The Great Depression

The house address was signalling that it was west of Rishihaar, in Uttar Valley in India. 

There was this girl named Samantha, who had moved from Florida to cure her clinical depression. She was petite, maybe in her early 20s. She had black hair, a broad forehead and unbelievably straight hair. She had a mole right underneath her nose, diagonally opposite to her left nostril. She could easily hang out on trees while reading a book with one hand and holding on to the branch with the other. The child prodigy and the only daughter of the city’s most famous lawyer, Samantha was the apple of everyone's eye. She was well-known among her peers and heavily counted on inter-college competitions by her teachers. She was an all-rounder, great in debates and elocution competitions, always a podium finisher. Samantha was great in academics too, consistently outscoring the elite throughout her life. Everyone had high hopes, but Samantha wanted to become a creative director, and bring stories into life. She loved nature and spent more time with trees than with her friends. She used to go out exploring the wild forests and mountain rangers, and just float in the fountain waters or lakes where she could find only birds who were talking to each other. She enjoyed the company and through books about botany and zoology, she was well-equipped for surviving in the wild. But since she was popular in the city, Samantha always came back to the hostel after it went  dark. With Diwali holidays within touching distance, Samantha planned a solo trip and informed everyone at her hostel that she is going to live in Mumbai with one of her relatives. Everyone of her roommates left, and Samantha at the break of dawn took her bag and went for a night beneath the stars. She had an adequate amount of food, books, medicine, first aid kit and essentials and a sleeping bag that could easily accommodate her in a snowflake position. The sleeping arrangement was made underneath an apple tree, she had marked the spot with one of her glow in the dark t-shirt, which had a graffiti of Slipknot on it. She nailed the shirt on the floor, and sprinkled some dust so that it is not stolen during the day. Just before she could gather a couple of apples , she jumped back to the ground, and saw a head covered with curly hair looking down on the t-shirt , and trying to read through or make sense of the photo on the t-shirt. With the crackling of the leaves underneath Samantha’s Nike sneakers,  she stood up, her eyes lit up, and she smiled wider than the English channel. Samantha looked mesmerised by her green eyes. The curly head was wearing a white shirt, and baggy pants with a brown and green color print, and a sling bag going across her shoulders, which had white papers ruffled, and a few paint brushes protruding out of one side. She was lean and her full head of hair made her look like a head on a stick. Before Samantha could open her mouth to ask her, she sang, “Hello!!! I am Mariaaah!!!”. This startled a couple of birds on the tree who instantly flew away, but Samantha burst out into laughter , still couldn’t get her eyes off from the two green spots in the curly head. After swallowing her own saliva and a few giggles later, Samantha introduced herself as a student of nature. From the time the leaves started turning brown from green, they talked as if time had stopped. 

Maria was a lonely child, she was the only child of a father who was schizophrenic and her mom just left the family because she couldn’t put up with the man. Maria was fair so her classmates used to call her “Gori”. Since she was quite lean, whatever she wore appeared to be baggy. She enjoyed carrying those oversized t-shirts and capri pants. Her cheek-bones were as high as her thinking. She was crazy about sanitation and carried a sanitiser always with her along with her lip balm. She grew up in the mountain side of Kerala. She had traveled far to help her father overcome this disease, and give him a fresh perspective to life. They lived on a secluded hill near the river, and Maria would go out walking through the forest to the market to fetch groceries and make soup for her and her father. She would usually eat boiled vegetables and fruits, basically a vegan. She thought if her father eats well, he will not digress towards his schizophrenia and be there for her. Nelson was a postman who used to deliver even amazon packages post his government duty for extra income. He used to spend a lot of time outdoors, and had a lot of trouble just going to sleep. Maria during her childhood could hear Nelson’s screams even in her dreams. Soon the roles were reversed and Maria used to narrate fairy tale stories to Nelson so that he can go to sleep with a smile on his face. He would save his wisdom tooth and put it under his pillow , and hang socks around Christmas, and always talk to John and imagine a tea party. Maria enjoyed these joyous epochs with Nelson. But when Maria was 8, her mother left with just these words, “Maria, there is nothing left to be said, I hope you will understand.”

Maria would mix Nelson’s medicines into the soup, and he would sleep during the day, while she galloped away to meet Samantha in the woods every day for a week. Samantha’s college was nearby, so Maria and Samantha would meet near the apple tree and take a walk together to explore the woods, and find secluded places where they could immerse themselves into each other’s souls. They would spend most of the time holding hands, looking into the sky and just talking in sighs and smiles. They would not only share secrets but talk freely about their fears and inhibitions. After all, one's level of trust is stronger by the way we talk about our fears without hesitation.

