loving someone is not enough, there is a lot involved in piyar viyar these days. He was confident that after the baba does his chila or wazeefa, this girl would come running to me".

These things never impressed me and my argument was " agar India main ek sacche aur shareef aadmi ko apni mahobbat hasil karne in sab cheezon ki zaroorat pade, then I dont want her".

He came back with the line that will always haunt me. "Party tum samajhte nahi ho yaar - Aaj kal sach ko hi help chaaiye hoti hai - Jhoot bolo aur salaa udne lagtaa hai".

Jhoot bolo aur salaa udne lagtaa hai.

We have all seen how jhoot flew from the powerful capitals of the world and rained as bombs and missiles on innocent women and children. We see how jhoot flies in Parliaments, Court Rooms, in coffee houses, in Investment Banks. We see everyday how jhoot flies in relations, in emotions and expressions...

Back then,we stopped by at a slum someplace near Wadala. He spoke to the baba about my love issue and requested him to do something, "for her to come running to me." The Baba, who was in his 50s asked me my name. After hearing my last name the Baba reacted unexpectedly and told him " Ye to Sayed hain, ab main inko kiya kahoon? aap sarkaar hamare liye dua karen"

We returned 'emptyhanded' as baba decided the solution was within me.

I thought the solution lay in green backs. But that is a different story.

This January, on my trip home, when we met at the regular adda on the footpath of Mumbai, unexpectedly a friend of his, brought up the subject of Siddikbhai's divorce and said, 'isn't today the 15th anniversary of your divorce?'. I flared up. I hate people who are not sensitive to others. Why torture him with the past, instead of making him look forward?

Later that night when he was dropping me home, I mentioned that he is settled and healthy, and now he should get married....

I flew back to the US soon after. He went into a coma in four days and passed away within a fortnight.

Whenever I see a jhoot fly, I hear his words " "Party, tum samajhte nahi ho yaar - Aaj kal sach ko hi help chaaiye hoti hai - Jhoot bolo aur salaa udne lagtaa hai".

I am recording a song these days. One character in the song is a Mumbai street smart chap, who says " Apun to salaa bachele main bhi reh gaila hai" - I am the left over from the left overs.

No prize for guessing who this character is.

He left without saying a word to anyone - without saying good bye!!

The victims..

2009-07-23T19:04:00.005-04:00

This is the line, a friend philosopher and guide used to calm me down. There is so much wisdom out there which explains the games people play and why they play!

It not only helped, but also made me empathize with some of the characters of my story....

We came in for peace...

2009-07-18T09:43:00.025-04:00

40 years ago, this week, man left a plaque on the surface of the moon that reads: "Here Men From The Planet Earth First Set Foot Upon the Moon, July 1969 A.D. We Came in Peace For All Mankind." (NASA)

40 years later, man is still struggling with the definition of the words "peace for all Mankind". It makes you wonder what would have happened, had we discovered moon to have a "hospitable, life sustaining atmosphere?".

knowing the "nature of the beast", one can comfortably say that the moon's hospitable environment and natural resources would have started the new race for the control including violent confiscation.

We would have witnessed same killing machines, bombs, missiles, dead youth, destruction, blood on the surface of the moon, widows, orphans, poverty, diseases, tears....

Just like here on earth!

Aren't we glad moon is not hospitable to humans?

The Resisto-Meter...

2009-07-14T11:52:00.011-04:00

A majority, over 70%, of the resistance to the Threshold India Initiative is coming from those that it intends to serve: the Muslim community.

Whereas my non Muslim friends get excited about the concept in no time, and have been committing themselves with good counsel and intelligent resources.

Why?

Mullah says 517 years of “self inflicted paralysis” will take time to heal. Inertia has its own God dammed appeal.

The good part is that the kids are enthusiastic about the idea, and know what it can achieve for them. As long as there is one 20 year old who thinks she /he can change the World with an idea, create jobs, provide services or products, we will keep moving forward.

We intend to get to the promised land of entrepreneurship , by all means necessary.

God willing!

Hue tum dost jis ke...

2009-07-10T22:17:00.016-04:00

i like 2459 the best...

the shades of white of the pillars...

the shades of blue of your attire...

the 'so near yet so far' expression of your eyes...

the non-touristy nature of the pic...

you are leaning against the pillar yet not for its support... there is a rock solid nature to your stance....
ps: This is how a friend described this picture taken outside the Jefferson Memorial. Tareef kise pasand nahi bhai? LOL...

Wahin Kahin ek ....

2009-07-07T23:08:00.013-04:00

Sulagti yadon ka Dariya Udhar jo behta hai

Wahin kahin Ek Be Wafa bhi Rehtaa hai..

On a recent road trip to Obama land, Washington DC, I passed through some small towns that had rivers, broken bridges, one way streets and forgotten paths. I dont know what town I was passing through, when this stanza started descending on me. khair...ab kiya farak padtaa hai...

I would like to complete this ghazal and see where it leads to, but I would rather leave it as it is - just one sher, one khyaal, one lamhaa...

Tere bin...

2009-07-03T12:50:00.019-04:00

Bichad ke tum se shahr ye kaisa veerana sa lagtaa hai

Ab to yahan pe hud se bhi rishta anjana sa lagtaa hai

Kal tak to manoos tha mujh se, baaten karta, hans deta tha

kiya hua, aaj ye chaand kiyoon begana sa lagtaa hai ?

Jab se gayi ho, dil bhi chup, hum bhi hain khamosh bahut

Bina tumhare yu hi Jeena, Janaa - Mar jaana sa lagtaa hai

kal hi mile hum, par un nazron main mere khwaab bahut

Sach Sach bataon tum se rishtaa, khoob purana lagtaa hai

This did not turn out the way I expected, but how many things do?.

WE have the power to...

2009-07-01T01:01:00.003-04:00

We realized we may have preempted Mr Obama's speech by about six months - at least a part of it :-)....

That in itself is a reason to celebrate !

The first signs...

2009-06-27T13:33:00.008-04:00

I am sorry...," Home Minister P Chidambaram today told Kandhamal riot victims during a visit to one of the relief camps in Phulbani.

"I am sorry that certain things happened last year and you have been brought to these camps. But you must go back to your villages. I am here to tell you, don't fear, whatever happened was wrong. Build your churches and practice your dharma," ( P.C.Chidambaram, Indian Express, June 25, 2009)

To me, these lines and not 6% GDP growth or Nuclear Club membership makes India a great nation worth living. If a nation can not guarantee life, liberty and pursuit of happiness to its citizens, it has no business to be called a nation with thousands of years civilization behind it.

These lines should have been spoken after mini holocaust of 1984, 1987, 1991 and 2002 so on, but its never too late. The very fact that the home minister made these statements without any political necessity of an upcoming election or so speaks volume about the coming of age of Indian democracy and its politicians. This comes like a matter of fact, honest apology from the government that had failed to safeguard not only Kanhdamal victims, but also the attack on the person whose murder was considered as licence to kill by some people.

I always joke with Mullah Luis that when you guys go to elect the new President, make sure you realize how much influence he or she is going to have on other parts of the world. It is like politician all over the World take cues from the US President and react accordingly.

I don't know how much the man in white (Rahul) or the man in the White House (Obama) is responsible for a different kind of politics in the World today, but one can see the same mindset reflecting through the statements of Mr. Chidambaram.

At the same time I don't want to discount the credentials of Mr Chidambaram, as he has been a great statesman who never indulged in the poliitcs of caste, race, hate and division.

I hope India enters the new era where differences are debated respectfully, where inclusivity is the new mantra, and where each man is looked as the mirror image of God, irrespective of his or her religion, caste and status.

I am sure this is what the great Vedas brought to us thousands of years ago, but we never fully understood and practiced it!

It's never too late...

India Se...

2009-06-25T23:44:00.004-04:00

India Se, a Singapore based Life Style magazine featured Threshold India in its June 2009 issue.

We must be doing something right....

Adriana...

2009-06-22T23:07:00.015-04:00

Its been a year now that Adriana left for Jordan, the home of her husband, of her children - her home!

I met her when she was introduced as a new employee, one and half years ago. I welcomed her to the group, and offered her fruits joking that I "sell" them. The next day she came up to me with 25 cents in her hand to "buy" an apple. We picked her on that act for a long time!

