the greatest compliment a man can pay his woman

is not the biggest diamond in the store
or the reddest of roses or the gooiest of chocolates.
it’s not surprise tickets to paris
or an elaborate proposal on a wine-lit gondola.
it’s not a fairy tale wedding
or a yachted honeymoon on a secret island.
it’s not scented whispers or candleglow intoxications.
it’s not gift-wrapped manolos or christian no. 1
or coded i love yous in a loud party
or hidden i miss yous in her handbag or all-night international calls
or rain-soaked road trips or annie’s song warming a wintry bonfire.
it’s not even his willingness to wait for her
to be accepted by those he’s loved
before he met her (err, not ex-girlfriends).
the greatest compliment a man can pay his woman
is his decision to not wait anymore.
it’s his calm courage to go against.
it’s his quiet resolve to go ahead, with or without.
it’s the look in his eye that shushes her panicked heartbeat.
it’s the promise smiling in his outstretched hand.
it’s his silent definition of who matters most.

after more than ten months of waiting,
n has paid me the greatest compliment a man can pay his woman.
we’ll be signing the knot on 12th of jan 2009.
with or without.

there must be something i can do. it's not possible that this is it.

before and after 26/11

that's how i'm hoping the history of bombay will be written

and 3o billion trembling fingers
unenough to count
where all to fly the half-mast now.

well said, slogan.

http://sloganmurugan.blogspot.com/2008/12/lead-india.html

and then i can't help thinking, without uttering a word, i have in my own way insulted my country's martyrs. by being dazed and awed and secretly thankful to my guardian angel for making sure that the one bomb that was in a scooter near my house, the one bomb that would have taken me with it because it was on a street i had actually walked past that fatal day that fatal time, that one bomb was faulty and later de-fused. that he made sure i had a fracture and was forced to take the taxi home instead of the train that other fatal day. that he made sure i refused to go to an awards ceremony on this fatal day in that part of town. i have defiled their sacrifices by not standing up and demanding an answer to their deaths and an end to this 16 year gangrape of my city. by gaping at the pictures in the newspapers and eagerly discussing with classmates how the blasts took place and what evil mastermind what cruel genius it took to do this, how narrowly who escaped, how so and so escaped fom this blast but died in that, discussing all this in between bites from my lunch box. by ignoring the voice in my head that was saying that i should say something. by getting on with my life as if nothing had happened. as if nothing would happen. as if everything was as it was. by laughing. by joking. by shopping. by partying. by not following up the cases. by shaking my head. by pointing fingers at the politicians and saying look how they point fingers. by turning away everytime i pass mahim station. by not crying. by not feeling enough to cry. by going on even when i'm shaking with impotent anger and sadness. by keeping silent when the basti behind me blares 'touch me touch me touch me' and my only answer is to turn up the volume on the tv in which my taj is proudly smouldering at the other end of our fragile little island, silently asking me when i will accept moral responsibility for its fate and step down from my high chair of indifference.

i believe these are the true colours of our politicians. for the first time in their long long life, some of them i'm sure were presidents of gondwana, for the first time they are being asked questions to which none of the five standard answers will suffice. these are not questions which can be explained away by saying "karyavaahi chaalu hain" "commitee bithaayenge" "stithi niyantran mein hain" "apraadhiyon ko sazaa dee jaayegi" or the latest "yeh samay sawaal karne ka nahin hain"

this time they have no time to anticipate the questions or rehearse answers. no option to say they don't have an answer. no excuse to not have an answer.

which is why they are losing their cool. which is why the real opinion, the real language and the real priorities are spilling out of their twisted mouths despite themselves. i'm sure if we had a record of their personal meetings we would find much more outrageous statements over the years.

it's just that this time they're caught in the headlights.

for the first time since almost the time he was elected to his ex/current post, i saw him frown while talking. i saw his hair out of place. i saw him answering from the gut and not a piece of paper. nervous replies. angry looks. disbelief that this was happening to him. fear that he was all alone. that he was the scapegoat. all because he had sensed that if he did offer to step down, no one would stop him. that if he didn't, they would snatch his beloved chair from under his firmly planted, ever-expanding butt.

but of course when he made his first press statement on that first night, he had all the time to gel and comb his hair. to wear a crisp white kurta. to read from a piece of paper and struggle to pronounce the words 'operation chaalu kiya hain'.