 

Samantha wanted to be the best at everything and feared not reaching her true potential. Maria wanted to feel secure and loved and always feared to be left alone. She used to sleep curled up against an imaginary partner with her hands between her legs. But an iota of thought of Samantha made Maria giggle and smile and she would let the sleep fairy carve her dreams with her head on the pillow and eyes perusing the ceiling. Maria told Samantha about her ambitions to become a painter and singer, Samantha talked about her dream of becoming a director who could bring the life of the wild to the television sets of millions. Just like any other list of obstacles, the girls discussed their own hurdles and deepest, darkest secrets. Their trysts went on for a couple of months, when Samantha had her exams on the cards, so she couldn’t spend a lot of time with Maria. They had a squabble when Maria anticipated  being left alone again.  As time went on, Maria felt lonely again, and tried talking to Nelson to cover the gaps. Maria tried some of her father’s pills to escape the loneliness. Samantha, post the exams, felt excited to see Maria after a long time, but the entire winter passed they couldn’t meet. Maria was spending more time bringing her dreams to life, which included artworks depicting screams and pain. This all seemed to be inspired by Nelson’s mental plight. With shadows and dark arts, almost envisaging her blank papers everyday. She had stopped singing, and would often bring just leaves from the nearby forest to boil and eat, Nelson’s health started deteriorating, and at the stroke of midnight on the end of the year, Nelson passed away in a local hospital, 25 kms from her hut.

Maria went back to find Samantha’s letter waiting for her and a bottle of antidepressants. Samantha had an analytical understanding of Maria, and she could predict loneliness in her life in spite of playing such an important role in her life. Maria while reading the letter started reminiscing about their time together, she could see Samantha’s eyes and laughter and the touch sensation of her smooth skin. She could see Samantha would pass a bit of salt into Maria’s mouth when they kissed before they would spend lying on the leaves staring at the stars. Samantha would also rub some of her medicines crushed as a powder on the lip balm Maria used to carry. After taking one of Samantha’s medicine, Maria realised it wasn’t salt, and Maria was addicted to these drugs. Maria would use these medicines to give birth to her artwork. Samantha couldn’t give in, because she was given a chance to study the amazon Rainforest on a fully funded scholarship. Maria made soaps during the day and sang for the tourists during the evenings. Before leaving the city, Samantha with her abnormal mental state wrote a letter in almost dextrous handwriting, reiterating “Maria, there is nothing left to be said. I hope you …” and the pin drop silence was broken by the sound of the envelope rustling by the wind Maria left the letter on the ground, while she poured the entire bottle of pills down her throat.

Ladki wala's qualms

So  I am i the middle of a jungle with the wedding venue in sight, I could hear loud music and drums, and some woohoos in the distance. I am trying to put on my jeans, but somehow I have agreed to Levis motto, unbuttoned, because i have lost the main pinning button. I work quickly because the baraat was getting closer to the gate. Cousins were getting restless and relatives were looking for the "brother of the bride".
Struggling with my jeans, and press the belt around my waist tight enough. Then there was a herculean task of putting on this giant kurta  with metal pads on the shoulders and a crown. Apparently the theme was Kings and Queens (not the gay ones, sorry). As I was struggling, one of the photographers ran past me, stopped , looked back, took out her camera, and started clicking holistically. As if she has seen a God. I was only in my jeans and my abdomen was as bare as the face of an actor before their performance. Absolutely blank, no flexing, strictly. I didn't pose, but she took a few pics, smiled at me and left with another cousin, who was just hurling abuses at me. I didn't have much time to digest so i hurried on to get my shit together. So I marched on towards the gates forgetting the crown on the bench near my open changing area.
I reached just in the nick of time to witness the amalgamation of the baraat with the welcoming ladkiwalas (us). So i hurried with my kurta and loose jeans, but unlike other brothers of the bride, I wasn't wearing my crown.
More reprimands and lewd remarks followed, but I couldn't heed to any of them as I rushed towards my recent quarantine spot to pick my crown. Surprisingly, the ghouls and kleptomaniacs were out of reach of that place and I could retrieve myself feeling like an anxious King. Finally, arrived with almost the groom making an entry, I was right behind that procession.
It all felt like a tsunami that I went on doing tasks after tasks and posing with cousins, eating when i could get time to breathe. Food was the only orgasm I was getting that evening. And speaking of orgasm, guess what happened to the very beautifully dressed camera woman. She had a very forgettable face, height upto 5'3", and wore a lehnga with a an ornament around her head, obediently following the theme. So yes she seemed more like a yes ma'am lady. Did her work diligently and with professionalism, until it came to me, when she slipped into this coquettish cat. And just as my eyes were getting heavier than some of Metallica songs , and dimming sight of her .
There was water on my face, and a t shirt and shorts on my body and a tranquil afternoon with a furious breath of mom. Happy Dreaming she said!

