Next Big Event??

In last 23 years, I always had something in my mind. Something that was supposed to happen a year or two down the line. Something that was supposed to change my life, if not forever, for at-least the coming year. Something that needed preparation. In childhood it was annual exam. Later, it was admission to a good College. Then it was finding a nice job. But now I feel really strange. Now, I really miss that feeling. That feeling of some big upcoming event that can change my life.

There were new books to read and new problems to solve every year. New teachers, new classmates and new lessons. Now life is somewhat monotonous. There is nothing exciting in life for coming few years. Nothing that have potential to change my life forever. I realize I was getting everything cooked and dried till now. There were things that were already planned. School and College and all. From now on, I need to decide myself what I want to do in future. I am supposed to create those Big Events for myself.

This is strange. I never thought life can be like this. Although decisions are what make us humans different from Computers. But its really difficult. Is this freedom?? I will be responsible for my failures now. Even earlier I was, but I always have option to blame others or the system for the miseries of life. Parents and teachers were always there to decide on my behalf.

I have an option to kill few more years refusing to take a stand like others in my generation. Or, I can become socially awkward and criticize everything and everyone around. But I decide to choose the third option. Pretend to be confused. And ignore the fact that now I am responsible for my actions and even my actions can harm others.

Am I going through what they call “Quarter Life Crisis”??But I am happy. I just cannot choose. Am I turning into a Robot?? But ignoring everything is also a choice. I may be on self destruction mode but I have chosen this. Thank God! At-least I am human.

Humans cannot be happy or sad for a long time. The situation is going to change soon. Some disaster, disease or a girl (J) will strike soon. This time I will face everything unprepared. 

Republic Day Breakfast

26th January 2013, 10:50 AM

     I looked at the wall clock in my room at home. That was the third time I looked at the clock. But this time I could not ask myself to go back to sleep for ten more minutes. I remembered Walida(My Mother) shouting from the other room several times since morning.

     “If you don't get up now, forget breakfast”, I told myself.

    Suddenly the thought of visiting all my uncles and aunts along with other relatives struck me. I was on my monthly visit to my hometown Amroha. Even if I am there for a single day I make sure I visit at-least my close relatives. 

     My father always says, “Talluqat milne-jhulne se hi qayam rehte hain”.

Moreover, if I come to Amroha and don't visit them, everyone complains.

11:05 AM

     I finally got up from my bed and moved to the other room.

     I greeted my parents, “As salamu alaikum”.

     Walid Sahab(My father) replied, “Waleikum as salam”.

Walida also gave a reply but I could not hear her words clearly.

    “Ali, itni der me uthe ho yaar”, Walid Sb added, concentrating on T.V wearing his spectacles.

    I moved inside and sat next to my mother and covered me with her blanket. She was busy watching Republic Day parade on T.V. I kept watching for a few minutes as if I was really interested.

     “He is the King of Bhutan”, I announced just to start conversation with my mother as soon as the focus came to the ‘Guest of Honour’.

     “Magar isne itna bada dupatta kyu lapeta hai?”,Walida asked. “Its their dress I believe”, I replied.

    And suddenly, powecut..!!

    T.V screen went black.

     "Ye log 26 January ki parade bhi nahi dekhne dete”, I said, trying to shift Walida's anger to the electricity suppliers.

     “In logon ko Eid, Bakra-Eid, Diwali, 26 January se kuch farq hi nahi padta”, she added angrily. 

     Although I was happy, I would get something to eat now, still I nodded in agreement. Ten minutes later she got up and within next ten minutes my breakfast was ready.

     By that time electricity supply was back. As soon as the T.V screen came alive. I spotted almost a dozen people on a single bike. And the voice in the background announced, “These are jawans of Indian army who hold the Guinness World Record for most men on a bike”.

     “Not all the tax I pay is being wasted. Atleast some of my tax is being utilized for creating a world record. But is this what the tax is really meant for?”, I thought.

     Then I took my breakfast to the adjacent room.

     Wasted some time browsing through some old pics on my laptop as I finished my breakfast. Rest of the day was spent meeting relatives and friends.

     I celebrated Republic Day eating my favorite breakfast. Meeting people who really love me. But I still wonder if this is the way we should celebrate this day.

One of my favorite teachers once told us to celebrate Republic Day by saluting and admiring the morning sun while its rising. But getting up early for office already makes me feel like a slave.

