It was Mandi time at NITIE.. Mandi the event where we,the students transform into smart marketing fellows for 1 day selling goods of an NGO on streets of mumbai.From the begining I knew I would enjoy this stuff for one , I had done something like this before and It was conducted out of the classroom.Had this been inside the classroom, my peculiar "be-wajah" antics would have made sure my class enjoyed this more than I did.
Seniors had always been telling us Mandi will be a day u will remember,just go out there and enjoy.Simple commonsense told me that so many people cant be wrong, every one was saying hte same thing with conviction so I had to believe them.A slow start to the day did not hamper my positivity towards the event.Few things were straight take-aways for me from the morning at NITIE lawns - I was amazed to see some of the cutest faces present their,Amol Mazumdar's advice to play some sport and the simple fact that my director had a wise head on his shoulders which was full of grey hair.
Scene 1 - Khar Road Market, Its Raining cats and dogs,A boy aged between 20-25 ,wearing specs,is standing still by roadside and getting drenched
"Go for it,Go for it" - soliloquy was on,my heart was pumping blood in my body at the rate of nots,gathering all my courage I asked her.. "is there any market nearby aunty"
shit shit shit.. the grammer got badly screwed up .The arrangement of words in my head was something like "please buy the toys m carrying in my bag...pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" waht came out of my mouth was totally different.But I managed to get things in order and in the second attempt I was successful.Did manage to speak up my mind in front of her.Even tough she politelly refused, but it was the ice breaker.
Scene 2 - Two young guys are standing outside an corp bank ATM, one guy is the same from last scene, the other is his business partner.It continues to rain
hap-hazardly running all around searching for my friends ,trying to get the t -shirt of the right size for my first potential client. and boyyy it was the wrong design-the design she did not like.I called another friend of mine to ask if he had the right desgin with the right size but alas Be-wajah's law applied - "in times of crunch,his best friends will not return his calls".Dejected, I told my "almost first client" - I am sorry mam, he is not returning my call,probably he also doesnt have it.
"Give me the two you have" :D :D :D Deal 1 closed:D
Scene 3 Khar Market Road- The guy with the specs and his business partner are on a selling spree.They are selling stuff to people from kuwait,karachi,holland.It just doesnt matter to them.People of their age and Families with small kids were their target customers.and they werent sparing anyone.In around 3 hrs, they were done with it-Whole stock exhausted.Two Really nice events happend in this course of 3 hours,Their last customer was a daugther - mom duo.Both of them had the same kind of specs,wore the same coloured t-shirt and jeans.The mom politely asked her daugther=do you want this toy" and the 6 year old girl gave the most radiant,ravishing,refined and replendent nods of head. We Were Sold Out!!!
Scene 4 - An hour prior to the business duo got sold out
"yaar tumhara dhandha toh mast chal raha hai" and a big ,really big playful smile
The roadside vendor of combs,a 10 year old boy said to me.I remained silent.but nodded my head in a yes.Ironically I was selling all these goods to people telling them that the advances will be used for educating roadside childern.And there it was,reality hit me hard in face. I felt helpless for a split second but then the boy's charm took over.He was apparently having fun and enjoying all the drama being played out in front of his eyes- "A couple of boys, say excuse me to young people shopping,politely tell their names and say a few scentences in english.Then they show them a few puzzles and toys and return change to by now helpless feeling shopper". I went ahead and showed my 10 year old charming machine what I was selling and then I moved on
Scene 5 - hill road,the business partners are enjoying the tea of their sucess and are in a mood to help their friends clear their stocks.They had alredy Pitched in a couple of times for them and were successful.They saw no reason as to why their stocks cant be cleared. A couple of hours later and the 6 of us had sold toys worth 7k plus among ourselves.
Scene 6- Marine Drive, Pics are being clicked all around.20 plus first year nitie students had a fun day.They are chatting and bantering.The guy with the specs sits facing the sea and is extremely happy to have all of them around.Deep inside, he is wishing all of them luck and asking the sea what is next on cards for him!!!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Bandh In Bombay
Over the past weekend, when everyone in my colg was busy writing knols.... I was far afield with my mum enjoying Mumbai. The only adjective that comes to my mind for describing the noun - "mumbai" is "fabulous".
Tough a lot remains to be explored about the city, but I have seen one face of this fabulous city that not many would know.