Are you Thinking Episode 2

Addiction, no no, this is not about drugs sorry junkies , it is about the addiction of dopamine, the rush you get when you saw a good number of likes on your photos, posts, shares, or anything you put up on the "internet".The same way I am being optimistic whilst I write about this.

So, putting up a funny status or a reaction or an expression of joy is never so innocuous unless you are working on the other side i.e. for the internet. And as you have enjoyed bragging about your achievements and displaying your wit and knowledge of TV shows and may be grammar or gaming prowess, we always looked for more attention, we have always been attention mongers, no denying that, and that is some addiction that is so common and it is so unnoticed that we so easily ignore. There are no immediate repercussions to this addiction or a magnanimous momentousness. As we speak and share and like and subscribe, we tell the internet or the money making factories, what we like and what we don't.

That information is like oxygen to these bigshots, who will use this to sort out your personality, here, you might like this baloney, come closer you can smell it, you may want to read this, clickbaits is just a fancy word , to lure in the victims of this addiction. This can never go down, the more people share, the more oxygen the smart people get. I believe the smartest people on earth are those who are not addicted to anything and can adapt to change like a chameleon, because people will manipulate the victims no matter what. If you think all this is a shenanigan, think "why did you download the Tez app to transfer money to your buddies when you had Paytm already installed?", "Why did you read the 12 points that a capricorn would do at 3 am?" or my personal favorite,  "what 6 things tell you that you are an addicted lab rat?". Well yes everybody wants to save money but imagine how petty discounts lure you in using their services, cashback is the most viral word after racism, it has been used like 973 times in an hour on an average, over the internet.

For small savings, we keep replenishing our mobile devices and create umpteen accounts to save on that unit currency  and always book shared services (uberPOOL , Ola Share) well because if time were really money, every lazy guy on earth would have been a billionaire. I do book the sharing services too, but not for the wrong reasons, to help cities have more quality in air if anything else . I am not a saint, or a 80 year old virgin but I would only expect fresh air for humanity.

Since we are on the topic of money, I will never accept a abidas shoe over an adidas shoe because IMO price is directly proportional to quality, be it packing, or the product itself but we always never shy away from paying good money for good quality, like who goes to non AC movie theaters these days but we still complain about the overpriced popcorn and a water bottle. Ofcourse I expect a lot of yin yang here, I am not saying every addict is a monster , but I always urge my students to look at the bigger picture. Also how many countries can really afford nuclear war weaponry?

Stalk brokers will always give you more stocks to invest in, shopkeepers will always promote a never heard brand, advertisements will be ubiquitous , change will not happen in a night, but it all starts with good , developing, beneficiary and growing thoughts. You will become what you think of yourself, it is inevitable. #AreYouThinking

We came, We saw , We conquered - Men in Black and Fluorescent

A misty night, in Belgrade, Serbia inside the Rajko Mitic Stadium, a famous red star with huge banners and red smoke. The gunners had arrived from North London to prove a point, to hit back, to bounce back from the defeat at Watford. Europa league group stage, match day 3, a tricky visit on the cards.

The acoustic support for the Red star was really eminent, a brilliant set up to test the young blood in our ranks, and evaluate the grit of the gunners in this trip. For the majority of the game, the support from the home crowd didn't go dull, it was constant, like the equalizer of a music player, the fans were seen jumping up and down in unison. The stadium was packed, and the gooners were set in their assigned seats hoping to see the boys not let them down , not a major gathering, but loud enough to stun the stadium in silence. For any debutante, or young performer, a veracious set up to be nervous.

The game started with a flurry of opportunities and chances for both sides, Red Star a bit wasteful in their final shots , but to the heroics of Petr Cech and the make-shift defense line with Elneny, did its job truly and remarkably well. Arsenal had some good opportunities with Jack creating the most of it, Nelson got to the right flank, and forced Borjan to make a conscientious save. Teenagers seemed to be full of confidence and not influenced by the acoustic of the stadium, didn't make foolish mistakes but did run with a lot of adrenaline.

With a stalemate at half time, it was more up to Wilshere to carve the Red star defense and make space for either of the strikers to put the ball home. And after a long wait of 85 minutes , the moment came, Wilshere left two midfielders to lay, before making a wide pass to Theo on the right flank, who pushed it back to wilshere in the box who flicked it back to Walcott's head, Theo then jumped to loop the ball into the path of an observant Giroud, who adjusted his body and went for an acrobatic and spectacular overhead kick which looped over Borjan in the top corner of the far left hand side of the goal. 1-0 to the Arsenal , was sung and the Red star Belgrade were stunned to silence. Shortly before the goal,Rodic was given his marching orders after a bookable second offence.