What stuck me most about her was that she was 7/8 months pregnant when she came to work with us. Mullah and I wondered what made her decide to work now, and where is her husband? We found out that she is half Arab half South American, married to an Arab she met while in college. They married and moved to Jordan where she had two girls. Everything was hunky dory till in -law bugs got to her. Things got so worst that she left Jordan on a filmy excuse, and vowed never to return.

She was educated at a prestigious engineering university in the South and was prepared to raise her kids alone.

As the D day got closer, we asked her what should we do in case it happens at work? She explained what to expect and how to deal with it. We got her insurance info and all the phone numbers in case of such an emergency.

I have lived most of my life away from home - away from all the natural occurrences that happen in an every day life. It was weired for me to hang around and work with a woman who was so close to child birth. I did not know what to expect. The only experience I have of child birth is from my childhood. I was 12 , when my goat gave birth in Farrukhabad. Even then, I had no clue as to how this goat kid showed up one morning. Those days kids of 12 were really 12 years old. When my nieces and nephews started showing up, I was away travelling to some place or returning from somewhere, usually after long stays. I missed all that goes into child birth.

I grew restless as to how are we going to take her to the hospital from work. There is a long walk to the parking lot, and I was worried about the delay in reaching the hospital. She told me all about expansion and contractions which freaked me out more. She had done it twice so she was calm and collected. I was getting panicky with her description of things to come, and wanted to know who is going to drive her etc. Finally she gave up and said " Shahid, don't you worry, you sit in the backseat and I will drive you to the hospital!!"

She took a 2 months leave after the delivery. We sent her the biggest bouquet we could find in the flower shop. She was very happy, yet sad, for not having her husband around.

When she returned to work, I could sense she did not want to be there. She wanted to be with her baby. A Mother's DNA does not give a crap about 9-5 gig. One day , I saw a bottle of milk in our refrigerator which brought more respect for womanhood. Appearently, on her breaks, she used to milk herself and keep bottles in the fridge, so that she could feed her baby in the evening. I think the scarifies women make in the life cycle should place them in the top position in the food chain. Men should be somewhere in the 7the place...

One day, I engaged her and enquired more about her life. She mentioned all her grievances, the expectations from her in laws and pains of staying in a foreign country etc. I listened and acknowledged her challenges. I ended the conversation by saying "Three girls need a dad around in order to have a normal childhood. When she can act for 8 hours in this job, what stops her from acting 10 minutes in front of her mom-in-law? This is a small price to pay for the security and well beings of the kids..."

The next day she announced that she is returning to Jordan, to be with her husband. She wanted to give her girls their father back. That was a big surprise for everyone. When I inquired what made her decide to go back, she said " What you said Shahid, and how you said it yesterday. No one made me see life that way!"

Soon she started taking interest in my life. She wanted me to get married and tried to set me up with a couple of Turkish girls. One day she brought pictures of them, and wanted me to pick one so that she could arrange for an accidental meeting.

A one liner from me resulted in a laughter, and that was enough to change the topic. She often complained and wondered why I don't take my life seriously. Why do I make fun of everything in life except social activism and films? Why am I so secure with my loneliness?

I had no answer back then. I don't even now.

She left last June, leaving a thank you card for all of us. That card is still stuck at the place where she had left it. No one has heard from her. She had mentioned the non availability of Internet in that part of the world.

I hope she is complete, happy and living a blissful life. It gives me a great pleasure to visualize her living happily with her husband and kids.

Words can be magical...use them wisely!

Top 10 indicators that...

2009-06-18T18:15:00.001-04:00

Mullah Luis send me these and they are fun...enjoy!

Top Ten Indicators that the economy is bad...
1) CEO's are now joining miniature golf clubs
2) I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail
3) I went to buy a toaster oven and they gave me a bank
4) HotWheels and Matchbox car companies are now trading higher than GM in the stock market
5) Obama met with small businesses - GE, Pfizer, Chrysler, Citigroup and GM- to discuss the stimulus package
6) The most highly-paid job is now jury duty.
7) People in Beverly Hills are firing their nannies and are learning their children’s names
8) Motel Six no longer leaves the lights on
9) The mafia is laying off judges
10) If the bank returns your check marked "insufficient funds" you have to call them and ask if they means you or them!!!!

He said - She said...

2009-06-12T23:10:00.015-04:00

I heard this conversation between an FPN and a small time jebroni here in Atlanta. Even though they spoke english, what they meant would go something like this:

She: Aap hamesha Past ki taraf mudh ke kiyoon dekhte hain?

He: Is liye ke - past main tum ho...

She: Main Past main kiyoon hone lagi?

She: Main Present main hoon...

She, again: Aaj bhi Sath hoon

She, finally: Kal bhi Rahoongi...

He felt secure. God like. At peace....

And then they went thier own ways

Just like two parallel tracks

that never meet.

Ever!

Muslim women MPs..

2009-06-09T22:50:00.010-04:00

The learned ones in the Parliment are debating 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha. Eeryone is demanding their pound of flesh as they all want to "deliver" something to their customers, when the 16th Lok Sabha rolls in. Muslims and some other national parties including RJD are demanding reservation for Muslim women as well.

My concern is are we doing a Pakistan here? Pakistan has become a family business of about 200 rich families. Like any other family businesses they keep the power to themselves and make sure no outside of the family takes over the business. No matter how unsuitable one member is, the job is for her / him to keep. Top positions are decided on the baiss of the last names and whether or not some one has the family DNA.

We must learn something from our neighbours....shouldn't we?

I think we must create women leaders first, before offering them reservations. Other communities have no dearth of talents but Muslim women needs some help. We must create free thinking visionaries out of them, that can debate on the topics of national and international interest with ease. We seldom allowed them to have an opinion of their own, and now we are going to give them a nation to run? A nation with dramatic complexities and extremes as ours...

I am in favor of some version of the bill ( for some period of time), but we must develop women leaders of morrow before we hand them responsibilities...unless ofcourse we are looking for Bahu-Beti Brigades to take over!

Obama engages the Muslim World...

2009-06-03T21:07:00.008-04:00

Jhnthesavage I'm a Fan of johnthesavage permalink

As the leader of "one of the "largest Muslim countries" in the world, I'm sure Barack Hussein Obama will find a warm welcome in the Saudi kingdom.

urnumbersix I'm a Fan of urnumbersix permalink

How do Republicans "get" to call Obama a Muslim - and at the same time "hit" him for the unquestionable Christian, Rev. Wright, at the same time? It's as foolish as the "birth certificate" matter.

shovelready I'm a Fan of shovelready permalink

how blessed we all are to be alive while our dear leader is doing the hard work to bring peace to this world. The mere fact that we have a leader willing to reach out with an open hand and not a clenched fist. We are the ones we have been waiting for, hope and change!

nichtviel I'm a Fan of nichtviel permalink

What's with all the excitement over meeting with one of the world's sponsors of terrorism? Or over calling the world's most brutal cult-religion a respectable thing? Is this a "say goodbye to American values" tour our President is on?

pamelagoodenough I'm a Fan of pamelagoodenough permalink

If we do not make peace with the world, after the insolent arrogant way George W. Bush the little klown prince ruled, we will have not world to worry about.

If America does not mature, or cannot mature beyond the fundamentalist religious buffoonery that is now advanced to the murdering of doctors, then we will become the enemy of the world.

We must have PEACE IN OUR TIME. That or misery and destruction. That is the goal. That must be the message.

All humans deserve respect. All cultures are equal. All religions are equal, they are the same with different patterns

pangurban I'm a Fan of pangurban permalink

I hope it is a great speech. I hope it is well received. So grateful Obama is our president. There is so much to be done to repair the damage of the Dub Ya administration and its l00ny foreign polic

bluejoni2525 I'm a Fan of bluejoni2525 permalink

It is such a pleasure to have an intelligent person as the President . Yes, after eight long years I am PROUD to be an American again !!

BeachBubbaTex I'm a Fan of BeachBubbaTex permalink

Honestly, I think he's safer there. It scares the bejebbers out of me every time he runs out for a burger. I don't care if he waits for the press but he sure as heck better be waiting for those dudes with the lapel pins.

