Mind Frame

Of late I have realised that half the youth in this country gets into drinking out of peer pressure if not all of it. Not that it bothers me. To be honest it provides comic relief. Sitting with friends & colleagues and often the butt of all jokes when I grab a coke or any other non alcoholic brew, is a common occurrence now. I do drink. I am not a teetotaller but then its the company & the occasion that matters to me most importantly. I can count on my fingers the few people whom I would love to grab a beer with and will do so without fail when the opportunity arises. Its all about the moment. Alcohol does not intoxicate me. Life and its moments do and if one has to take to alcohol to get life to kick started...well. PS: I trip on wine and beer. In that order.  

I am in a phase where I am realising the value of relationships - again. Not that I did not do so earlier, it is just another time that I realise how deep they go. I know this is a phase of self realisation, something that will repeat it self not because these relationships will only teach me new things every day but they will run deeper as time passes by. Simply put, I am learning how to love back harder, greater and deeper. This with respect to a few special people in my life. A sister in a far away town, health issues of one of the most major influences in my life - my grand mom and tiny specks of my career that is still in its nascent stages. Life teaches you things - and how. All you need is already with you. Best summarised by Lucky Ali in one my favourite tracks. अनजानी राहों में तू क्या ढूँढता फिरे, दूर जिसको समझा वह तो पास है तेरे.

आखिर आ ही गयी तू मेरी गली, जैसे बहती हो कोई पगली नदी. तेरा आना बताए तेरे प्यार का रंग, जैसे बिखरे है थाली मैं से कुम कुम के रंग, मेरा दिल खीचा चल आए जैसे तेरी आँचल की डोर, जैसे ही मुड जाये तू मेरी गली ओर. तेरी पायल है खनके जैसे सावन बिजली लड़ी, लटे लिपट जायें माथे पे जैसे आंधी - पत्ते कालि, मोहे चिढ़ा सी जाए तेरी सुनहरी महक, जैसे गर्मी मैं भीगी हो किसी गली की सड़क... देख, आखिर आ ही गयी तू मोहि गली, जैसे बहती हो कोई पगली नदी. Thoughts of a young man who describes the entry of a young woman (he is in love with) in his lane as he waits for her every day, always.

So plans are in place for a great time in the near future in Mumbai. The list and itinerary for things to do in the magical city grow incredibly fast and only multiply each day. I have my bucket list of things to do too. So here goes, my wishes for the city of mania, moods and money. Watch Monsoons lash the city at Marine Drive and Carter Road. Drink coffee at 2am on a winter night at Churchgate. Photograph the entire Gothic length of South Mumbai's famous addresses. Pick up a wine stack - a place where bottles can be stacked and memories stored in old yellow paper books. Document the wares and its sellers on a crowded Sunday afternoon at Chor Bazaar & Crawford Market. Complete a documentary of the Irani coffee haunts of South Mumbai. This includes haunts that are non-Irani and legendary still. Stack a list of top ten places in Mumbai that wine is best consumed at. Pali Village Cafe surely will be No 1.  Catch a game at the...