The Fishers' Mind

A blog of our college gang that we have often referred to as the Matunga Fishing Club

Saturday, September 4, 2010

We have visitors from Malta



I just happened to open up the admin page for this blog and decided to click on the Stats tab.
Guess what I found, we not only have readers from India , US (of course) but even from the small country called Malta...

And google rocks for providing this kind of stats (although I was not necessarily looking for them)

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

The Ghostquake

Date and Time : around 1:07 am 17 Aug 2010

I am sitting on my couch in front of my laptop writing about one of my treks to a remote place called Harischandra Gad. I have just about finished describing a close encounter in the jungle. My brain is hyper on thoughts (read horror / suspense / thriller movies).
As I am contemplating the words on my next para, I have an eerie experience.

In a span of less than a second, I feel the rustling of trees outside the window of my living room, followed by the sound of the wind hitting the sliding windows and then a jerk on the couch as if some hit the couch hard. Startled I look around but there is no one.
Now my already hyper on thoughts brain takes two forms. First form the Rational brain (hereinafter referred to as "aaR") and second form the Paranoid one (hereinafter referred to as "Par"). Aar swiftly starts rationalizing the experience and comes up with 3 options in the order of rationale correctness.

1. A strong wind blew through the window and shook the couch.
2. An earthquake hit the area.
3. A burglar broke in and accidentally brushed a side of the couch before hiding in another room.

Before even Aar has finished ruling out options, Par supplies one more
4. Its a ghost.

I usually consider myself quite a rational person so Aar is always favoured to explain such experiences. So here goes the discussion between three (Aar, Par and me) of us.

Aar : Even though the trees rustled and the window shook, I could not feel the wind on my skin. Option 1 is therefore ruled out. It could be option 2.

Par : Earthquakes will usually mean a little more disturbance. I have seen enough discovery channel and I know that it usually involves at least sound of shaking utensils and crockery. I did not hear any of that. Besides since the whole experience lasted less than a second it is highly unlikely that its an earthquake.

Aar & me : Hmm ... In that case lets ascertain option 3.

I get up and check all the rooms, windows and doors. I even check on my mom (the only other person in the house at that moment) and she is fast asleep oblivious to my experience. I look out of the windows and nothing. Convinced that there is no sign of forced entry and that there is no one other than myself and my mom in the home I return to my couch.

Par : So it is my explanation. A ghost has entered the house.
Aar : No there are no ghosts. There is no such thing as God or Ghost. They are both creations of the human mind trying to blame the unexplained happenings of the nature on something supernatural.

Par : I am convinced that it was a ghost. If you can believe that there is ghost than like two sides of a coin you also have to accept the presence of God. Lets pray God and may the almighty give us strength to overcome the evil.

Me : Saalo AarPar ... Shut up both of you. You guys are scaring the living day lights out me. Ok its 1:00 am in the night, but that makes this whole discussion way too creepy. Lets go to sleep.

I then go on to switch of my laptop, relieve my bladder and come back to sleep on the same darn couch. I switch off the light and for the next 15 minutes or so I am lying there inside the sheets with only my face outside and my eye half closed. My eyeballs are moving to check out all corners of the room to spot any movement. Aar is still thinking option 3 while Par is convinced of option 4. The only light inside the room is the faint one coming from flashlight at a nearby construction sight. There is the shadow of the trees on the walls. No movement however.
Pretty soon I have overcome my momentary fears and am fast asleep.

Next morning at breakfast I narrate the experience to my mom (minus discussion with Aar and Par). My mom agrees with 1,2, 3 as possible explanations and dismisses all of them with similar arguments as AarPar. I stop short of telling her option 4 but then She adds a 5th explanation.

5. Since I was writing (and she is not particularly fond of my style) about some close encounter, my brain was hyper and I would have hallucinated.

Again AarPar get into discussions and Par likes option 5 better than option 4. Aar is still not convinced but with nothing rational in site keeps quite. I tell my mom to forget about it and carry on with my usual routine and go to office.

Towards the end of the day, just as everyone is winding up to leave for the day, a mail drops into my mailbox from the Firm's Corporate Security.
The subject reads "Security Advisory - Earthquake Respone...."

The mails body starts as below
"A minor intensity earthquake, measuring 2.6 on the Richter scale, hit Mumbai and parts of western Maharashtra early morning today at 1.07 am with Bapsai (Thane District) as its epicenter."

Aar has a last muhaaahaahaaa laugh.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Rocking in cradle of death





If one asks me what have I taken back from my experiences in last 3 days.. the spontaneous answer is "Life". The experiences I have had last few days were enough to reinforce my vanishing faith in God. A self proclaimed agnostic as I am, I think the experiences that I am about to narrate are enough for me to not became an atheist as yet, or may be ever.


