Khandaani Shafakhanas

The Ghoses are currently camping in Delhi having come to attend the wedding of OP Raheja's daughter - Garima. So, this is our first 'blog' on the move. This morning Sg strayed into a cyber-cafe at Connaught Place, which turned out to be a converted traditional Sex Clinic - Sablok Khandaani Shafakhana. It can happen only in Delhi (and Sg has the knack of landin g up at such places ). It couldn't be that, business was bad for the old 'hakim' - the owners were probably trying to keep up with the times. Whiel he was there the 'Malik' strolled in to check if everything was fine. He asked the young technician - "Current (pronounced as KKrrent - he actually meant, the Internet Connection ) Theek-Thaak Aa Raha Hai Na". The young lad replied - "Shuru Me Thora Problem Tha, Ab Mein Set Kar Dia Hun". "Hah - Chalu Rahena Chahiye" he said with a great deal of satisfaction and then walked out obviously impressed with his own inputs. Last time Sg was at a booth near Def Col, where the Haryanvi Jat owners response to all problems was "AAp Jara Re-boot Karlo Jee". These guys are obviously making the giant technology leap from the world of STD/ISD centres along Karnal GT Road to Dhabas on the Cyber Highways. Today's Delhi Times carried the transcripts of a conversation between Amartya Sen and Mukesh Ambani - wherein the scion of India's now-first Industrialist family talked of Reliance's forays into setting-up "Info Farms". So, they too are making their own transitions - albeit the 'scales' are different.

Golden Ginseng and Anna Kournikova

Our lovable neighbourhood Puppan (feminine of 'Puppy' and hip for a yuppie Punjaban ) - who always makes it a point to clarify - she is actually a Sikhni from Kashmir, to explain her glowing complexion even at 40 - has started feeling very cold, after having spent the last winter without turning on the heater. This sudden metabolic malfunctioning is not easily explainable and one wonders whether it had anything to do with their long South-East Asian sojourn - and accompanying masseuric mis-adventures. Normally, they used to return back from India with 2 army ration-loads of provisions ( meat, chicken, paneer ) to last a few months. But, this time round they are reported to have brought back large supplies of revitalising drugs - Beta Carotene, Spirulina, Neem Guard, Seacod and sundry other anti-oxidants, which S's prying eyes discovered on her dining room closet. She also, innocently, admitted to have increased the quota of Badam intake for the entire family - however, did not take kindly to S's suggestion that she should supplement it with "Chuuara" therapy for the hubby. While she may be doing it under peer-pressure from her allegorical sisters - Mona and Sona ( the rich one ), one is amazed by the growing popularity of these - what are being called - anti-ageing 'concept drugs'. But, still the market is nowhere close to what I believe it is in SE Asia. Last year, in Singapore - we were simply staggered to see a shop selling only these preparations with astronomical price-tags. Meanwhile, the Czarina from Moscow - our original Seth-ni - has written to admit that, she does miss it, after all, when she hasn't heard from us in a while and, tacitly agrees, Nux-Vomica doesn't help to cure the resultant queasiness, tho' she is still too proud to turn to the 'blog' for news happening to us. That reminds me, the 'stay young' mania hasn't hit only the south-asians. On one of my trips back from Delhi, I saw this huge Russian lady taking out loads of Chawanprash of different makes, Zandu Kesari Jeevan and Sun-chadi Bhasma from her hand-baggage. Later on checking with our own Gupta-saab - he told me that, one of biggest export market for Dabur's "Shilajit" capsules remain the erstwhile USSR. Libido keeps no barriers - I guess with the Anna Kournikova's of the world they need that extra bit of stamina. We only hope, the Czarina is giving her Seth ( who claims roots in Himachal ) his quota of Badaam-Shireen and not just relying on her favourite homeopathic rejuvenators.