Today is 5th July 2010 - A nation wide bandh.My mum had her train back home today.At the outset full credit to me,that booking was made by me and I dont know how I do it what I do,But it will always land me up in a "be-wajah" trouble. So as you would have guessed by now going to the railway station in a band bombay is an adventure in itself
"kis time hai ticket aapka"
"Din main 12 baje ka train hai"
"oh hoo hoo hoo. bandh poora chalu rahega tab. change kara lo ticket. taxi vagrah bhi chalu rehga na toh log paathar maarta hai.. aane jaane nahi deta"
The Hostel warden scared the shit out of me.It looked a rather daunting task to me.How would I see her off.Should I rather stop and listen to the hstel warden again.My brain was numb and for the next 2 days I kept cajoling auto walas to come to MDP on 5th morning.. sad for me nobody gave in.
Today Morning- having usual breakfast at usual mess , I was feeling unusually nervous. I had been turned down by atleast a dozen taxi walas including the grand daddy of all-Meru cabs.Auto walas ,from my last 2 days exp, I knew they wudnt budge in. Probably there was big political pull in this area.Anyways,I was scratching my head very hard wondering how we would reach to that fancy place called "andheri station”. As we stepped out of campus, I tried convincein a couple of autowalas.. no wonder people tell me that m optimistic. My mum went and stood by the bus stop.To my relief, one bus did arrive in next 15 mins.and luckily it was for andheri station.
As we crossed a couple of bus stops the driver brought the bus to a standstill. "aila jahiala maila khaiyla" I heard conductor and the driver talking between themselves, in a bus of capacity 54, occupied currently by 4, me and my mum being the other 2 lucky ones. Apparently there was a huge crowd assembled at a distance of 100 mts from us.For a split second I though, my hostel warden knows it all. he was right.I gazed at the size of the window mirror, coz if one of it breaks, I had to understand how far inside can a person be hurt .And it was no ordinary person, it was "meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee and my mum". strangely enough, the crowd was waving at the driver to come ahead.boyyy.. what a polite mob I thought. "pyar se pass bula kar fir maarenge".. thats some style. As my bus cautiously approached the mob , 2 pretty girls came from nowhere and boarded our bus.boy I tell you these girls, they always create such a scene.. All the mob it turned out was more interested in getting these girls board the bus rather than pelting stones at us.
20 Mins past, the 8 of us reached the station. With several policemen chit chattin all around,The press madly videotaping the Army personnel.They All looked gay and happy , only the faces of people around weren’t that jovial. Their faces told me they were scared. Nobody was walking the usual brsik mumbai walk.Everyone was catious and slow.They gazed at us probably in amazement and probably in happiness- "koi aur bhi hai mere jaisa" they would have thought.
I have never ever seen an empty local pass by in front of my eyes. The church gate trains which ply at 3 times thier capacity on usual days were totally vacant.It was amazing.Probably humans can be scared easily I thought.When I could hardly spot my people, there were "angreez" log wondering which platform to go to.We as Indians are a sacred lot I guess.But thats not all, we are even stranger, in a complete empty train, why would you still like to stand by the train door,hanging by the pole.And crazy enough, why on planet earth, would I jump out of a moving train on a empty platform.I would need to go and ask a mumbaiker for the answer.
Finally we were at the right platform at the right time unscathed.As my mum boarded the train, the akon song "M so lonely" played inside my head. And It played over and oevr again.My mum did leave a void in me when her train passed that paltform.I stepped out of station alone and even more slowly than when I came in.I reached the bus stop. Asked a guy about LnT powaii,asuming he wouldnt know what NITIE is.The guy was friendly. he helped me board the right bus.As we talked, he told me about this work and also free description of the places we were crossing on the way.It was fun talking to a completely friendly stranger I reached LnT ,bid him a goodbye but as always happens with guys from my place- we know the names of all the girls we dont even talk to, but we dont the names of the guys we are friends with,so I bid him good bye wihtout knowing his name.
Out of the bus , and the akon song played again.Only a few seconds passed when I asked a man about the bus to NITIE. "Bus kyun karni hai, chala karo,Mujhe ek spine wale doctor ne abtay hai zinda jayda chaloge utni lambi umar hogi.Aa jao mere sath".Akon song vanished again.We walked and talked,starngely enough, he complimented me for makin it to nitie. First compliment from a non industry expert, I have received till now in this regard.We walked small distance before he moved in his direction, only to leave me the company of his friend, who was coming my way.We walked an talked and the akon song dint play this time. He discussed bandh and notorious powai area.
I reached campus, sooner than I had expected. And deep down thanking mumbai and wondering, how can I ever be lonely in this fabulous city of fabulous people.
Tough a lot remains to be explored about the city, but I have seen one face of this fabulous city that not many would know.