HawaiianPunch I'm a Fan of HawaiianPunch permalink

I'm proud of my President.

A bizarre, unfamiliar fee ling.

Left, Right and Democracy

2009-05-30T20:53:00.028-04:00

Elections are over and political pundits are busy analyzing results and writing obituaries for left and the right. I, for one don't expect that to happen and would not want that to happen.

Democracies do not flourish when a single party rules a country. In fact the democratic institutions get weakened when a single party calls the shots, without opposition asking tough questions and demanding answers. Furehe'r had no opposition, when he unleashed holocaust on jews in Germany. George W. had almost no opposition when he decided to change the face of the World post 911, as majority of the congressmen and senators had caved in and made Capitol Hill a one party residence. The results are for all of us to see and suffer, while 43th re-writes history.

An intelligent and visionary opposition has the power of saving the country from catastrophe. A case in example would be of Left playing hard balls with the Congress on allowing 100% FDI. Communist slowed down the juggernaut of super capitalism and halted the corporate greed in its tracks. If its not for left the newly created Indian middle class would have known the true meanings of CDO, CDS, MBS and other derivatives, albeit at a higher price. India owes a lot to the the left for staying their ground against the most powerful forces.

A party in power with absolute majority gets arrogant and see no need for seeking consensus on important issues. Opposition is ignored and silenced. In India there were a few states that had become a political jagerdari of Left, RJD and the BJP. They thought they owned the political agenda of generations after generations of voters. They were wrong.

These parties lost in touch with the new voter who is getting wired 24X7 to the outside world and is seeking the finest things he/she saw on TV. That voter is looking for a higher standard of living, clean parks, transperency, and adequate infrastructure. It was easy to fool his / her parents in the name of Mandal, Kamandal and sickle, but he / she is a pragmatist, who wants all the finer things in life . Now!

Every party has a "base" from which it draws its strength and affords political maneuvering. It also seeks to fufill the wishes and aspirations of this core base. But Elections are not won on the baiss of the "base" alone, you need others (sometime include Mulims, Dalits and other weakers sections). in order to win elections. These ID based parties cater too much to the base, and try to win those those that are already sold out on the idea. In this election the parties that suffered most were catering to that " base."

You don't rule a country of 1 billion, 18 major languages, and every religion on earth by just catering to your core base.

And then there is this 39 year old jebroni; a student of Michael Porter ( Harvard professor who formulated Five Forces Model in the field of strategy management), who has been covering length and breadth of the country connecting with voters, expanding network and discovering India. There is no surprise that he is called the architect of the congress win. Two force of the five forces model are: a - threat of substitute, and b - bargaining power of customers. While Rahul Gandhi understood these forces well, other seasoned politicians assumed the customer has no choice.

These parties can still redeem themselves by becoming a model opposition. You can work for the people even while sitting on the opposition benches!

BTW Al-Qaida means "the base" in Arabic...

(Picture Coutrsey: Boston Globe)

Look who showed up at Five Guys today...

2009-05-29T18:02:00.006-04:00

Incidently Mullah, Walty, Powell and I were at Five Guys - Lindbergh for lunch at the same time. Mullah chuckled Great minds think alike....

Measure of Success

2009-05-14T22:05:00.009-04:00

There are times when you are going to do well, and times when you're going to fail. But neither the doing well, nor the failure is the measure of success. The measure of success is what you think about what you've done. Let me put that another way: The way to be happy is to like yourself and the way to like yourself is to do only things that make you proud.

(Marc S. Lewis, Professor, University of Texas, Austin)

My evening started with this forwarded quote from a friend.It is so powerfull that I had to share it. Enjoy!

ps: In case you have not recognized him, the cyclist in the picture is Husain Obama.

My brother in law got me into it...

2009-05-12T21:10:00.005-04:00

"Actually I was not into politics, but my brother in law Khaliq and my friend Jameel forced me into politics. They told me that I don't have any identity problem, and I should get into politics. It took me two years to get convinced but once I got into it- I am enjoying it"

This is how Azhar responded to a query form Parnnoy Roy, about the reason he joined politics.

I wish he had better reasons for entering politics. If I was his constituent there is no way in the hell I would vote for someone with those reasons for entering politics. I would only entrust him with Moradabad Cricket Academy, and not a seat in Parliament.

India needs a leadership that has progressive ideas, vision and wisdom in his/ her DNA, to make it a force to be reckoned with in the world.

I am not sure whether to take it as an honest admission of a rookie politician or just plain jane innocence, neverthless those words are not reassuring...

Khush rahe tu...

2009-05-08T00:09:00.002-04:00

Climbing up and other secrets...

2009-04-28T23:18:00.020-04:00

Who's idea was it?

I asked that question on the 8th.

Mine

Mullah Luis responded on the 10th

Why man?

Because by walking up the 27 story we could burn 250 calories in 10 minutes which takes 45 minutes running on a treadmil. Also the effect of gravity lessens as we walk up making it easy....

But we get less oxygen as we go up putting more pressure on heart, one engineer responded.

Ever since Mullah's FPN left him for a jail bird he has become body conscious. He joined the Georgia Tech gym for a month, dropped out due to non availability of time and now came up with this idea of hiking 540 steps of our office building twice a day. He says that anyone in jail can build a good physique, as all you are required to do is eat healthy food , play and sleep. Apparently that guy knows how to use his time well by exercising, which will pay dividends when he gets out of jail.

Me: Whom are you trying to impress now that she is gone?

Mullah: Plaintiff number 2.....the next one....

Mullah now lovingly calls his ex wife, the plaintiff number 1.

So, this has become our ritual now a days. We walk up 27 stories, twice a day. I don't go for the second round, as I am not over weight and see no competition to my domains from a jail or any other bird.

Friends can make any idiotic activity fun. We meet at 10 sharp in the lobby and climb 540 storeys with regular stops on 10, 16, and 22nd floor. Mullah reminds us every day that he is looking for a day when he will be able to walk 27 story without taking a break.

This mundane activity taught me two important lessons of life. The first one is, after 11 story, height and number of steps to climb don't matter. The second lesson makes it clear that, it is tough to GO DOWN after CLIMBING UP. The leg muscles get so worked up after climbing that going down even a single step becomes a "painful" task....

Oh well...

PS: For lunch, Mullah orders a quarter pounder with extra cheese and large fries. And since he is calorie conscious now, he never forgets to order large diet coke for drink.

....but that is another story!!

Entreprenuership Development....

2009-04-10T20:53:00.018-04:00

I was to deliver a lecture on entrepreneurship development at the AMP Job fair being held at my alma mater, Saboo Siddik College of Engineering April 11-12, 2009. Logistics of delivering an online lecture did not work out, so here I am, showing my entrepreneurial spirits by posting the slides for those that might have felt disappointed. Cheers.....

Jaane woh kaise log the ?

2009-04-05T16:28:00.001-04:00

Till Jefferson County do us apart...

2009-04-03T21:51:00.013-04:00

Mullah Luis filed for divorce in the Jefferson Counry superior court last week.

It was filed as a " no fault" divorce. No fault divorce has its origins in the Russian Revolution of 1917. It found its way to the US when President Reagan signed the family Act of 1969, enabling couples to separate in civilized manner citing only irreconcilable differences as the main cause.

I was concerned about his well being, anticipated him breaking down and upset for some time. I kept in touch with him, but to my surprise found him to be in a better frame of mind. I asked him why is he not upset, to which he responded" Marriages end long before they are certified dead on arrival in the County court. My marriage ended long time ago, and what I did was just a formalization of that event".

It is funny thing about life as you don't know when you fall in love with someone but you do know the exact moment when you fell out of it....

I don't want to judge the reasons for Mulah's FPN to leave him for a "jail bird". I wanted to talk to her but Mullah requested that he does not want any mediation and he is done with the marriage.

So the question is when should a man / woman try to save marriage?

Mullah says the time to save marriage is when you are "really" married. Anything past that, is an exercise in futility. Trying to save a marriage after it ended in ones heart is a selfish act of maximizing profits and cutting losses.

What is bothering Mullah these days, is the fact that she is turning over all the symbols and memories from the past for him to handle. Mullah is more angry about Oscar and Kathy, her dogs, that she is leaving for Mullah to put up for adoption.