My New Royal Enfield
It all started on the way back from a dinner meet with old college friends. There were no cocktails so I wasn't drunk at all. On my way back, as I was driving my new bike, I heard a low noise near my back wheel as if two objects were constantly hitting each other. I usually carry a second helmet and this time there was no pillion rider. I reached out my left hand to feel if the helmet was were it usually should be (on the pillion back rest) but it wasn't. I promptly stopped by the side of the road to check the status and found that helmet was hanging beside the back wheel (causing the low noise). I placed it in proper position and started accelerating again. What I didn't realise was that I hadn't moved the side stand from its parking position.

Oblivious to the fact that the side stand was just about an inch or so above the road, I accelerated the bike to my usual cruising speed of about 65 kph. After a few minutes I was about to change lanes and tilted just a little bit. The lane had some muddy debris on it. Just then heard a screeching (the side stand rubbing against the road) noise as if something was skidding against the road and the next thing I know the bike was down and so was I skidding against the road. I somehow got off the bike as it skid a few more meters ahead before coming to a stop.

I got up walked up to the bike and picked it up, the engine then came to stop. There I was on the right most lane (fastest) of a "keep left" high way with my bike at a stand still and staring back thanking heavens that there wasn't any big speeding truck right behind me. In fact all this while there was no vehicle in sight. The first vehicle passed me only after I had mounted back on my bike and was attempting to bring it back to neutral gear to start off again.


I dragged my bike to the side of the road and then got off again to have a look at myself. A few scratches on the hand, a scratch on the left knee, a sore left thigh and shoulder, a torn left pant pocket, a scratch on the helmet was what I could see. Then of course was the site of me on the ground with the sparks flying off the leg guard of the bike as it skid away from me. A site firmly etched in my mind to remind me that I am lucky to be alive to tell the tale.

The leg guard that took the fall


It took me a few minutes to realise how lucky I was to escape with just a few scratches. I wiped myself up then drove back home another 15 kms or so and some how managed to hide the scratches from my family, who would have been shell shocked to hear this, needless to say that I wouldn't have gotten the permission to drive my bike again. I think eventually they will discover, but by then I would have regained my confidence and may be able to make a case for myself. After all one learns from mistakes and I am not in habit of repeating fatal mistakes.

As if the bike experience was not enough to scare the living day lights out of me, I went ahead the exact next day with my plan of doing the Harischandragad trek via the famous "Nali chi vaat". I somehow felt fit enough mentally and physically to try a testing route. Harishchandragad is host to remains of an ancient fort by the same name and a well known trekkers paradise near Mumbai and is well known for the scenic Konkan Kada, a semicircle shaped approx 1800 high feet vertical drop from the plateau of Harishchandragad.
The "Nali chi vaat" is literally a path via a narrow pass formed by erosion due to a seasonal river. Among the trekker community in Maharashtra, this route is considered one of the most challenging ones and I discovered exactly that over the next 2 days. Our return route was another challenging route - a narrow pass called SadhleGhat.

The famous Nali chi vaat


I went into the trek carrying my bike accident scratches. Apart from the scratches I didn't feel any problems with my body so I went on with the trek plan. However about a couple of hours into the trek I realised that I had a sore right knee. I didn't think much of the knee and continued on with the slight pain. The route was fun (and challenging) so I kept moving from strength to strength. But small accidents had to be there. In one section I was trying a rock climb on a brittle slate rock and I slipped. Luckily I landed on my feet and remained balanced and escaped that fall with just a long cut on my elbow. By the time we reached the top, we were out of gas ( I mean water) and my knee was hurting real bad. Every time I bent the leg, to climb I could feel the pain in the knee. When we reached the cave temple atop the fort I was hoping that I had seen the last of my pain.

I was so very wrong about my knee. The next day I woke up in pain and with the daunting thought of climbing down all the way with the pain announcing its presence every I time I bent my right leg to climb down. I had to try and avoid stress to that knee so I was walking as if I was handicapped on the right leg. That however meant that I had to sit down and drag my ass (literally) on some of the sections of the descent. I kept falling slipping, skidding, getting pricked by thorns all the way as we came down through the jungle and the mountain pass.



The rock that almost crushed my leg
At one point as I was descending, I sat on a rock about 1/3rd my size and was feeling my next step below, just when the so far steady rock moved right below my ass and dragged me with it. I hugged it with both my hands to prevent it from falling on my legs. Again as luck would have it, I was untouched by that rock. Thanks to my hands and a small stone that stopped the rock, which looked destined to trample my already injured right leg. Thankfully I did have the sense humour to pose for this snap while I was still figuring out, how to get up without moving the rock. A little help from our trekking guide and I was up and moving along again.
I made it back home all in one piece ready to write this tale. The last 3 days however have left me thinking as I literally been rocking in a cradle of death and survived it with nothing but a few scratches and a sore knee to show. The scratches will soon vanish and the sore muscles will heal. The memories will fade out as time passes by. However I think I'll still continue to remember these 3 days for a long time to come... may be even till my last breathe ...