Our Convocation @ Jamia Millia Islamia

The big day when we were awarded our degrees. The venue was same as every year, "The Ansari Auditorium Lawn". On this occasion, the University conferred the Degree of ‘Doctor of Letters’ (Honoris Causa) on Dr. Ashok Seth, a famous cardiologist. The event begun with singing Jamia's Tarana, "Dayar-e-shawk mera..".

All people who passed out in 2011 were there. Many of us were meeting after our final exams around 18 months ago. Everyone looked different. People got more handsome and beautiful with time. Everyone got photographed with everyone. Some people cleared their misunderstandings. Some patched up with old enemies. Suddenly all girls perfected in dressing sense. There were those I wish I had met earlier. Some guys even found a new crush.

Everyone wore black gown and colored hood which resembled their faculties. Some of my friends wanted to wear the square academic cap as seen in many movies. They were disappointed on being given hoods. I felt really great wearing our convocation dress. Jamia have its own unique culture. I felt really proud following that culture. I do not wanted to imitate the movie scene of throwing caps on cost of compromising our culture. However the people who complained were very few. Rest everyone enjoyed their day. Many people took a day off from work to be a part of this amazing event. For all those who were too far to reach there physically the event was live broadcasted for the first time on Jamia Website. 

Everyone shouted when the name of their course and faculties were announced. Engineering graduates were loudest. The event ended with singing our National Anthem. After the ceremony we were handed over refreshment boxes. Later we moved to our respective faculties to collect our degrees. The day was really memorable.

Why Momos?

My first problem is with the name "momo". Can't you find a decent name for a snack? It sounds more like a relative than food item in India much like "Mama" or "Dada". The more I hate momos the more I  see them everyday. Few years ago no one had heard about this thing. Somehow it got introduced and Indians are so fond of street food that they can eat anything in the name of street food.

Momo is nothing but boiled dough(aata) filled with an uncooked piece of chicken or vegetables. Yes, boiled chicken is uncooked. When I can have a hundred varieties of chicken and chat in Delhi why on earth should I eat an uncooked momo? "U find it tasty when you are damn hungry" said a friend. Come on, you find everything tasty when you are hungry.

Why not Indians cook it themselves and modify? I could not believe my eyes when I saw someone selling momos in Old Delhi near Jama Masjid. Old Delhi is the heaven of Mughlai. You can find best non-vegetarian street food near Jama Masjid, still someone sells chicken momos next to kebabs there. Similarly in Batla House and Jamia Engineering Faculty canteen momos are now available. At least they should not sell it next to most delicious snacks.

Can Momos be really compared to Delhi's Aloo Chaat, Bhalla Papdi, Golgappa, Tikki, Jalebi, Shawarma, Kebabs, Pakoras or Samosa?

Best Food in Delhi

Jamia Nagar in South Delhi is a student's hub. Many students live in Batla House and Zakir Nagar as paying guests. There exist many food joints and restaurants which serve good quality inexpensive food. There are so many options that for weeks you can eat different dishes at different places everyday.

Undoubtedly, Jamia Nagar serves one of the best non-vegetarian food in Delhi. Every restaurant here have a specialty. This specialty is known to people who eat in Zakir Nagar/Batla House regularly. So, for best version of a specific dish you should go to a particular place. Here people like me doesn't go to a restaurant, look at menu and decide what to eat. Rather we first decide what to eat then accordingly go to a restaurant. Below is a list of some popular dishes and restaurants which specialize in them:

• Chicken Biryani-  Gulavati, Salman Bhai
• Beef Biryani-  Salman Bhai, Gulavati
• Nihari-  Javed Nihari, Madina Nihari
• Paya-   Madina Nihari
• Beef Kebabs-  Famous Restaurant ,Galavati Kebabs
• Kebab Paratha-  Bismillah, Galavati Kebabs
• Chicken Fry-  Gul Bahar Chicken point
• Chicken Roasted-  Al- Nawaz , Al-Umar
• Chicken Qorma-  Moonis Qada
• Chicken Changezi-  Saquib Chicken Point,Meher, Darbaar
• Mutton Qorma-  Moonis Qada, Al-Umar
• Butter Chicken-  Ahad
• Chicken Achari-  Meer
• Qeema-  Moonis Qada 
• Maghaz/Bheja-  Madina Nihari
• Dal Makhni-  Al-Umar
• Matar Paneer-  Moonis Qada
• Shahi Tukda- Zakir Nagar Masjid

P.S. : There are many more delicious dishes and restaurants in the locality. This is the list of stuff that are making me fat. Try at your own risk.