Missed Valentines

No, we haven't gone weekly - just that, it's been a crazy week and even the 'blog' has been behaving a bit funny ( can't cope with prolific output, I guess ). Started with a false alarm at Sandip's office - when early on Monday morning some mysterious callers came by. The security situation here has been volatile and multinationals singled out for attention in the past. To top it all, this was supposed to be "anniversary" week of the Maoists movement in the country, who had threatened commemorative celebrations. It was a case once beaten many a times shy, as it later turned to be
(they were looking for someone else who had dealings with the company - makes it no less scary ). The political scene continues to be fluid. One had thought that with the party convention at Pokhara the old man had put his troubles behind, at least temporarily. But, no sooner did he return that, the entire opposition has ganged-up together demanding his resignation over a silly 'Lauda Air-deal' ( sounds vulgar, doesn't it ? But, who said 'corruption' has become as passe as fellatio in the oval office ?) Some feel that, people have found new inspiration and hope in the impeachment of Estrada in Philippines and the mounting pressure on doddering Indonesian President. Others see clearly the invisible (but, ubiquitous ) foreign hand in the matter. This time around the Americans are getting the credit - since local legend has it that, an erstwhile lady chief incumbent at the Embassy had played 'match-maker' for the wedding of the young 'challenger' - so, there's no doubt he is the guy the yanks would be rooting for. The poor Indians are, of course, feeling left out and dear Tharakkan-saar was understandably worried that his home leave will be cancelled at the last minute, one more time. But, the tenacious PM managed to hold on, if only to facilitate this one family reunion in verdant Kerala. V- Day was, for us, the birthday of the Seth daughter and the Wedding Anniversary of their boss ( who was celebrating it in distant Delhi). In the bargain, S managed to bum out of him a lovely lunch at the Simply Shutters in Baber Mahal (Kunal's Pate and Lemon-Curd Ice-cream were, as usual, most divine). Where else can enjoy such luxurious week-day afternoons, the risk of cerebral fossilization not-withstanding, we ruminated over the parting coffee.

Olema

Now if obits turn you off and you wish to inject some "life" into your web-reading turn to
'www.sfvedanta.com'. Sent to us by Mala, this is the official home-fage of the Vedanata Society of North California ( San Francisco). Particularly recommended is the "Retreat" Section, which has some breathtaking pictures of Olema - the Mission's retreat centre in Marine County sprwaling across 2000 acres of forests and meadows. You can also download freebies like desktop images of Thakur and Ma, Music and Audio Lectures. So, get a splash of on-line Vedanta, if obits are not exactly your kind of stuff.

The Famous, Infamous and Non-famous

So, where does one go from Blogspot.com? To Goodbye.com , of course. No we're not ready to sign-off and retire, at least as yet. www.Goodbyemag.com is a site of contemporary obituaries lifted shamelessly, as the site owners admit, from newspapers all over the web. It's an 'opinionated' journal which chronicles the dead - famous, in-famous and non-famous. But, some of the most interesting obits are of animals - take for eg. the Rhino - Twinkletoes, who was the oldest inmate at the LA Zoo and had to be "euthanized" when her 'internal organs' failed. She had borne 5 calves and a unknown number of spouses. Cumulina, the world's first cloned mouse, died of old age. She died in her sleep, age two years and seven months, Cumulina made headlines in 1998 when reports of her cloning shot around the world. The technique used to create her is considered more reliable than the one that produced Dolly the sheep. Cumulina bore two litters of mice before being retired to her lab's running wheel. But, perhaps, the most bizarre case was that of Ocala, FL - the poodle-Yorkshire terrier was beaten with a plastic vacuum cleaner wand and hurled against a tree by his master, who suspected it of being gay. It appears that Ocala repeatedly engaged in sex with the master's other dog, a Jack Russell Terrier, despite being neutered. "He felt that the dog was a queer-type dog and it made him angry," a police spokesman said. The man faces up to a year in jail. Among the many obits of the famous is that of Dame Barbara Cartland ( she "lobbied" for the title). She said that her first brush with romance came at age 18 when a "libidinous major" invited her upstairs to see "how his revolver worked." Barbara, by her own admission, did not much like to be "touched." Nobody ever got jiggy in a Barbara Cartland romance.