Mullah thinks that she does not want to take this decision of getting rid of dogs by herself, so she is passing her guilt to him. Now, Mullah would have to get over a failed marriage as well as take the decision to put dogs for adoption...

Apna Manohar Parsaad Yadav too recalled how his ex girl friend returned all his letters and photographs, before she embarked on her journey with a new man. She too passed her guilt for him to handle.....alone!

This is how it is in the life lane....

Common-sense-ism...

2009-03-20T11:48:00.008-04:00

With market heading south in since August of last year, Mullah Luis and I have lost a lot of money in the market like milions of others around the world. We bitch about the Wall Street greed and how investors were taken for a ride by bunch of over smart people.

In order to get back in black we try to do our bit by advancing the cause of humanity. Everyday we try to fix the economy and the world supply-denmand disruption at lunch time. This morning he and I began saving the world a little early. Here are a few lines from our email exchanges that I found to be revealing (about Mulah's personality).

It should be a good read for those that wonder what an average blue blooded repub American thinks about the state of economy and the root causes for it. Enjoy...

Mullah: I don’t know what else to say. Human Beings have Technological problems. Not political, not social. Technology is what will keep us moving forward as a species. Politicians think they can solve problems by making laws, when in fact, only technology can save us. Technology will let us leave the middle east alone, technology will allow us to work remotely from anywhere in the world.

We’ll see what happens next. If everything is going to be good, then why are we still losing jobs by the hundreds of thousands every month? The economy has to contract and shed the fluff that has been built in to the system via financials since the 1990’s.

Me: What are you talking about man? I think human beings have “only and only social problems”, and all these ills are a manifestation of it…the sooner we fix social/humanitarian problems the better-off we would be…

Mullah: You are such a socialist! LOL!

Me: Humanist……I can live with that…What is up for lunch? I have to go to the post office at Peachtree Center...

Mullah: Anyone can be a humanist…even a capitalist. Socialism breeds complacency, there should be no limits placed on how far someone can take their life. So long as they don’t negatively affect someone else’s life.

The government should be around to protect people’s freedoms and liberty. The government should insure that the companies of this country are following guidelines too. They shouldn’t be left to run wild and then expect the government to bail them out. That is what we did because we are no longer capitalist; we no longer follow the constitution. We have some form a fascism and that is very bad!

Me: How about following “Humanism”, which can bring the best from all us? Because every “ism” has some negatives. Let us work on something that combines best of all. What u described can be a good start…

The future is here...

2009-02-23T01:00:00.007-05:00

Thank You!

2009-02-22T01:05:00.016-05:00

Maharashtra College

Ramesh Kumar, Butiya Manoj Ramesh, Siddiki Rubina, Mansori Heena, sheikh Farina, Ansari Nida, Ansari Taiyaba, Mahroz M. Mohsin, Gulshan M. Qauyyom, Zakiya Bano M. Zakariya, Khan Naziya Parveen M. Sharif, Sana Anwar Khan, Noor Afsha, Ansari Razia, Sarvat Qureshi, Ansari Lubna, Shaikh Nazreen, Momin Firdaus, Ansari Nazish Naaz, Shaikh Tabassum Mhod Hanif, sheikh Arshiya G. Mohammad, Shaikh F shafi, ansari Yasmeen samiullah, Butiya Manjoj Ramesh, A Aqub, sheikh M Tahir, Ansari Heena Kausar Mushtaq, sayed azhar ali Qamar Ali, Mohammad Ahmad Siddieque, Imran Tamboli, Zafar Sayed, , Fakhri Khusnod, Zakariya A. Ukai, Abdul Hameed, Mohd Nafees, shamsuddin, Masood Alam siddiki, Ansari Nazreen, Shaikh Tassudduk, Khan Asma, Sheikh Saeeda,Khan Zainab, Kazi Rumana, Ansari Shama, Ansari samina, Ansari Saniya, Ansari shaista, Sahaikh Zakerun, Fehmida Moinuddin, Sayed Tabassum, Qureshi Saima, Khan Mehvish, Khan shaheen, Khan Mehjabeen, Ansari Sidra, Ansari Umaira, Ansari Naziya, Ansari sadiya, Ansari Afreen, Saifi Ali Varsh, Khan Ashraf.

SNDT - Ghatkopar

Rukhsar Khan, Vaishali Cureaw, Hetal Zadbuke, Amulya Raskar, Prachi Pawar, Praneli Vd Patahk, Simi John, Madumita Biswas, Mohini Lokhande, Monica Kene, Chetna Marvane, sneha Sharma, Kalpana Muddilyar, Sumathi Mooopnar, Preeti Sakpal, Monika Sharma, Sameen Mushtaq,, Jyoti sikarwar, Kusum Gupta, Hafsa Farooqui.

And...

Rashmi Bansal, Piyul Mukherjee, Pia Verbic, Prof M.Z Shahid, Prof Siraj Chowgle, Prof Majid Ansari, Prof Ilyas Shauqui, Principal Shakeel Urzak, Prof Waheed.

Faizan Sayed, Shagufta Farouqui, Z. Sayed, P.N. Sayed, Altaf Paloba, Nasir Surti, Late Siddik Divecha....

Think about it....

2009-02-19T21:35:00.003-05:00

If all the insects were to disappear from the earth, within 50 years all life on earth would end.
If human beings were to disappear, all forms of life on earth would flourish' - Jonas Salk

Threshold India 2009 - Slide Show

2009-02-13T00:25:00.001-05:00

2009-02-04T21:44:00.006-05:00

A crew from UTV was at hand to record history ( at least historical moment from our perspective!). They put together a Republic Day special edition of Cracking Careers and telecast it 6 times between January 24th and 25th, 2009. For those of you that might have missed it, here it is again...

Please realize that we may not see some of the groups, but all the 8 groups returned with a profit and had interesting stories to share. For details about other groups and more photographs, please visit Kashif-ul-Huda's Two Circles.

Get inspired and join us please..it's about time!

Adios MD...

2009-02-04T21:28:00.006-05:00

I am still grieving for a dear friend and will continue to do for a long time. It was a heart shattering shocker. They say, with each friend you die a little...a part of me died this Saturday!

A friend, trying to get me out of this phase, explained well. She said , "We all are headed that way. You were not here 50 years ago, nor would you be here 50 years from now. Do the best you can".....

So, let me do the best I can...

ps: I used to call him MD. MD as in Doctor for knowing answers, to life's most of the problems...

Why now?

2009-02-02T11:03:00.010-05:00

Siddik bhai,

There is a Quran recitation going on in Mumbai as I write this, so that your soul may find peace in heaven. It took me more than a day to realize you are really really gone.

The question that is botherring me is why now my friend? Why now? Why did you not die when we were expecting it in December of 2007.

After speaking to the doctors and finding out what ails you, I had planned a day to honor you, by doing whatever you wanted. I asked everyone to show up in the morning. The plan was to rent a big van, and go wherever your heart desired. Do whatever you wanted to do...

No one showed up that morning...

We still went ahead with the plan. I took you with me wherever you asked. I just wanted to see you happy, for when I returned to India in December of 2008, I felt I would not see you. I turned my cell phone off, told my family to forget about making any plans, and looked at the world with your eyes that day....

It was sad to see you unable to walk without my help, unable to even open the door of the car on your own. You had stopped riding your bike long time ago. It was a sad sight as this was the man who taught bike riding to many.

You wanted to do three things, and the last one was to see a Bollywood masala shoot out film. You, being a typical mumbai street wala, were a cheerleader for these kinds of movies. I hated it. I lied to you when you asked me of my opinion at the end of the film.

It was your day, whatever you said and did was suppose to be great, as I was not going to see you again....I knew.

But you proved me wrong. You came back from the dead. It was like a dream to see you riding your bike again this December. I thought those damn doctors were wrong and was happy about it. With it, came back the days of fun and nights of sitting by the footpaths of Mumbai discussing everything under the moon. Those cycles of chai, stories after stories of all kinds and colors never used to end.

This time though, I reminded everyone of how I devoted a complete day to fulfill your last wishes and what we did. This time I was honest, and told you how I hated every minute of that movie and had developed a headache. You laughed hard and appreciated my friendship...and more.

And now I hear you are gone in a hurry.