Saturday, January 10, 2009

gujjuorenglish


gujjuorenglish
Originally uploaded by pr0t0s:Protik
the name says it all.

Got this from a hardware store purchase at Chembur

Monday, November 17, 2008

A classic mail by Pagoz

Sahani - AIR Radio jockey giving Krikat commentary!
"Jee haan bhaiyoon aur bahno
match ek romanchak daur pe hai...
group ke lagh bhag sabhi khiladi ke wicket ghir chuke hai!
ab ek bahut he jabaaz ballebaaz ADI-pag bhi pavilion ke aur laut rahe hai......"

score hai is tarah!

Matunga Fishing Club Championship
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Viral lbw 22

Baa Hit Wicket 22

Roopa Bhai out Red carded ;) 25

AbhiShag stumped 27
Babaa ct in front 27
Ramya ct behind 27
(then they caught each other LOL)

Aye Shivani! running between wickets 28
Vutha retd hurt 24
Sunil not out 28
Protik Mukherjee kacha limboo 26
(double batting)

Chetan out ..on advt campaign 28
for protex @ NY

Phatti not out(allegedly not out) 28
JT ct @ silly point today 28

Shanpattibhag! looking for the right 28
stadium to flash
Nalgy Match Fixing ;) declrd out 28


ADIPAG BREAKING NEWS! 28
googlied out to be stumped

soon

fdgfdsgsdfgfddffgaewrrhfdvbfdfdfd......noise....!


Yo Dudes and Yoer Dudettes!

Time to uncork some champagne! Fishing rod has found fish ;) Feeling lucky to find some one who can take my bak bak and crap load of shit!

Ding Dong! Sing a song!
I found the ONE...(not jet lee) ..not a bong
Duniya nahi hai ulti
Yes Yes! She is a GULTI!

Had been talking/chatting/mailing and seeing her since some time now! Was trying to make this arranged thing a bit more interesting than it seems :D
Finally ma and pa met the enlaws to be ma and pa and they have decided we are both capable of taking care of each others toothbrush and baggage !

Long storyy cut short! Apun shadi karne ko ho rahe la hai! Time to party!
The lucky one - me!
The luckier one - She! Shez Shilpa! heheheh!

La femme Shilpa est belle fille!
She is working with Willis an insurance firm @ Nariman Pt Mumbai since 4 yrs I think
Fortunately when I say CONTROL she does not say ALT-DEL! She is completely diverse from us techies!(am i one nowadays..arguable! I file help tickets to configure even my outlook on my lappie!)

Alpha Release - urf Engagement!
August 15th 2008.
(Jawaharlal Nehru's words never echoed louder than now when I heard I am gonna get engaged that day....."my tryst with destiny ;)"....)

For propriety sake we have decided te leave the BETA release for some time (at least 9 months I think) later after marriage! Who knows we might decide to do a BETI release too....! che che gandhe bacche sab!

Gamma Release! - urf ...
The Happening - Marriage
November 5th 2008!

Bhai log please book your tickets soon
Shaadi shall be in Hyderabad! The land of the Nawabs! It's gonna be a morning marriage!
www.easyjet.com
It's called gamma bcos of all the gamma like radiations one has to endure alll day long sitting near the pyre! Worth it I guess!

The launch urf ...The Reception
November 9th I think
In RCF Mumbai!
I'll kick ur ass if anyone turns up here! If u can come on the 9th u better well can come on the 5th to HYD! Moreover you can do some sight seeing in hyd too :)

Sorry guys..I couldnt call or inform anyone earlier! If someone can sell time I'd buy it ! Really struggling to manage 24hrs in a day!

With this I now hand over my beloved Ass to the forum so that they can start beating it arnd!

Thanks for all your wishes! Please please please try to grace the occassion!

Cheerz! God bless the humble new turning and and chapter in my eventful life! Welcome - THE WIFE!

(Its getting shit scary man!)
AdhiPeg!

Viru_being_operated_by ELectronics_Engineers

DrProtik to Dr Abhi: Please pass me the soldering iron, the eyes need to be soldered
Dr Chetan: Ill hammer the nose to perfection
Dr Abhi: I'll tape up the mouth piece, think we will have a ready robot for our IIT mumbai hardware contest.

At_IIT_Kanpur_project_stall

The IIT Kanpur project stall