Agreed, this is on a short notice but believe me life is not all about blogging and fun. So yeah, it’s actually a favor that Melody and I are doing for you folks. Now stop gawking, you know it’s the truth.

Okay…Okay, on a more serious note this time round we have decided to go with the Brunch Theme (yes, so very innovative) – slightly on the higher side entry fee wise but hey, nothing’s really cheap re these days.

The invite basically says it all – yup, will be super cool if you could make it. And please confirm with us if you are seriously going to make, it makes life a hell lot easier.

Ps…would be super duper cool if you could let others know about it via your own blog/s. Thanks and looking forward to meeting the bloggy bunch soon.

Previous blog meet gupshups can be found here.

Sessions Court in Jodhpur which upheld the five-year jail term for actor Salman Khan in the Chinkara poaching case, turning down the actor’s appeal against his sentencing last year. The actor failed to appear for the hearing, saying he missed the flight to Jodhpur from Hyderabad where he is currently shooting.

Salman will now be arrested unless he surrenders before the court himself. [IBN Live]

It’s astonishing isn’t it, the way our thinking works? When Sanjay Dutt was handed with 6 years prison sentence, I felt a little bad but overall was happy with the outcome. As they say, “Justice had prevailed”, though I know there are many who would argue with me on this.

But the thing that bothered me the most since Sanjay Dutt’s punishment was what would become of my favorite Salman Khan. To make things clear, no I am not delusional – I am well aware of the fact that many across the nation are more sympathetic towards Sanjay but not Salman. To the actor’s disadvantage, his past (besides the crimes committed) has a lot to do with it as well – troubled relationships, scandals, (rumored) underworld connection, dadagiri and the likes.

No, I am again making it clear; the purpose of this post is not to defend him. Like any other ordinary citizen, I too believe that be it Salman, Ambani or whoever golden spoon fed dude, should be treated equal in the eyes of the law. If a crime has been committed then they should pay for it; no two ways about it.

But no matter how logical and appropriate the consequences may sound, the fan inside of me wants to disagree. It’s hard not to be affected, it’s difficult not to be filled with sadness – it’s tough to be immune. The selfish nature within wants to see him walk off scot-free; his negative past to be forgotten or some loophole to be found in the system, so that the charges against him are dropped.

Then again in life things usually don’t happen as per our wishes, no matter how desperately we want them to come true. On the other, I truly believe…what goes around comes around.

These are naught but the ramblings of a distressed fan and they end thus:

Dear Salman, I shall always remember you for the good things and forever you shall be my Hero No. 1 but dude without any denial this is the time to reap what you have sown.

Goodbye but only for now.

With a number as high as 15 million, there are only a handful among its population who have managed to standout and make a place for themselves in the hierarchy of our dubious society. And keeping in mind the “7 Things about Mumbai” theme, here is my list of 7 most popular citizens of this city, who in very real terms ‘Live Life King size’.

Bal Thackeray – When you mention Mumbai and Politics in the same breadth, the one name that immediately makes its presence felt is, Bal Thackeray, the man behind the now “tainted” political party, Shiv Sena. Often referred to as the ‘Tiger’ by his followers, the cartoonist turned politician has been a center point of many controversies ever since he founded the hardline Hindu party more than 35 years ago. Frankly speaking, I completely detest this man and his party’s so-called philosophy of “sons of the soils”. The reasons are innumerable – their intimidating and (often) violent campaigns, fanatic beliefs, self appointed moral police behavior, vandalism and last but certainly not the least, Mr. Thackeray’s role in sparking anti-Muslim violence in Mumbai, which led to more than 1,000 deaths.

However, no matter how corrupt and immoral his actions have been over the years, the fact still remains that even today Bal Thackeray is described as the uncrowned monarch of the western Indian state of Maharashtra.