I am crying as I write this, but tell me Siddik Bhai, who the fuck is going to tell me why now? You dropped me home on your bike just two weeks ago , in the wee hours of morning and everything was cool. Why are you dead now? This time you were suppose to live my friend , this time you were going to be with me for a long time...

Why now?

THRESHOLD India 2009

2009-01-24T19:00:00.006-05:00

Florida based Kashif-ul-Huda, of Two Circles.net helped us in spreading the word out. Please visit his web site for a detailed account of the fun we all had in hosting this watershed event of our lives!

As someone said "the best way to predict a future is to invent it!"
God willing, We will...

THRESHOLD India 2009 - On UTVi

2009-01-21T19:33:00.024-05:00

Threshold India 2009 show on UTVi this weekend

I am back in the good ol' US of A and am too caught up with life. Please watch TUVi for what transpired on the D day....More later!

Folks,

The session where all the wonderful young students of Maharashtra College, Mumbai as well as SNDT, Mumbai proved they definitely have the entrepreneurial spirit, and was covered by the media, is to be telecast on Saturday 24 th Jan as well as Sunday 25th Jan, on Channel UTVi.

Please spread the word and look forward to many more of you join in here on the Orkut community!

Details are :

Program Name : CRACKING CAREERS

Channel : UTVi
(a business channel. For those taking Tata Sky, it comes on channel number 541)

Saturday, 24 January 2009 : Telecast timings are : 8 am; 3.30 pm and 6 pm

Sunday 25 January 2009 : Telecast timings are 8.30 am; 1.30 pm and 5 pm

Effectively, will be telecast 6 times over the weekend...Dont miss it!

Raat Yun...

2009-01-18T20:58:00.007-05:00

Raat Yun Dil main teri Khoyi hui Yaad Aayi..

Jaise Veerane main Chupke se Bahar aa Jaye

Jaise Seharaon Main Haule se Chale Baad-e-Naseem

Jaise Beemar ko Be Wajah Qarar Aa Jaye...

No generation gap here....

2009-01-09T14:58:00.009-05:00

Before I began my session with students I asked them about the challenges they are facing today. The girls were very forthcoming with information and listed these issues:

- Discrimination

- Lack of oportunities

- Communalism

- Poverty

- Polution

- Population

- Corruption

- Lack of civic Sense

- Reservation

- Violence

- Second class citizen status

- Terrorism

- Lack of infrastructure

- Unemployment

- Illiteracy

- Inequality between men and women

- Caste Barriers

If someone had asked us this question during my college days I am pretty sure we would have spelled out the same issues. That means two decades have passed but the issues have not. Two generations, two completely different world....yet same old issues.

Certainly India can do better then that.....

For days like these....

2009-01-07T13:19:00.009-05:00

This Indian vacation is turning out to be the most productive and memorable one for me and for a few more. For me because with the help of friends I could put into place a process, that, executed well could help in creating the next generation of committed citizens and perhaps, business leaders. For a few more because their excitement tells me that they are having a ball on this journey that began this morning at Maharashtra College, Mumbai.

I had invited a bunch of student leaders from Maharashtra college to initiate a dialogue on entrepreneurship in the Muslim community. A sweet little relative from SNDT, brought her entire class to the forum and it became an SNDT v/s Maharashtra College competition. I would have been happy with a group of 30/40 students. Instead, I ended up with twice that size.

My young guests were in for a surprise when they were divided into 8 groups (the original plan was to have only 5 ) and offered RS 1000 each. It was my heartfelt request that with the help of a few tips and insights, they had the freedom to do whatever they chose to do with the money. All I wanted in return was for them to engage in some creative brainstorming to generate ideas, utilize their talents in making the money grow. It was impressed on them that it was not important if they made 50 paisa or 200 rupees, or even if they lost their allotted amount, as long as they made a sincere and honest effort in going through the process.

Their enthusiasm and energy took over the classroom and spread like magic. Some of them had doubts - could this offer be real, others accepted it immediately as a challenge, eager to prove themselves. It was a great sight to see a gamut of emotions run through the faces. I loved every minute of it.

What was amazing about the session is that they expressed their dreams and aspirations, their fears and apprehensions. The raw plans, their own fearless predictions of all that they could do, to me, was a sign that these were the stars of the future of our nation, as we move ahead in life with 8% GDP growth all around us.

My guests have since gone back to pursue this challenge, and intend to return triumphant next week. Our prayers are that they all succeed - not just in making some money. But in learning about themselves, about team work, their sense of self-worth, their so far un-capitalized talents, and about turning unrealized needs into awesome business opportunities.

I look forward to next week. To see what this new generation is made up of and what plans /proposals they will bring forward.

For me, the biggest challenge is to find a way to sustain this momentum, to keep it going and involve more potential leaders.

It was a day straight from Abraham Maslow's book. I intend to have many more days like today.

God willing....

Mullah is lonely - again!

2009-01-03T12:30:00.004-05:00

Mullah’s longest running FPN left him for another man!

It was a shocker! Even though Mullah says he saw it coming and that he is prepared to deal with it.

I am not sure if one can be prepared to handle loneliness. A loss of companionship from one’s life is too much to be prepared for. How in the world can you bring back those subtle communication that come with knowing someone for a long time? How could you be prepared for a lonely cup of coffee on a Sunday morning?

Mullah and his FPN left for Florida the same day. While Mullah went to Miami to be with his childhood friends, she went to Panama City to be with her new found love.

I have been fortunate enough to have experienced all kinds of emotions and circumstances that a well lived life can offer, those experiences came handy. I tried to make sure Mullah Kept working on his relationship to make it last as long as possible. When everything failed I made sure he looks forward to a brighter tomorrow. There is no way I am going to let a buddy stay depressed under my watch.....kiya apun jo kar saka!

What Mullah cannot get over is the fact that she made him spent $4500 for breast augmentation which would benefit the desires and aspirations of a jailbird with bunch of tattoos on his body. She kept insisting that she went plastic for Mullah only, but now it’s clear that Mullah was a plan B for this woman. I used to joke with Mullah that $4500 can get him a agreeable-wafa-parwar wife from India that may not require additional help from plastics as well!

My major concern at this time is to make sure Mullah does not slip into depression. He is a great friend with an awesome sense of humor and it will be a real loss if he falls apart.

“ kuch to majboriyan rahi hongi”

Yun hi koi be wafa nahi hota!”

BTW if you are someone who believes that “ a day without humor is a day wasted” and if you are a well read, well spoken person with interests in cinema, arts and things un-usual, Mullah would like to hear from you. Also an ability to stay “all-natural” with no love for things plastics would be an asset.

Tum mujhe....

2008-12-29T10:32:00.003-05:00

Bhook aur piyaas ki maari hui is duniya main....

Detroit Three...

2008-12-16T20:53:00.003-05:00

Justice denied somwhere....

2008-12-07T15:29:00.013-05:00

Its been a week since collective innocence of Mumbai city was lost. I felt violated. It was hurting to see city of my dreams raped in front of my eyes. I went through the same emotions as any mumbaikar. The areas attacked are my stomping grounds too. However, watching the pundits and commentators on TV added to my frustration.

When a lady on NDTV made a baseless allegation that she has seen Pakistani flags near Four Seasons hotel in Worli and advocated carpet bombing, I gave myself this assignment of visiting this locality in my next visit to the city to find the Pakistani flags.

Next day the lady in question apologized for misinforming the public and that was end of one controversy, but I believe she has not given up on carpet bombing idea. When American Generals are on record that carpet bombing is counter productive in fighting terrorism, then why on earth you propose such an Idea on National TV?

This is what page 3 crowds does not get it. Easy cook book solution to an increasingly complex world is not the answer. We need deeper understanding of the enemy and the issues at hand. We can not fight terrorism in isolation anymore. It is as connected to e-commerce as Dow Jones flutucates with market sentiments world over.

While this lady experienced the action of evil on 12/26 for the first time, I was exposed to the politics of hate when in 1984 Bhiwandi riots a classmate lost his house and possessions. We in school collected donation for him. I will forever remember the fear and anger on his face...

