The Brahminy kite spirals downwards, descending faster into a vertical dive, till warmer pockets of air pull him up again, steadying his wings as he perches himself on a tree in an attempt to escape the torrid sun. Working men relaxed in the shady corners as the mid-afternoon sun brazed my skin brown. For many of us who do not have
to do hard work outside, and who have summer leisure time on ourhands, escaping the heat is not the goal. Luxuriating in it is. I am sure you have heard the Noel Coward refrain , “Mad dogs and English men go out in the midday sun.” I am not an Englishman but I might as well be a mad dog for I love the harsh sunlight. As each days passes we sink further into the harsh steamy Indian Summer. Mumbai resembles is now more a steamy preassure cooker than a city.

The only solution - some fast cooling.

CURRENT CONDITIONS
88°F (31°C) - Partly Sunny - 61% humidity.

You would wonder what is the one commonality between Pompeii and Bombay.

Was just watching the thursday episode of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and in one of the segments,

Jay asks a guy ” God destroyed two cities because of their sinful ways. Which were they ?”

The guy answers ” Pompeii……Pompeii and ……ummmmm….BOMBAY “

I couldn’t stop laughing.

She is not the regular shalwaar kameez clad aunty next door. Nor does she indulge in petty gossip. She is a lady on a mission. On a mission to defend the animals who cannot speak up for themselves. Pelt a dog, cage a bird, and if you are spotted by her, then may God help you!

Meet Fizzah Shah. Animal lover. Animal Rights Activist. Vice President of In Defence of Animals. One of the bravest and the kindest ladies I have known.

In a brief interview, we get to know the lady a little better.
(more…)

I was reading this article in Economist on Retailing in India.

WHY are Indians better at cricket than at soccer? asks Dilip Modi, boss of Spice Communications, an Indian mobile-telephony firm. Because, he jokes, every time you award an Indian a corner, he opens a shop

I couldn’t agree more you’ll find a small baniya ki dukan [corner store] at the end of every street The above picture is a classical example of one such super-local store. They are overstocked and supply you everything from soaps to disprin.

A pilot working for Deccan Airlines, and operating a flight from Bombay to Calcutta, had to be hauled out of his cockpit. The reason being that he was drunk. WTF !!!!

An Indian low-cost airline suspended a pilot after he was found drunk shortly before he was due to fly an aircraft with about 100 passengers on board, officials said Wednesday.

The surprise Tuesday check at Mumbai airport — India’s busiest — threw up several minor violations of safety norms by airlines […reuters…]

And if you thought this was it, you are wrong.

Seems a little while ago there was an

instance of a pilot in another low-cost carrier trying to fly in a T-shirt because his only uniform had gone to the laundry.

The patriotic side of me was happy to note that at least the pilot wasn’t Indian.

The Bombay high court on Wednesday lifted the Maharashtra government’s ban on dance bars.
This means dance bars with valid licenses can soon resume operations.

Who says Kanoon is Andha!!
I think Night life for millions will be back in Bombay!!!
and yes Congress will win BMC elections next year!!

For those who dunno what Ladies Bars are check out http://www.nightlover.net/
The only ladies bar which has an ATM in its premises and has Video of the BEst Dances online..

The Ladies Bars are the primary the reason why Bombay is different from rest of India…. A totally filmy world within itself.. you have to be there to see the absolutly filmigiri…
As for me Filmy and Proud of it !!
:))

TO THE average foreigner, India conjures up images of tigers, snake charmers, and fortune-tellers.

While you have to go looking for the first two, the last is everywhere, in all sorts of avatars. Right from those who read horoscopes, palms, faces, crystal balls, tea leaves, tarot cards, ouija boards, to those who get parrots, spirits, and computers to do the job. As if all this were not enough, there are also those who practise numerology, autowriting, palm leaf reading, and those who analyse dreams.

It depends on whether you believe in it or not. As in every profession, there are the charlatans out to make a quick buck. But then, there are also the genuinely charismatic fortune-tellers. Whatever be their authenticity, all these practitioners require years of experience, knowledge of human psychology, and a fair degree of intuition and skill.

A few months back I did a post on a fortune telling robot and a palmist.[link].

Today it’s the turn of the Parrot who read your future

If you wondering, I was told I’m going to win the lottery (cough cough).

Old car spares for sale in Central Mumbai.

On Sunday morning, about 85 residents, armed with pails of red and white paint, headed out towards the area’s surviving green spots. Within five hours, they painted 92 trees, numbered them and recorded their type and location. They plan to cover all of of Bandra’s approximately 800 trees soon.

Alarmed and upset with the number of trees being sacrificed to ‘development’ by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and builders, members of Advanced Locality Managements (ALMs) of Pali Hill, Sherley Rajan and Rizvi Complex in Bandra (W) have embarked on a variation of the Chipko Andolan. They are mapping, numbering and colouring trees in what was once Mumbai’s coolest suburb so that these are not replaced by concrete or turned into firewood and furniture.

Stephen Noronha, the tree enthusiast who initiated the drive, said, “A few months ago, I saw a huge tree being felled by a builder as it was obstructing a building he was constructing. Though I objected, the builder paid no heed. I was very hurt as I had grown up watching the tree every day and played in its shade as a child. I also realised that because of the scale of development going on in Bandra, more trees would soon bite the dust. I then decided to make other residents aware of the threat and asked them to lend their support to save Bandra’s trees.”

Noronha approached the ALMs that agreed to help. “This is just the beginning of the revolution. We will paint trees in other parts of Bandra on holidays. We will work all year round. There are more than 800 trees in Bandra and we plan to protect all of them, always,” said Noronha, who also financed the paint.

Full Story; Mumbai Mirror.

Hopefully this ‘deed’ is encouraged and followed by other Mumbaikars also.

Random picture of the day

Where the Chai is Garam (hot), and the biscuts (note spelling) are cheap and the company is never lacking.