when he surveyed the carnage with his shield of bodyguards, perhaps destroying evidence and certainly hindering the cleanup process, he had all the time to dress up and oil his moustache and hold his head high as his patent leather slippers crunched through shattered heritage and hope-cinders. he never frowned when he said 'hostages? why do you keep saying hostages? there are no hostages in there anymore, they are just people in their rooms who are not coming out' just about 30 hours before the last terrorist was shot. there were no shifty-eyed glances then. there was no worry line on his indifference-fattened forehead. there was no fear then, was there mr. c m?

i want to go there and i can't bring myself to go there.

priy raj thackeray,

me tumhaala priy mhantey hyaacha artha asaa naahin ki tumhi malaa priy ahaat. me zari osama bin laden la patra lihile tari hi priy osama asech suru kareen. kaaran sabhya lok je astaat tyaaanchya bolnyaachi ek padhdhat astey. tumhaalaa nahin kalaaychi ti padhdhat. zaau dya.

maazaa janma zaala thane zillyaat dombivli madhye. jya varshi me janamle, tyach varshi maajhi family dadarla shift zaali. maaze aai-vadeel malaa kityek vela saangaayche ki maazaa janma tyaanchya saathi lucky hota kaaran aamhi tyach varshi ‘bombay’ madhye aalo.

maaze lahanpan dadarchya ekaa lahanshya chaalit gele. maajhya buildingchya samor bhagwan dada rahaayche. maajhya address madhye shankar abbaji palav marg asaayche. maajhi shaala, king george urf raja shivaji vidya sankul urf indian education society’s english medium school urf pandit dhamdhere high school urf kunaas thaauk aata kuthchya naavaa khaali aahe. maajhya shaalet ingraji hi marathit shikvaayche.

aamchya building madhye sarvaat pahila tv aamchya ghari aala. black and white ec tv. dar shanivaari ani ravivaari poorna building aamchya ghari gola whaichi, dd varti picture baghaayla. budhwaari chhayageet, guruvaari chitrageet. me kityek sakaali bhupali aikoon uthle aahe, sandhyakaali baatmya aikoon zople aahe. kilbil baghaayla utsukt zaale aahe. navratri madhye mothya khidkitoon chhote chhote haath baher kaadhoon samorchya maidaanat chaalu aslele ‘ambabaicha udho udho’ chya taalaat taalya vaazvilya aahet me. batatyachi chaal aikoon hasle va shamchi aai baghoon radle.

ya varshi tumchya mule maajhya tees varshaanchya aayushyaat pahilyaanda malaa aathavle ki me marathi naahi. tumchya mule malaa aathavla ki marathi majhi maatrubhasha naahi. tumchya mule malaa kalla ki roz sakaali oon, paaoos, thandichi parva na karta jo manoos majhya ghari hasat hasat doodh gheoon yeto, toh manoos bhaiyya aahe. ha gujrati aahe, to bihari aahe, aani to tikde bengali aahe. kaal paryenta jo mumbaikar hota, to tumchya mule bihari, gujrati, bengali, jaat, haryaanvi zaala aahe.

aaz jithe tumhi aaplya bodyguards chya kushit zopta, bullet proof gaadit firtaa, aaplya mulaana foreign chya oxford ani cambridge university madhye bharti karnyaachi khshamata thevtaa, tithe aapli tarun berozgar mula gundyaan saarkhi vaagat aahet. aapla taarunya shikshan aani samaaj kalyan chya aivaji dadagiri madhye ghaalavtaait.

maharashtraane tumche kiti laad kele. itki varsha tumhi ya rashtraakadoon, mumbaikaraan kadoon kaay kaay naahi kamaavle – pratishta, power, paisa, lokaanchi jai jai kar, lokaanche prem, lokaanche vote. aani parat kaay dilat?

amravati aani vidarbha madhye ze shetkari aatmahatya karit aahet, te marathi manoos naahit? tyaanchya kutumbaanche haal kon samaznaar? kon saambhaalnaar tyaanna?

laturchya bhookampaa nantar tithe kaay zaale?

malegaon baddal kami bollelach bara, naahi ka?

kaa aaplya police force kade saadhe basic bullet proof jackets naahit? ka aaplya havaldaraancha pagar itka kami aahe ki tyaanna aaplya mulaanche kamit kami shikshanahi mahaag padte?

kaa aaplya sheheraat rastey kami aani khadde jaasta aahet? khaddyaanvar zunya puraanya rickshaw-taxi madhye travel karoon karoon aamchi kambar tutli aahe.