Today is 5th July 2010 - A nation wide bandh.My mum had her train back home today.At the outset full credit to me,that booking was made by me and I dont know how I do it what I do,But it will always land me up in a "be-wajah" trouble. So as you would have guessed by now going to the railway station in a band bombay is an adventure in itself
"kis time hai ticket aapka"
"Din main 12 baje ka train hai"
"oh hoo hoo hoo. bandh poora chalu rahega tab. change kara lo ticket. taxi vagrah bhi chalu rehga na toh log paathar maarta hai.. aane jaane nahi deta"
The Hostel warden scared the shit out of me.It looked a rather daunting task to me.How would I see her off.Should I rather stop and listen to the hstel warden again.My brain was numb and for the next 2 days I kept cajoling auto walas to come to MDP on 5th morning.. sad for me nobody gave in.
Today Morning- having usual breakfast at usual mess , I was feeling unusually nervous. I had been turned down by atleast a dozen taxi walas including the grand daddy of all-Meru cabs.Auto walas ,from my last 2 days exp, I knew they wudnt budge in. Probably there was big political pull in this area.Anyways,I was scratching my head very hard wondering how we would reach to that fancy place called "andheri station”. As we stepped out of campus, I tried convincein a couple of autowalas.. no wonder people tell me that m optimistic. My mum went and stood by the bus stop.To my relief, one bus did arrive in next 15 mins.and luckily it was for andheri station.
As we crossed a couple of bus stops the driver brought the bus to a standstill. "aila jahiala maila khaiyla" I heard conductor and the driver talking between themselves, in a bus of capacity 54, occupied currently by 4, me and my mum being the other 2 lucky ones. Apparently there was a huge crowd assembled at a distance of 100 mts from us.For a split second I though, my hostel warden knows it all. he was right.I gazed at the size of the window mirror, coz if one of it breaks, I had to understand how far inside can a person be hurt .And it was no ordinary person, it was "meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee and my mum". strangely enough, the crowd was waving at the driver to come ahead.boyyy.. what a polite mob I thought. "pyar se pass bula kar fir maarenge".. thats some style. As my bus cautiously approached the mob , 2 pretty girls came from nowhere and boarded our bus.boy I tell you these girls, they always create such a scene.. All the mob it turned out was more interested in getting these girls board the bus rather than pelting stones at us.
20 Mins past, the 8 of us reached the station. With several policemen chit chattin all around,The press madly videotaping the Army personnel.They All looked gay and happy , only the faces of people around weren’t that jovial. Their faces told me they were scared. Nobody was walking the usual brsik mumbai walk.Everyone was catious and slow.They gazed at us probably in amazement and probably in happiness- "koi aur bhi hai mere jaisa" they would have thought.
I have never ever seen an empty local pass by in front of my eyes. The church gate trains which ply at 3 times thier capacity on usual days were totally vacant.It was amazing.Probably humans can be scared easily I thought.When I could hardly spot my people, there were "angreez" log wondering which platform to go to.We as Indians are a sacred lot I guess.But thats not all, we are even stranger, in a complete empty train, why would you still like to stand by the train door,hanging by the pole.And crazy enough, why on planet earth, would I jump out of a moving train on a empty platform.I would need to go and ask a mumbaiker for the answer.
Finally we were at the right platform at the right time unscathed.As my mum boarded the train, the akon song "M so lonely" played inside my head. And It played over and oevr again.My mum did leave a void in me when her train passed that paltform.I stepped out of station alone and even more slowly than when I came in.I reached the bus stop. Asked a guy about LnT powaii,asuming he wouldnt know what NITIE is.The guy was friendly. he helped me board the right bus.As we talked, he told me about this work and also free description of the places we were crossing on the way.It was fun talking to a completely friendly stranger I reached LnT ,bid him a goodbye but as always happens with guys from my place- we know the names of all the girls we dont even talk to, but we dont the names of the guys we are friends with,so I bid him good bye wihtout knowing his name.
Out of the bus , and the akon song played again.Only a few seconds passed when I asked a man about the bus to NITIE. "Bus kyun karni hai, chala karo,Mujhe ek spine wale doctor ne abtay hai zinda jayda chaloge utni lambi umar hogi.Aa jao mere sath".Akon song vanished again.We walked and talked,starngely enough, he complimented me for makin it to nitie. First compliment from a non industry expert, I have received till now in this regard.We walked small distance before he moved in his direction, only to leave me the company of his friend, who was coming my way.We walked an talked and the akon song dint play this time. He discussed bandh and notorious powai area.
I reached campus, sooner than I had expected. And deep down thanking mumbai and wondering, how can I ever be lonely in this fabulous city of fabulous people.
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