The Bachchan Parivaar – Claiming the thrown from the Kapoor clan, Amitabh Bachchan and his superstar parivaar, without any hesitation be considered as Bollywood’s First Family. The elder son of Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Amitabh was a former stage actor, radio announcer and freight company executive in Shaw Wallace in Calcutta, before coming to the land of dreams, Mumbai. Despite early failures, in no time the Indian film industry was declared a ‘One Man Industry’, and Amitabh Bachchan its undisputed king. Later on, Amitabh Bachchan married actress Jaya Bhaduri in 1973 and had two kids, the now most sought after actor Abhishek Bachchan and up-coming television anchor, Shewta Nanda.

But as they say, “fame doesn’t come easy”, the Bachchan family has had its share of ups and downs – cold war with the Gandhis, (rumored) dispute with Shah Rukh Khan, ABCL failure, extra-marital affairs and the most recent, the Farmer’s Land controversy.

Regardless of such bad publicities, the Bachchan Family’s strong-hold in the Hindi Film Industry and their huge fan following has never been affected. Plus with the addition of the new bahu, the former Ms. World and Bollywood’s International Face, Aishwarya Rai – The Bachchan Family today is labeled as one of the most expensive brand in the country.

Ambani Brothers – The Fortune group magazine ‘Business 2.0′, just recently came out with the list of “The 50 Who Matter Now” – and guess what? Apna Ambani bhais managed to get a spot for themselves, which proudly announces them as one of the world’s 50 most influential people in business. The Ambani Legacy is no less than a perfect Bollywood Pot Boiler story of rags to riches. And what makes their story even more entertaining – is their inner bitter rivalry.

"These billionaire brothers from India are locked in a bitter intra-family rivalry, and each seems intent on leading the group of companies he inherited from their late father in a different direction," Business 2.0 said on why they matter.

While brother Anil maybe slightly rejoicing over Mukesh bhaiya’s SEZ trouble, one thing is for sure there can nothing that can stop these business boys from stacking their bank accounts.

Ekta Kapoor – She is bold, she is aggressive and is known in the television industry for her massive tantrums but the one fact about this young Kapoor is that “you” can never ignore her. Barely in her mid-twenties, Ekta Kapoor entered the television backed with nothing but few “innovative” ideas and the burden of her, (once) superstar dad’s expectations. And as they say…the rest is history. Ekta, without any doubts is the only woman who dominates and demands her way in the small-screen entertainment world.

Agreed, Balaji Productions have over-burdened us with their conniving in-laws, bitchy daughters, aagyakari sons, vampy mothers with visually painful dressing sense and never-ending sagas of joint families (that would put even the folks at Rajshri Productions to shame) – but in the business where high TRP rating is the ONLY goal, Queen Ekta is a pro at it .

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - Probably the only cricketer in the history of Indian cricket to be widely considered to be one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He currently holds the records for the most cumulative runs in One-Day Internationals, and the most number of centuries scored in both One-day Internationals and Test cricket. 34 years old and still going strong….do I really need to say more!

Meeran Borwankar - A tom-boyish teenager for whom love meant nothing but her bike and whose headstrong attitude made her college lecturer’s think of her as India’s finest police officer in the making. And very soon she turned their dreams into reality, in 1981 Meeran Borwankar joined the Police Force and took over responsibilities which were primarily asserted as a “Man’s Job”. But this was just the beginning; soon she was made Mumbai’s Joint Commissioner (Crime), a portfolio one would barely expect a woman to hold. In 2006, she was presented with President’s medal for meritorious service, one of the most honored and prestigious award in Government Services.

In my opinion Mrs. Borwankar is definitely a positive role model for many young girls, who dare to dream beyond household chores, marriage, children and other womanly expectations of the society. Though last but certainly the most controversial of the lot,

Himesh Reshammiya - From production assistant to composing music to singing and now acting, this Mumbai lad has surely come a long way. Today his trademark style of sporting a baseball cap, stubble, fitting jeans, and a belt with an oversized buckle – has made him a house hold name but it’s his nose which has gifted him the stardom and others envious of his popularity.

If you ask for my two bit on His Himeshness, it would be – good musician, bearable singer and a pathetic actor.

Hopefully July 31^st would put an end to the ever-going Sanjay Dutt Trail – either the man’s probation plea gets rejected or he is allowed to walk off with freedom for good.