kaa pannaas varshaan nanterahi aaplya sheheraat paaoos poor gheoon yeto?

kachra kaa dustbin madhye kami, rastyavar jaasta zama hoto?

marathi saahitya, marathi kala, marathi chitrapath, hi sagli industries kuthe aahet?

ritesh deshmukh aani seema thackeray marathi pictures ka naahi banvat? dadasaheb phalke kon hotey, hey tumhaala tari maahit aahe ka? mag tumhaala maahit asel ki tumchya eka foreign trip che je budget aahe, tyahoonahi kami budget madhye banleli ‘shwaas’ va ‘tingya’ saarkhi marathi chitrapatey national aani international award jinktaait. zara kalpana kara ki tyaanna barobar protsaahan milaale tar oscar mumbai pasoon door naahi.

kadhi marathi library ughadnyaacha vichaar naahi aala tumchya marathi manaat? tumchya mns madheel konihi kadhi 'mrutunjay' vaachoon radkundila aala asel ka? ki fakt dusryaanna radvinyasaathich banavli aahe hi sena?

berozgaari che samaadhaan hinsa, hey tumhaala koni ho shikalvle? berozgaaraanna wada pav stall kholoon denya aivaji computer science ka naahi shikvat? aarda-ordi karnaara gunda banavnya aivaji tyaanna kirloskar ka naahi banvat?

tumhaala bhiti vaatte na, ki shikleli mula tumchya kaaboot naahi raahnaar? hi mula zar sales vice president kivhaan marketing manager kivhaan college professor banlit tar kashi tumchya ishaaryavar “mumbai bandh” ordoon nirdosh lokaanvar besharam darodekhoraansaarkhe vaar karnaar?

lahaanpani me superman chya goshti aiknyaa aagodar shivaji maharajaanchya goshti aiklyaa. kasa tyaanni aaplya peksha ‘double size’ chya afzal khanchya mithitoon sutka keli aani tyaala maaroon taakle. kasa tyaanni khidkitun paloon zaanaarya shaistekhanchi bota kaapli.

aaz parat ekda aaplya khidkit aatankvaadi aaley aahet. te hindu astil kivaan muslim, tya aatankvaadyaanchi bota (aani barach kaahi) kaapnya aivaji, tumhi aaplyaach mumbaikaraanchi maane ka kaapat aahaat?

arrey nihattya maansaanvar matheranchi maakade hi vaar kartat. aatankvaadyanvarti vaar kara, mag swataahla 'sena' mhanaa.

aaz aaplyaa sheheraat ak-47, rdx pakdoon aatankvaadi khullam khulla firat aahet. ashi kuthchi hi zaaga naahi jithe nirdosh mumbaikaraancha rakta saandlele naahi. local train paasoon 5-star hotel paryenta, hya sheherachya pratyek saavlit bheeti cha tandav chaalu aahe. ashya veli maajhi tumchyashi ekach vinanti aahe –

aata tari bas karaa.

bas karaa dharmachi, jaatichi aani janmarashtraachi aadh gheoon lokaanchya jivashi khelna.

bas karaa mumbaikaaranna ekmekanviruddha bhadkaavna.

bas karaa mitraanna dushmani shikavna.

raj, bas karaa tumcha gundaraj.

nirdoshaancha asaa paschataap kadu nakaa.

votansaathi lokaanchya potaanvar laat maaru nakaa.

aaz aaplya mumbait zar koni ‘baaherche lok’ aahet, tar tey fakt ani fakt terrorists. tyanna thaambva na mumbait paay thevnya paasoon.

aapli power vaaproon mumbaila ekatra kara.

aamche tukde naka karoot. aamhi aadhich tutlele aahot.

ashya dukhachya veli tumhi parat mumbait raada kelaat, tar marathi manoosach naahi, kontaahi manoos tumhaalaa kadhihi maaf naahi karnaar. mumbai cha itihaas mumbaikaraanchya raktaat naka lihoot.

ingrajit mhantaat na, last but not the least. shevatcha mudda, pann kami mahatvaacha naahi – me baaherna ingraji aahe pann aatun marathit bolat aahe. tumhi baaherna marathit bolta pann aatoon ingrajaanchi divide and rule policy karat aahaat.

me marathi nasoonahi assal mumbaikar aahe.

tumhi marathi asoonahi mumbaikar naahit.

jai hind, jai maharashtra.

- ek saadhaaran mumbaikar.