My point is that we need to be more pro-active when we see the evil for the first time. We can no longer feel safe when artrocities are committed elsewhere on our globe. Take for example this story Times of India ran of a woman named Shanti Lata who was paraded naked on the street of Bangara villege in Jajpur, Orissa. Her crime: Her son fell in love with a girl and ran away with her. While she was paraded someone opened her mouth and peed in it ( Yeah, I know how you feel...please feel it). When she went to register the police complaint she was harassed further by the men in khaki. She finally went to the court.

You might say it is horrible and walk away from it. Well, fyi that is not an option anymore. We all must feel violated at this horrible crime. If you search google for " women paraded naked in India" it brings 109,000 results worth 10 pages. This has been going on since we started documenting these crimes. How long can we allow majority of India to be living in 16th century while Bangalore and Noida are leaping into 21st?

What will happen to this woman? A bunch of brave men and women in an NGO will fight on her behalf but will she ever get justice? Even if she gets justice would she be the same person before she was dishonored? How would her son react to this atrocity against her mom? Who would be held accountable if he picks up guns and joins terrorist gangs to take revenge?

MLK once said" justice denied somewhere is justice denied everywhere" and it could not be more truer then these times.....

I am glad people of Mumbai rose to the occasion and saw evil in this lady's provocative statements and made sure she is corrected before its too late.

Enough is enough...

CST Martyrs

2008-11-30T15:50:00.010-05:00

I read about flowers being placed at the attacked sites in memory of those that died. The same news source (Rediff.com) mentioned that no flowers were placed at CST.

We, again decided that even in death Rickhsaw-walah, Taxi-walahs and day laborers of the World bear thier own burdern. This time the burden of death....

I cried one more time...

Aye safar...

2008-11-29T02:03:00.002-05:00

Raye-gan: waste
Poet: Javed Akhtar

Man ki Kitaab se Tum...

2008-11-28T18:04:00.007-05:00

Man ki Kitaab se Tum...
Mera Naam hi Mita Dena
Gun to na Tha Koi bhi...
Ava-Gun Mere Bhula Dena!

Deepak Chopra - interview

2008-11-27T23:23:00.004-05:00

Home under seige...

2008-11-27T15:42:00.004-05:00

This american life...

2008-11-25T23:06:00.008-05:00

One of my favorite times of the day happens around 10 pm and later. This is when I sit in my balcony with chai to reflect back, to think and to dream. These are special moments as I feel very alive enjoying serenity and peace. The only sound that I hear is that of water flowing along the creek that runs some 20 yards away from me and occasional sirens of the cops taking care of business nearby or rushing to an auto accident. Some time If am lucky, I get to see the bunch of deers hang around the creek unmindful of my presence.

Last month, I was enjoying my moments under the Moon when I heard a woman scream. She seemed to be in pain. Then I heard a man who too was in some kind of a trouble. The trouble was not ordinary. These are the only troubles in life when no one asks for help. You are on your own buddy. The beauty of these sounds is that it makes you nervous, curious, and envious in that order. In addition to raising your heart beats to 175 per minute without going to the gym.

Homes and apartment in America are usually constructed from the locally available cheap material which is usually wood. As a result the walls or partitions are wafer thin and with a little sensitivity one can hear what is happening next door.

My curiosity helped me figure out that the "miracle" is played out right below my apartment. Oh my God! Now, how am I going to sleep in this hara-kiri was the first thought that came to mind? I tried to take my mind off by reading a book, watching Sarah Palin speeches to writing a poem. Nothing worked. I slept only after Storm subsided and calm prevailed..... which was pretty late at night.

The next day I shared the story with Mullah Louis and the gang, and all of them enjoyed my discomfort thoroughly.

Mullah1: Man you should have used your film making skills to record it. These kinds of films are the only ones that never flop.

Me: Thanks for the idea...

Mullah2: How do you know it is just one man and one woman?

Me: Because, I am not as pervert as you are..

Mullah3: Come on man, you are from the land of "Kama Sutra", you should know how to handle this?

Me: I don’t think Kama Sutra has answers to lifes all the problems, besides kama-Sutra without Rekha makes no sense to me...

Mullah4: One way to handle this would be to get married, brother!

Me: Get married because someone is handling the situation carelessly...

Mullah5: Why don’t you just join them? More the merrier...

Me: Now, that sounds like a plan - you idiot...

Mullah6: Well, this could be women too, you never know....

Me: oh My God...

In short, they all made fun of me for paying attention to small "pains" like these.

I spoke to a buddy in Mumbai. He too laughed “How do those voices sound?". If anyone has any doubt of my sharafat here is your answer. My best friend, married with children, has no clue to what sounds a woman is capable of making. " Namaz padha kar" was the only advice he offered.

My "problems" are getting "longer" and are happening at odd hours now. It is like free for all at any time from 10 pm, 1 am, and 3:30am. One time it even happened at 6:45 on a Monday morning. Don't these guys have a job to report to, and why do they make so much cheek pukkar as if there is no tomorrow?

ps: Its 11:15 at night. I know what you thinking!!

BRB...

a cartoon is worth 1 Mil words...

2008-11-23T13:16:00.009-05:00

(Courtesy: Time)

Barkat Husain Obama...

2008-11-17T00:07:00.041-05:00

“Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there are not a liberal America and a conservative America -- there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America”

It was at 2004 Democratic convention that when I heard this black politician by an un-usual name of Barrack Obama give a passionate speech. We all had gone through the pain and agonies of "hanging chads" in 2000, and were glued to the TV sets to see how Democrats plan to mount a challenge to a war President.

I felt electric current run through my body when he delivered those lines. I reached out to the nearest “ khbusurat muskurahaton" wali FPN and said " Banda bada zabardast hai – Presidential material. This guy will run for office one day!” She agreed with me, which was very rare occurence those days.

Soon after the speech that jebroni came down the stage. Gwen Iffil of PBS interviewed him further revealing his inner personality. I found a consistency in his thoughts and some frank honesty. It is easy to act out a speech on stage but difficult to survive an onslaught from the reporters. He was impressive with his clarity of thoughts and choice of words. I found him to be a thinker and intellectual type, something to look out for...

So, when I saw him that chilly morning of February 10, 2006, outside the old state Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois announcing his candidacy, I was not surprised. He spoke from the heart and was full of hope and wisdom. So far so good, the question that I had was how far he would be “allowed” to go before he was knocked down by the establishment? He had said “This campaign has to be about you and not me”…..

Thus began a journey that history will hold dear for millenniums to come. Schools, colleges, holidays will be named after this man called Barack Husain Obama. Films will be made on his life and he will occupy the imagination of the writers and thinkers for hundreds of years to come. What a story….what a man!

I have followed his every speech, his every move, every act on the campaign trail in the last two years. For a student of political science his journey is a great case to study. I saw how main stream America reacted to him and how all the events played out.

When John McCain suspended his campaign to go to Washington DC to help pass the bailout package I thought it’s over for Mr.Obama. That was a clever move from a veteran as one should stay away from politics to help the nation. He refused to suspend his campaign and said "a President is supposed to do many things at once", thus forcing Mr. McCain to show up for the previously scheduled debate.

This was the first time I made political contributions as anyone who is willing to knock down man-made boundries ought to be supported. I do not see him as black or someone with a Muslim name. For me, any politician that uses the sentence “let us change the world” is an automatic ally. Someone to help out with, someone to make room for, someone to fight for….

I am hoping for a day when he makes a speech that goes like “ There is no Muslim World, Hindu World, Christian World and a Jew World – there is one just World. We have friends in Israel as well as in Saudi Arabia. We hang around with Africans and fall in love with the Turks. We worship the same Abrahmic God in a synagogue as in a Mosque. We may have different colors of skin, speak hundreds of languages, eat all kinds of food and live in 183 countries but we all are ONE PEOPLE – all 6.602 Billion of us.

We will not let them divide us in the name of religion, color and nationality. We will not let them make us take arms against each other in Iraq, Dafur and Kashmir. If a Kasmiri Pandit is thrown out of his home then we all becomes homeless. When a 50,000 lbs bomb is dropped on an Afghan family then we all would consider it a crime against all of us. We will rise and shut down these bazaars of narrow-mildedness that sell nothing but hatred for fellow human beings…we stand together as one people, one nation so help us God!”

Insha-allah!