Judge Kode had earlier declared that Dutt was not a terrorist but had found him guilty under the Arms Act for illegal possession of an AK-47 and other weapons. If the actor’s probation plea for suspension of sentence (on grounds of good conduct) is tossed out, then he could be sent behind bars for a maximum term of five years.

And if one takes into account Judge Kode tough stance, he has sentenced as many as 11 convicts to death; the above scenario seems to be the most likely outcome. Plus sitting behind Yakub Menon in the TADA court while he was handed with “death sentence” must have surely done some damage to Dutt’s moral.

Personally speaking, I think Sanjay Dutt’s probation plea should be rejected. Since he has been convicted under the Arms Act, he needs to be suitably punished for it. As they say – You do the Crime, You do the Time. Obviously the sentencing should take into account his 18 months already served in prison, I guess a slightly lenient term of a year sounds more appropriate.

On the other hand, if Dutt is set free, this decision may not go down well with the certain sections of the society and many others prosecuted under the 1993 blasts case.

Now whether his blue striped shirt and denim pants would help clean out the voodoo off him (and Bollywood), well only time will tell – me just praying for an end, once and for all.

Took these snaps late early Saturday evening while on my way to the airport in Santacruz to drop off my brother. And believe me, what you see here is the just the tip of the iceberg. Wonder what’s July going to be like!

Would also like to thank the management of Sejos for allowing us to twist their arms to the max so that we bloggers could get the most viable deal out of them. And last but not the least, a BIG thank you to all those who turned up (and a boo-hoo to those who couldn’t make it)….I had one heck of a time and am sure our bash would put all those Bollywoodish…Page 3 parties to shame.

Without any further a due, here are some “Kodak Moments”……

Some pointers from last night’s event -

Mumbai Bloggers are freaking Time Guards.

Strangers became friends (and some friends behaved like total strangers – ya we had those kinds too).

Mumbai Boys are really gentlemen-like. And Mumbai women are hot.

Blog Party Thumb Rule – Never discuss blogs.

This man asked, “Are you known in the Blog circle? Never heard about you?” – Hell Ya, I am known….gosh what else do I need to do to spread my celebritiness.

And Finally……

Never have Long Island(s) on an empty stomach.

Link – Love : Bloggers/Non-Bloggers who made their presence felt…..

Melody, Piyush Jha, Aditya, Bombay Addict, Saurabh Nanda, Shiju Thomas, n, eM, Amit Varma, Sumit, Vivek, Kaushal Kharkanis, Kapil, Roshan, Kanishka, Avantika, Pensive Lawyer, Querida, Chronicus Skepticus, Akshay Mahajan, Gaurav, Davendra Gera, Piyush Bedi, Pankaj, The Calumnist, Ergo, Roshan, Rajan, Jigal, Arjun, Rishi, Lavanya & Deepak, Moksh, and Ravi.

* Nothing comes for Free, so please remember the following:

1. As the invite says, we need for you to confirm your attendance to us via email.

2. You can come if you’re a veteran blogger / a new blogger / a blog reader / a blog commentator / a blog stalker (though we will kill you) or just a friend of a blogger (though I know most of us have few of these).

3. Entrance is @ Rs. 150/- per head and covers the entrées and NOT booze.

and last and most importantly…..

4. DO SPREAD THE WORD.

Believe me, this is going to be one heck of a meet you don’t wanna miss.

After all the bottom line is to get the message across. Right!!

The one point I brag upon, time and time again is that “Mumbai is a safer city for women to breathe in”. We can travel alone in public transport without many worries, we can party till wee-hours of the morning without being escorted with brigade of men around us, the Mumbai public is ever-ready to vent their frustrations on perverted souls, Mumbaikars are generally very helpful so if lost or confused someone will surely come forward to help.

But but but if you ask me to swear on the above mentioned Pro-Mumbai statements, I would be a bit hesitant. I have been living in this city for the past 27 years basically my entire life up till now and never have I faced a situation where I have felt totally let down by the city that I so very much cherish. Then again our city, just like any other Indian city is inhibited by the regular junta – so we too are exposed to the good, the bad, the ugly and at times the very ugly in our day-to-day life.

And here is one such very ugly incident.

