Man, am I in the mood for giving into requests today ….

Kyla and Aishwarya asked me if I could list some of the gaalis that I have heard women give to lecherous males in the crowded trains of Bombay. I can think of three right now:

1. Macchi-waali on the bridge. Some fool thought that he could cop a feel since she was carrying the basket. He forgot the tongue. For better effect, this is said in Marathi.

“Tuzha lav*yat ghaat ghaaleen.” (translation: I will put a knot in your dick).

The guy knew she meant it and figured it is better to say sorry and escape.

2. Woman getting off the train. Imagine the crowd. Push and shove.

“Arre haath kya lagata hai. Har aurat ko apna Maa samjha hai?” (Translation: why the f*** are you touching me? You think every woman is your mother?) (okay the f*** was not really said but creates a nice effect, no?)

3. The third was an unusual preemptive strike on the macchiwaali’s part. She is on the platform waiting for the train with her basket full of fish. This guy looks at the basket and then at the woman. She doesn’t like it. Pulls a macchi out of the basket and asks the guy in Marathi -

“ghaalu kai re …… gaan*eet?” (translation: should I shove it up your a**?)

Maybe she was just playing but then again when she asked, it sounded like she meant it.

I love Bombay.

Okay just to tick people off - Yes, I still think it is Bombay Central and not Mumbai Central. Haha.

Growing up in India invariably meant visiting relatives during the summer vacations. For me it was either heading to Delhi (North India), Kerala (South India) or sometimes Baroda (West). Now, since we live in the Central suburbs, I was (and still am) fascinated by the western suburbs. Going to Delhi or Baroda was always special. Cool relatives. Also, it meant taking a train from Bombay Central.

What a station! I felt, as a kid, that all trains in India left from and arrived there. It felt that big. It was like Bombay VT. The tracks ended there! The trains couldn’t go any further. The same thing for the long distance trains from Bombay Central.

When I started my Masters at TN Medical College (Nair Hospital), it meant getting off at Central. I was genuinely excited. When one is walking on the bridge, you could see the long-distance trains. The bridge itself is a great place for people watching.

Good times. Good times.

PS. Next post will be on the Da Vinci days in Corvallis.

Tune playing in my head, on my iPod, on my computer. ‘Dancing at Sunset’ from Karsh Kale’s album - Broken English. Reminds me of playing Pink Floyd’s Echoes for days at end. After a while, not playing the song brings an eerie silence.

A dull headache after being in the pool yesterday. Was learning the breast- and back-stroke. Learning new skills has always been mildly traumatic. The song and the headache are throbbing synchronously.

Time for a cuppa tea.

“Why the need to control our own thoughts?”

It is inherent in our nature to let the mind to roam around wherever. A spiritual answer would be that we have to keep it in check and focus our efforts towards a purpose. This purpose could be the completion of the task at hand to the best of our abilities. I have always leaned toward a spiritual need for the purpose. I am sure people have different views about this. To each his own.

“How much do other people’s actions or words affect our own thoughts?”

(I have to state the obvious first - I am only speaking for myself).  I am very much influenced by my friend’s and family’s words and actions. Very much. Trust comes easily. With trust comes the standards I set for myself and others. This trust is an absolute blessing most of the time. A comfort during tough times. However, it can also be the wall that one builds around oneself. A wall that one builds so well that it becomes nearly impossible to break. A curse.

The dual nature of trust (that one places on others) is evident. Once this awareness comes, it would be foolish to delve into it anymore. (The dual nature of everything around us. Now that I will leave for a later time). It is crucial, according to me, to ponder on how to break free from this duality. True freedom comes when one is first aware of the chains that bind and then breaks away from the chain. Digression: (Adapted from the boy with the spoon) - Wisdom, in this case,  would be to realize that there are no chains).

This brings us back to the influence other people have on our thoughts. I have now realized that it is not the other person but it is only me who reacts. It is not without but within.

To expect trust and love from others is wrong.  However, when it comes to you, one should be grateful. Easier said than done. This brings us back to the first question I posited. The need to discipline one’s mind to keep itself within. To look for beauty within. If someone comes along and shares something beautiful (love and trust), then to accept it. I think this would result in the mind becoming completely open and yet not wandering. It would be open for everything - trust, love, heartbreak, jealousy, laughter, sadness, laziness, vigor. Everything.

Have been waking up later than usual. The eyes open at around 5.45 and am awake around 6.15. Late for me but its great too. Had a wonderfully relaxing weekend at the Makwana home in LA.

I have been working on multiple things lately - in the lab and in my personal front. Like most other people, I get the feeling that I don’t have complete control over my things. It is the tasks in the day that control me rather than the other way around. I don’t mean this in a superficial manner but rather on the level of the mind. Once the task begins, I am completely into it physically but mentally I am all over the place.

This doesn’t mean that I do not spend quality time on my experiments. I do. My mind goes into this hyper-activity zone. I can think of a hundred different things at the same time. However, when all this involves other people, it can get quite difficult.

These days I have been questioning my need to be in control and the way it has been affecting my thought process.

Some basic questions: Why the need to control our own thoughts? How much do other people’s actions affect our own thought process? How rational are we when we react to other people’s words and actions? How much do our past experiences influence the way we feel today?

I think I might have come up with answers - right or wrong, I don’t know.

So much for being prompt about writing. Tor, my apologies. I can only give you an usual scientist excuse - a deadline. Better late than never, they say.

I have never thanked you. I realize that you would think I don’t really have to thank you, but I feel I should.

Thank you for being. You certainly opened my mind about a lot of things. Good experiences for me.

Anyway, you left in 2002, if I am not mistaken or was it 2003. I remember vaguely that you had finished your studies at OSU and were headed to W country. I was somewhat preoccupied with my own things to notice life around me. I was most certainly stressed about a lot of things.

2003 was a very difficult year for me. A time for getting my priorities right. Questions I had to answer for myself. ‘Did I really love science?’ ‘Was it love or was it the idea of being in love (apologies to Pink Floyd)?’ ‘Was I cut out to be a scientist?’ ‘Did I really believe in myself or was it I was reassured constantly by the confidence people has me?’

By the end of the year, I had answered all these questions.