Ameya Paleja

Long before the supermarkets made their way into the our economy, the 'baniya' was the man you would trust. Inspite of his tampered weigh-scale and adulterated chilly powder, women (who continue to be the decision makers of the household, irrespective of the times we live in) had this unshakable belief that the 'baniya' would provide the purest form of the item they had asked for. It took little time for the people to move to the mall culture. Big Bazaars and Megamarts struck at the right time and expanded to all major hubs of business in the country. Goods were sold at unbelievable prices and parking around these 'market-places'(It actually is just a big bazaar... someday I will write a page of criticism for the chain) was impossible to find. Shopping bags were now filled with things you bought either to try or because they were ' on-offer '. The essentials were still being sourced from the local store. Major business houses woke from their slumber an

With the election results out, the government has wasted no time to hike the prices of petrol across the country. A commodity that increased once the pace of our life, is now rapidly making a niche for itself in the ' luxury market '. There is no blame game, nor is this a blog to say that the government does not care for the common man. Fuel price hikes are global. I have championed the move of deregulation of prices for quite some time now. Today, when the prices of a litre reaches Rs 71, there is definitely a cause for concern. Common concerns will be the imminent call for a strike from our auto-wallahs, unannounced and unnoticed by the media hike in bus fares, helpless and mandatory deeper holes in your pocket when you fill up your vehicle. But, when I came across the news of the hike today, my immediate concern was the prevalent ignorance of our countrymen and willingness to shell more rather than change habits. No matter how many jokes are cracked about the bicycle bei

Lyrics and Guitar chords for Sona's song.... Abhi Nahi Aana... D A Abhi nahi aana sajana X2, G A Mohe thoda marne de G A Intezar karne de D A Abhi nahin aana sajana Stanza: D G Bhejiyo sandesha A Aap nahin aana D G Thode door rahke A Mohe tarsana E D A Abhi to mein chahun, sari sari raat jagana Abhi nahi anna sajana....... (Chorus) Remaining stanza's go the same way..... Lyrics are below: Ruk ruk aana Dheere dheere chalna Bhoolna dagaria, raste badalna Nahi abhi mohe,garwa nahi hey lagna Abhi na jagaoh Bane raho sapna Abhi san-mukh na lawo mukh apna Abhi to mein chahun, aass lagaye rakhna. Suggestions and comments are welcome.... I will try and reply when I can...

On my way to work this morning, I saw a man, say 30 years old, waiting on the road. He had a back-pack and kept looking at something above usual sight and making notes. While some may think, he was crazy and was counting stars at 10 in the morning, I am guessing he was some sort of telecommunications technician. What was interesting to see, was that he made his notes on a a small, portable computer. From his looks, (probably its inappropriate of me to make these comments but still) he dint look like an advanced programmer or something, but what really caught my attention was the fact that technology has penetrated in our country as a necessity. It is available to the common man and is there to help him in his everyday work. Another example, is the courier delivery person, who came to my house a month ago. Starting early to reach customers before they leave for work, this man must be visiting a good 50-60 houses in his day's work. After handing me my parcel, he pulled out a small ha