Mid-Day Correspondent reports:

A young woman was groped by some 60 perverts in plain public view, while her male friend, who tried to protect her, was pushed aside violently.

The 10 harrowing minutes the helpless woman cried for help as the perverts abused her, shook my faith in the city I have lived in all my life.

I was at the place at 11.35 pm with my camera, taking pictures that captured the mood of the New Year celebrations. I was atop the temporary watchtowers erected by the cops.

After a few minutes, as the crowd grew larger, I could vaguely make out a youth aged around 25, surrounded by a mob of around 60 to 70 people.

When I zoomed in, I saw the girl of about the same age being groped by the crowd.

The girl was screaming for help but her voice was drowned in the commotion. Her companion tried to shield her but found himself helpless.

The presence of 50-odd policemen at the site did not deter them. Even as she cried pitifully, I saw them pull at her dress, leaving it torn from below the waist.

In the middle of this pushing and shoving, the girl fell down. The wild men, taking advantage of her, pounced on her with even more venom. After an agonising 10 minutes, the two managed to extricate themselves from the crowd and leave the venue.

A few metres away I saw a middle-aged saree-clad woman being groped. Mercifully, police escorted her away before the situation got worse.

This incident reminds me of a similar situation many years ago. After watching a concert at Andheri Sports Ground, I along with my brother, sister and their friends (plus other concert watchers) were walking out of the venue towards the car park area. In a matter of few minutes we all were getting pushed, touched, and groped by a mob of some 50-60 sickos. These bastards were basically not leaving anyone, be it a man or a woman they were trying to get whatever perverted pleasure they could manage off anyone that came in their path.

Thankfully, we all managed to survive and reach home in one piece. But since then, I have developed a crowd-phobia. I don’t travel by local trains, buses, avoid going to beaches, parks and am extra vigilant when going to night clubs, concerts and the likes.

As mentioned earlier, I still love this city inspite of its pitfalls and with certainty can say that Mumbai is a safe city but maybe not as much as we would want it to be – so take care of yourself and the ones around you from those perverts.

Went out on Saturday night with some known friends and some newly acquaintances to India’s very first Hard Rock Cafe. Located in one of the old-ages estate, the Bombay Dyeing Mill Compound, South Mumbai side. This world famous joint was opened sometime in September this year but had closed down for couple of weeks due some legal issues. However the place is now open to the Mumbai public in full swing.

Melody (The Voice In My Head) who happens to be one of those “party-till-I-die kinda women” and who was also a BIG part of my outing that evening, has put up her views of the place along with some dark but visible pictures.

“The music is great, the crowd is decent & the ambience, well, it is a Hard Rock Cafe! There are all the necessary rock star paraphernalia that goes with the HRC name – the autographed guitars, the crazy outfits (I saw a nice one belonging to the artist formerly know as Prince), the photographs, the trivia. I love it, I love it, I love it. Yes, in case you didn’t get it, I really love it.”

Though I agree with the whole music and ambience bit, I still wouldn’t say that it’s THE place to be on a Saturday night. And No! It’s got nothing to do with the company I was hanging out with.

See, the thing is for me besides good music and ambience; I need good food and plenty of alcohol. So even though Mumbai’s Hard Rock Cafe flaunts about good music, decent crowd and spacious look - sadly, it totally sucks in service.

It took us an entire evening to get a table and if that was not worse, take this – as soon as we parked our already tired (but still sexy) butts, we were told, “Sorry the kitchen is closed for service”. WTF at 12.30 am!

And this is not it.

The entire time we were waiting at the bar area, we had to fight our way through a crowd of 30-40 odd people to get our drinks off the bar. Fuck this, there was also a time when we after much struggle managed to get the bar-tender’s attention we were told, “I can’t serve you because we have no glasses for the drinks”. Huh!!!

So by now you must have got the drift that I really think much of the place – I would have rather enjoyed at one of those smaller lounge bars and pubs in Bandra.

But as Melody mentioned, maybe the place would be a much better experience once the whole show-sha dies down.

The Final Word – Go there for the experience but do have back-up plans. And definitely not a Saturday night place.