I Protest Against Insult of our Beloved Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)

Being a muslim I believe there is one God and Prophet Mohammad(PBUH) is his messenger. As I believe I try to obey what Allah had ordered and spend my life the way Prophet Mohammad(PBUH) did. So he is my ideal and I try to copy him in every aspect of life. And this is also true for all the muslims around the world. Now when someone disrespects him it is obvious that every muslim feels offended. Disrespecting an ideal is as if you are insulting all his followers. This is clear racism. They keep doing it, again and again, and still call their society civilized.

However I am also against these violent protests that are in progress in many countries in Asia. Many innocents are loosing their lives which is strictly against Islam. Even when the Prophet(PBUH) himself was targeted by locals in Taif and his legs started bleeding. An angel appeared and asked him if he want all of them to be crushed between mountains. He simply refused the punishment and even prayed for them. So, how can we justify these violent protests?

We must understand that some people can use us for their political ambitions. People are really sensitive to religious sentiments. So, some politicians find it a best time to gain popularity without caring about the lives of those innocents who become victim of violence. Its time we use our brains and follow the religion. Stop getting influenced by the West and our own selfish leaders.

May Allah grant all of us true guidance and wisdom.

Batla House - Three days after Eid.

Three days have passed after Eid. The holy month of Ramadan is over. The atmosphere in Batla House in New Delhi is very different. Not just different form Ramadan but also from normal days. Batla house is home to a lot of students and people from nearby states, especially UP and Bihar, who visit their hometowns for celebrating Eid. I know people who visit their hometowns only once a year with whole family. And that time of year is now.

Even I am back so early first time. Like others, even I preferred to join college on the first Monday after Eid. But now I work and holidays in Corporate world are very limited. So, I had to return early this time.

The silence in Batla House and Zakir Nagar is really strange. The streets here are known to be crowded whole year. Even on chilly winter nights one can find people around. Today, I wanted to have my favourite Al-Umar's 'Dal Makhni' for dinner. But to my surprise Al-Umar(the restaurant) was closed. I couldn't find  any other good restaurant open. So, had to manage with Famous's "Qeema". But to my delight "Aggarwal Sweets" was open. I went there and fed myself few pieces of 'Qalaqand'.

Its hard to imagine Batla House free of traffic chaos in evening. I really miss:

• Bikers who perform stunts in the middle of traffic jam.
• Aunties, who shop whole year with complete family.
• Bearded uncles running for namaz.
• Aroma of frying chicken.
• Fights between car-walas and rickshaw-walas.
• Beggars, who occupy both sides of road and leave no room to walk.
• Students, carrying bags full of books on their shoulders and dreams in their eyes.

Issues with First Job.

Everyone wants to find a good job after college thinking that it will solve all problems. There is suspense over how the knowledge we have gained in school and college is applied in real world. And what happens in those multi-storey buildings which house big companies. Here I tried to capture some of the issues which I faced after joining.

Learn living alone.

              The very first issue you face after college is adjusting in an alien environment. You spent your school life with family and college life with friends. However while doing job you should learn living alone. Yes you can meet family or friends but only on weekends. Weekdays are really hectic. Even in college when you were new you faced issues in adjusting initially. But unlike college people in corporate world are more professional and all of them are of different age group and mentality.

How to handle money?

Best thing about corporate job is money. Unlike college now you have lots of money. You can buy anything you like and you are less answerable to anyone about where you spent money. The bad thing about having lot of money is it makes you vulnerable to bad habits. You actually don't know how to manage money. At times you end up spending money uselessly.

Suddenly Grown Up.

Till college you thought you are a kid. Suddenly you feel grown up. Now you are supposed to make many decisions on your own. You also face responsibilities. Your parents start sharing with you the family problems which were kept away from you earlier.

You or Society.

Now you are part of society. People start taking you seriously. You have to follow rules of society. You have to change your " who cares" attitude. Aakhir ghar waalon ki izzat ka sawal hai.

Cant eat more..!!

There was this magical thing about college and school that you kept eating whatever you like and as much as you like. But now you keep sitting in office whole day so you start gaining weight. Now you have to find time for exercising and avoid over eating.

Future planning. 

Unlike college its not exams you should worry about. Actually you don't even know what you should plan for( atleast i have no idea). People tell you to just work hard. And they always say that.

Having said all this, there are many good things too about your first job. I think there is no need to capture  them. Those are the things that make you do lot of hard work for finding a nice job.