BTW that “nearest FPN” ended up watching the acceptance speech of Mr. Obama farthest from me - with someone else. What differnce a mere four years can make.I wonder if anyone noticed that she was thinking of the last democractic convetion in 2000 and more. Good for her!

I had tears in my eyes when Barrack Obama walked up to the stage and said “And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared”……

Sure Mr. President our destiny is shared...

Wouldn't it be nice...

2008-11-15T22:00:00.005-05:00

While they are at it, wouldn't it be nice for these ladies and gentlemen to come up with a consistent definition of a terrorist?

Terrorism of all shapes and forms affects us with same brutality as do these unregulated financial markets. It leaves death, poverty and tears behind similar to what subprime lending and other financial engineering instruments have done to so far. How about deciding on a clear definition of a terrorist and then agreeing to hunt them down wherever they might be...

Our future generations would have a good shot at peace and prosperity, if we tackle this single most issue of our times in a fair and consistent manner. To me that would be much more significance than talking dollars and cents!

God, it feels good...

2008-11-15T14:43:00.011-05:00

Still, a sher from some Shakeel Jamali ( Thanks to Indscribe for correction) showed up...

" Tum Aasmano ki Bulandiyon se Jald Laut Aaana
Hamen Zameen ke Masyal pe Baat Karni hai..."

Is there something wrong?

2008-10-19T23:36:00.003-04:00

"Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer is no. That's not America. Is there something wrong with a seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing he or she could be president? Yet I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion that he is a Muslim and might have an association with terrorists. This is not the way we should be doing it in America.

I feel particularly strong about this because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay, was of a mother at Arlington Cemetery and she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone, and it gave his awards - Purple Heart, Bronze Star - showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death, he was 20 years old. And then at the very top of the head stone, it didn't have a Christian cross. It didn't have a Star of David. It has a crescent and star of the Islamic faith.

And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan. And he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was fourteen years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he could serve his country and he gave his life."

These are the comments made by General Colin Powell while endorsing Senator Obama for the Presidency of the United States of America. He referred to this picture when speaking to Tom Brokaw at Meet the Press this morning. I had no clue which picture he is talking about until I found it this evening. I looked at this picture for long time and felt deeply for this mother whose other 20 year old child, most likely would not be considered "clean" today unless proved otherwise....what we are looking at is not a headstone but a mom's heart ripped apart and buried in the ground.

It's about time sanity, peace and rationalism prevails in this world...This the America of Lincoln and Jefferson that beckoned me when I was growing up in India. This is the America of Steve Jobs and Warren Buffet that I found an ideal place to live in and dream. This is the America of Jimmy Carter and Garrison Kiellor that made me leave my loved ones and more. This is the America that I thought would be free from corruption, hatred, rapes, killings, riots, divisive politics that my country of birth always had a copyright on ....

This is the America that we all need at this crucial moment of our collective civilization!

(Photo: The New Yorker)

You...

2008-09-28T00:10:00.019-04:00

It’s past midnight here in Atlanta, GA and I am writing about you on my blog. Why? Why now after so many years? I don’t know. I just do not know. Just felt like it.

I have been missing you more since my office moved in to the building on North Avenue. While we were enjoying the views of midtown from 27th floor, I saw the College of Management at Georgia Tech. I saw that classroom, conference room, that tree outside and I saw that lonely bench underneath the tree - and I saw you!

My friend Shakir found me after 15 years. The first thing he did was to enquire about your whereabouts. I had no update, no information to give. I never made an attempt to meet you or find you since we departed.... I am a man of my words.

I don’t know why we were attracted toward each other to begin with? I have some clue of my reasons, but you had no reason to come close to a small time jebroni like me. Back then, I had nothing, not even a basic car. I was surprised when one day in the conference room you touched my face and said " Shahid, I never imagined I would fall in love with some one from overseas". I was surprised. I assumed you were joking, pagal hai - I thought?...apparently you were not!

I was the only engineering graduate to have signed up for Org behavior in the school of management. That is when I met you for the first time. I, a jebroni and you, the most beautiful thing in the class. You with Brunette hair, deep dimples and green eyes that used to disarm and grab me by my senses.

Do you remember one day during the class I started writing your name in Hindi in your notebook and you in turn responded by writing mine in French.? I came back with Urdu and you chose German to write my name. We kept going back and forth oblivious to the ongoing class. I don’t remember how many languages we exhausted until we found the professor shouting in our direction " IS THIS SOME KIND OF A UNDERGRADUATE CLASS?” The entire class burst into laughter. I felt good for some reasons - you were embarrassed!

That moment changed a lot though, and everyone in the class after that started looking at us differently. My other fiends who were in the reckoning to get your attention gave up after that.....life was not the same! I knew I was the chosen one. I remember telling you after the class that if I end up making movies, this scene will find a place...you just smiled and kept walking.

I used to feel protected while hanging around you. I used to enjoy those long drives with no destinations. Your talks of contributing and changing the world still live in my imagination. My writings and films do show a flavor of what we used to talk back then. I have not changed!

One day, when a bully made me realize that " America is not your country", I was feeling depressed and down when you showed up and took me to the library. Thrusting the constitution of the United States in my hands you said, " This is as much as your country as theirs, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, Shahid!".

You always pronounced my name right. I was surprised and wondered where and how you learned to pronounce my name properly. It’s been so many years now and yet my friends and colleagues don’t call me Shahid, I am Shaheeed to them. The other day Mullah's FPN called my name properly. I missed you!

In spite of being such a gem of a person you had complexities too. You never allowed me to take your pictures. One evening, while we were driving under a moon lit night, I wanted to take your pictures. I had bought a camera for that purpose. You said no and that was it. I pleaded and cited the magic of moonlight dancing on your face, the poetry of the moment, the lovely environment. But you did not relent even at the cost of me remaining upset for a few days.

However, a week before my departure for India, you came to my apartment with a few pictures. This time I did not even ask for them. I don’t remember what happened other then that Shakir was not in, and I was watching Atlanta play Minnesota for the World Series. I was totally engrossed in the game when you showed up.... I took the pictures from you but did not open the envelope as I was waiting for a commercial break. In a few seconds you did a reversal, and announced you not only wanted to go but also would like to take the picture back as well.

I still have those pictures...

I always admired your ability to rise above the petty boundaries of religion, border and color. You wanted to " go work in a third world country and contribute". You were a global citizen even before it became a buzzword. Mullah says “by working and living in Vermont you are like living and contributing to a third world Country”. You have kept your words! (Please don't mind him. He is a dear friend and an occasional side-kick).

Ps: I found you on classmate’s finder web site. It provided me all the information about you like where you are now, where have you been since leaving Tech and whom you are married to? What distance you have traveled!

PPS: I am not going to call you. I am a man of my words!

Sab kuch...

2008-09-25T18:25:00.000-04:00

An enemy of the people...

2008-09-21T13:13:00.005-04:00

(From " an enemy of the people" by Henrik Ibsen, 1882)

(Thanks to a friend for this jewel)

Aise bikhre hain raat din...

2008-09-19T00:20:00.001-04:00

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=SOuCYDW06v0

an angry Indian...

2008-09-16T21:27:00.004-04:00

No, its is not me. I am too cool too be angry! It is this certified jebroni called Yaamyn and he has written an excellent post that I wanted to share with y'all.

I always predicted that when this new Indian; who has never even heard nor seen any firecracker go off for a Pakistani win, and who being a global citizen never rooted for any one team shows up - we will be in trouble. Here is one of them.

This new Indian is not going to be apologetic about 1947 and other usual charges that folks keep repeating like a broken record. He is not going to support or defend criminals from both the sides of the fence. He is going to speak his mind and make good sense...

He is here , but please understand he is in your face type of guy who takes no prisoners!

PS: All we need is a few good men/women, a bunch of Indians from all sides, and we may have a beginning of the dream that Gandhi saw...

Banjaara...

2008-09-13T19:02:00.010-04:00

Main Bechara
Ek Banjara
Awara Phirte Phirte jab thak jaonga
Tanhayee ke Teele par Ja kar Baithoonga
Phir Jaise Pehchaan ke mujh ko
Ek Banjara jaan ke mujh ko
Waqt ke agle Shahr ke
Saare Nanhe Munne Bhole Bhaale Lamhe
Nange Paoon
Daude Dadue Bahage-Bhaage aa jayenge
Mujh ko gher ke baithenge
Aur mujh se Kahnege
Kiyon Banjare
Tum to Waqt ke kitne Shahron se Guzre ho
Un Shahron ki Koi Kahaani Hamen Sunao..

