what a saturday !! perfect..12/24 spent sleeping..glorious..i got up at 5 in the evening..with an SMS on my cell phone asking me to go on a search mission. The task was to find the ever elusive, alluring, "Pachchatar lakh ki dakaiti" by "Surendra Pathak". For the lesser armed junta out there, this is a hindi novel by a hindi writer, apparently a major hit in the more hindi speaking parts of India. I was jolted out of sleep when saw the title. I blinked, and blinked,  and then laughed for a full five minutes imagining myself asking the shop keeper to give me "Pachchatar lakh ki dakaiti".

But reality is harsh. I went out from Crosswords to Odesseys to small book shops, but alas, I could'nt find it. One of the guys had an english translation of the same, "Sixty Lakhs Robbery", with a very graphical front cover of a saree clad women, a heavily moustached man and some blood. Picture this.. the original hindi book costs Rs 60 and the english translation costs Rs 120. Double the price, half the fun, quipped my friend.

I was troubled by the disinterest shown by book sellers towards hindi books. When I asked for Hindi section, I was either shown a tattered pile of old books or was directed to some adhyatmic stuff or shown the door. When did Sheldon, Grisham,  replace premchand, chauhan, 'dinkar' ? And I slept all through! The fact remains that I coudn't find the book.

Was listening to Sajjad Lone on NDTV speaking on why he is contesting Indian elections and clarifying(trying to clarify), how it is not a change in ideology but a change in strategy. Hurriyat ideology has always been boycotting Indian elections, boycotting Indian army, so much so that the name Hurriyat to me is synonomous with boycott. A seperate Kashmir, independent of India and Pak, is core to their agenda, although, if you  scratch the surface, a soft corner for Pak would reveal.

Sajjad told us on TV that boycott was not working, violence was not working, and so he decided to represent the people of Kashmir in the Parliament of India. I admire his courage, this guy has put his life at door. I hope the Indian Parliament does justice to his courage.

What I cannot understand is that he claims there is no change in their idea of having a separate Kashmir. Contest "Indian" elections to claim a separate Kashmir from "India"? Does that mean his party will contest elections in Pak too, and voice the same idea? 

What I can understand, is that whether Sajjad admits or not, with Pak becoming a sort of a banana republic, this is the best he could have done. Good luck to you Sajjad!

Terror Recipe!!

Ingredients: Non-State Actors from Pakistan, Some State Actors from Pak, 10-12 men aged 20-30, a misinterpreted version of the holy Quran, hand grenades, AK-47s or M-6s, videos from India, Google Maps, Satellite Phones, SIM cards from India, a target.

Method:
1) Select a working, powerful and desperate Non-State Actor from Pak. There is wide variety available like, Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, D-Company and so-on.
2) Mix them with State Actors like ISI, for brainstorming sessions on targets in India. Just remember not to admit it later. A good chef never reveals his secrets.
3) Take the 10-12 and give them grenades, AK-47s. Try to include weapons newly purchased from the US and allies(meant for war on terror). This will give the recipe a taste of irony.
4) Put their brains to heat by exposing them to videos from India depicting communal violence. Again, not to mention, there is a wide variety that can be put to use. There's Babri, Mumbai, Godhra, Ahmadabad.
5) Misinterpret Quran in whatever ways possible.Apply evenly and steadily. Leave it for a month or so, to let it sink in.
6) Garnish with maps from India.
7) Sauces and salt to taste will be provided in India by their state actors in form of indifference.

Serve hot to international media.

I am lost listening to Bryan Adams, "you'll always get the best of me", and there is some activity on my right shoulder. Another hurried tight tap wakes me up from my song. The girl sitting next to me conciously whispers something into my ear. I am forced to pause Bryan Adams. What?, I say. Your bra strap is visible, she murmurs. Now, I am not quite surprised by what I replied to her. "Oh that..Not its fault..its meant to be seen..very very intentional." I get some disgusting stares, but i relax and go back to "best of me". Thats me. Its 35 deg C in mumbai, feeling like 50 deg C, i am in BEST bus no 523, so stocked with commuters, you can sense air trying very hard to permeate. On top of all this, people expect you to push and shove straps in-out else some male organism from the heavily perspiring crowd might notice, and notice what? A bra strap? Big deal..When will women be comfortable with what they are and what they wear??