Un se Kahoonga
Nanhe Lamho
Ek thi Raani...

Sun ke kahaani
Saare Nanhe Lamhe
Gamgeen Ho kar mujh se puchenge
TUM kiyoon un ke shahr na aayin?

Lekin un ko Behlaa Loonga
Un se Kahoonga
Ye Mat pucho
Aankhe mundo...
Aur Ye Socho....

Tum Hoti to kaisa hota?
Tum is Baat pe Hairan hoti
Tum us baat pe Kitni Hansti?
Tum Hoti to Aisa Hota...
Tum hoti to Waisa Hota...

(C)Tarkash by Javed Akhtar

aaj ka din...

2008-09-08T22:40:00.011-04:00

Sulagti yadon ke is dariya ko Utar Jaane do
Aaj ka din yunhi, bas yun hi guzar jaane do!

Kaun aaya hai yahan? Kaun aataa hai yahan?
Makaan-e- Dil ki har Deewar ko gir Jaane do.

Aaj ka din yunhi, bas yun hi Guzar Jaane do!

(C) Shahdi Sayed, September 1, 2008

Tinkon ka bas ek Aashiyan...

2008-08-31T16:42:00.017-04:00

Its 2 am in Delhi, India. I just got off the phone after arguing my case with Sunita Mishra of " Aap itne haseen na hote to bhai bana leti " fame. I am the only one who can wake her up at 2 in the morning and start an intellectual conversation without getting a lesson on time etiquette!

The issue for the night was home - sweet home as they sold to all of us long time ago. I am not anti-civilization but I have come to the conclusion that it is the quest of this sweet home that is the root cause of all the wars, hunger and poverty in this world. This is the genesis of all the evils that we see on TV and read in the papers every day.

I can explain.

For a moment go back to your teenage years when the world used to look so romantic. When we knew only friends and not Hindus, Muslims and Christians. When we used to hang around the St. Mary's Church at Byculla at certain time to get a glimpse of a christian girl who used to be a visitor there. We used to wear cross and show up in the church because we wanted to be friends with her and we did not believe any made walls and beliefs should stop us.

We were in the business of breaking walls no matter high and mighty and un touchable they were. Some jebronis still do that in the world albeit on a minor scale. World was an idealistic place where no one was a stranger. We were like one big family. We used to fight along with our Hindu friends against any bully that showed up to fight them.

Cut to present day:

Now after marrying the girl that parents selected after checking the jaat, caste and religion; buying a house after making sure no one "who is not like us lived there" and sending our kids to "our" types of school, we have become so unlike what we were when we were growing up?

What the f***k happened?

The search for that "Tinkon ka aashiyana" is one reason beside our communal DNA. How else could you explain a guy who dated Muslim girl and almost ran away with her to marry while in college, is now making sure his kids don't make "Muslim friends?" The same chap gives charity only to Hindu organization and blames Muslims for all the evil in this world? Same goes for the Muslim gentleman too - no exceptions in this Olympics of hating other human beings.

I think buying or building a house brings a sense of permanency in human mind. That permanency is the reason in limiting a man's vision. Throw in a wife and a kid and now you have a gentleman who is willing to bomb the whole world if need be, in order to save these two. Because they are HIS own, that is HIS house. This gentleman NOW wants to play God to his family, and make sure they and their future generation are safe against the perceived enemy. This love for my wife, my home and my kids makes us so small and childish that it seems so funny.

Julia Roberts made a documentary on some tribes living in Mongolia. She went there with a crew and spent a couple of weeks in the middle of nowhere. You see her from getting shocked at every day lives there to finding peace and serenity in that environment. That tribe has no doors, no locks - nothing. Nobody steals anything there. Even the horses are left un-tied at night outside and yet they don't run away. These tribes don't own things and lands. They just stop at a place, live for sometime and move on. They don't have wars, and they don't practice hatred there. Everything is considered temporary in their world, which we don't seems to get!

Most of my friends have house, kids and wives . Every time I visit their homes these thoughts expressed on this blog get reinforced. I witness their turnaround from a global citizen to a " Khao, Khujao and Batti Bujaho" type. They don't care what happens in the the next gully, forget about the next mohallah or the next town. As the kids are growing and becoming open and internationals these parents who were like their kids 15 years ago going local - very local - only 3500 Sft worth.

Sunita wants me to own a house, get married and settle down. I too want to get married and settled own but without owning lands and things as they, in my mind are the beginning of the journey of selfishness. The folks, I consider my heroes never "owned" things. Be it a general who ruled half the world and lived in $5 tent, as Bill Clinton calls it, to humanist businessman JRD Tata.

Today, in this world everyone and everything looks mine. Why would I want to exchange this wide world for 3500 SFT of concrete and wood?

Mullah says I should watch out for this tendency of thinking "everything is so mine" as it may one day result in believing that other people's kids and wives are yours too?

Well, I will take the fifth amendment on that one!

Secured Be-wafaiyan..

2008-08-24T22:33:00.007-04:00

I did not realize the difficulty I am going to face transporting new TV to my house when I bought it. So here I was, in my parking lot experiencing what I call an "American moment" which basically means "you are always alone every time - all the time!". Contrast that to an Indian version of it which means " You are never- ever-goddamned ever alone!".

I was about to give a shout at Mullah or Manohar when I saw these two kids approach me. They offered to help me with TV and I graciously accepted it. While upstairs they placed the TV at the right place and before I could thank, they asked for my permission to preach me. They belonged to the Chucrh of Mormon and were on a one year assignment preaching away from home. They go door to door sharing good news about their Lord with "hell-bound" people like me.

I offered them seats, cokes and rapt attention but only on one condition, that they will let me also preach for 5 minutes. They accepted and preached me about their faith and how it began when in 1830, a 15 year old boy named Joseph Smith Jr. (1805-1844), had a visit from Jesus Christ who asked him to start a new church now known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (with headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah -- a state that is now 70% Mormon).

I don't have a yearning for religious change in my life and am not looking for any other outlet for satisfying my need for a higher being. I am completely at peace being a Muslim even though Yaar log from both the sides of the aisle have done an excellent job turning it into some kind of a terrorist cult. I enjoy the philosophical sides of every religion. Give me a religion, any religion and I will find something to rejoice about.

One of my favorite story is that of Ganesha when he along with his brother was asked by his parents to lagao a chakkar of the world in order to get a toy. The brother runs off in a hurry but Ganehsa just revolves around the parents saying you are my world and I have completed the chakkar of my world. How can you beat that for motivation and love? I use this story sometime to the amazement of my audiences to make a point.

When they finished and gave me the Mormon Bible it was my time to preach as promised. And my convesration went like this:

Me: Kids, how old are you?
Both: 15 and 14
Me: What if I tell you that you can receive a half a million dollars 20 years from now...
Both: How?
Me: Just invest you lunch money in a mutual fund for 20 years.

Their jaws drooped and eyes wide opened - as expected.

Me: I am serious kids. Look if you invest $6 dollars, your lunch money into any mutual fund for 20 years you will have a $500,000 in your account. I don't know what future holds for you and what calamities await you. I don't know which woman is going to drop a nuclear bomb in your heart, or who is going to stab in your back and what disease or divorce you are going to pick up when you are 35. Whatever it is, with half a million dollars in your bank you would be able to deal with it...

When those kids were leaving, I could see from their lit up eyes that my preaching did pay off and they may invest in the market to attain future security!

Whenever I share this story with Mullah; I always complain to him that, no one told me this when I was 15 otherwise I would be a millionaire. Every time he asks "was there any lunch money available to you when you were 15?"

Every time I take a deep sigh.....

Mr. and Mrs. Iyer

2008-08-04T23:39:00.010-04:00

This is Jahangir Chaudry, he is muslim...

Just saw Mr. and Mrs. Iyer for the n+100th time.

You make one film like this, and you know you have paid your dues to the humanity. You have paid debts to all those that showed up in your life when you had given up on everything between heaven and earth....

Pure magic indeed!