The game was marked with a lot of flux of attacks in home fray, but the strikers got a bit too excited to keep calmness to convert an chance to an opportunity then to a goal. Petr Cech made comprehensive saves to deny the home team, and gave Wenger's men a major advantage in the campaign. With a 100% record in the group stages, at the end of matchday 3, Arsenal are sitting on top of the group, with two home games and a trip to Koln.

Wishing Arsene Wenger today a happy birthday, with his selection squad, let us just hope he makes less mistakes, and we will put all our belief in his men.

Olivier Giroud – The Century In Vogue

In an ideal world, nobody is supposed to be compared with any body in their performance evaluation, but who really lives in an ideal world? Olivier Giroud , on 28^th spet 2017, reached a milestone, he scored 100 goals for Arsenal in 233 appearances 1 less than what Robin Van Persie did . Arsene did mention that Giroud was bought to replace the departing Judas, and he was under heavy fire, but  le buteur de charme (the charm striker) reached a ton of goals with a spot kick against BATE Borsiov.

Since joining Arsenal on 26^th June 2012, Olivier  has come off the bench and scored 27 times in his tenure, till now. He has scored some very crucial goals , equalizers, winners, invigorating , awe-inspiring, jaw  opening and sometimes just marvelous. His posture, his technique, his accuracy, and his presence of mind about the players around him and the weight of the pass has always been great to watch.

Apart from his goals against United, Tottenham, Crystal Palace (Puskas award 2017 nomination) – that scorpion kick, Bayern Munich (in a 5-1 loss at the Allianz Arena), hat trick against Olympiacos in the Champions League, Giroud has assisted some truly world class goals. For example that Wilshere goal against Norwich in the October of 2013, and the famous Ramsey goal at the Wembley to clinch the first FA cup after a 9 years trophy draught, against Hull city .

Even though he was close to leaving Arsenal in the summer of 2017, he wanted more game time, but his resolve not only made the gooners joyous but a bit empowered too, because Giroud has been in a decent scoring form. He had to wait for a couple of games to make it 100 after 99, a soft penalty against BATE helped him reached the century. He has been constantly improving and helped France qualify for the world cup with ease, hope to see some roof bursting and top corners consumed when this guy touches the ball. The poem ended and then he hit.

Liverpool 4-0 Arsenal - The Baba Review

If embarrassment was just a feeling, then that could sum up the mood for all the gooners around the globe. The 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool was just too abysmal, it was not down to a bad referee decision , or a horrific injury, it was just bad football.

The players looked lethargic, and the abject performance costed us a strong stance in the premier league, even finishing in the top 4 seems like a mountain of a task now. Even though Liverpool's finishing was plausible, our defense had too many cracks, and players lacked commitment and spirit.
Even though we had a couple of chances to score, we were still outplayed and outclassed by the reds.

The formation and the squad selection was the major talking point before the game, and it just fell apart, our youth has to improve and not just be a "future prospect", we want results now, we want world class players and quality football to watch and applaud and appreciate. We can't just make and stew in our stool, something has to be improved, may be hire some therapists to help players express themselves better and be proud to be wearing an arsenal shirt just as we are proud gooners.

Any which way, it was a bad game, we will hopefully bounce back with more intent and vigor in the next game against Bournemouth on saturday. Sorry didn't really talk about the game here, still too "embarrassed" to talk about/ decipher a lost cause.

Stoke City 1-0 Arsenal - The Baba Review 20th Aug 2017

Frustrating eventuality of the evening, the team gave a good performance but lacked conviction and accuracy, as we lost concentration in the opening minutes of the second half and conceded a goal, and the game to the "rugby" team's latest debutante Jese.Marked by unheard two penalty claims and a legitimate goal, disallowed, I am pretty sure every gunner would be irate and so would be Arsene.

Even though it was a bad result but as an optimist, I can always find some good points in the team. Nacho Monreal for instant, is a really hard working player, he adds value and quality to the team, with his honest and impeccable attitude, he has made me fall in love with defending all over again. His consistency is mostly overlooked, he is an unsung hero of the team. From the defense perspective, there are not solid partnerships, like Kos and Mustafi had, may be with more game time, Mustafi and Monreal, can achieve more clean sheets wit Cech. Apart from defense, I believe Ozil was missing Alexis a lot, couldnt really put in the right ball, and Laca had some loose touches tonight, Welbeck did well, but yielded no fruition.

There is one thing I don't understand is the proselytism among football managers, everybody is going for 3-4-3 or 3-5-1 formations, and Wenger in both the games switched to 4-3-3, it worked once (against Leicester) doesn't mean it will work every time we trail,why can;t we start Giroud, and if that plan doesnt work out then find the snipers like Ozil and Iwobi to work by using 3 at the back, why can't Arsene turn tables, he has seen and adapted to a lot of change, may be he wants to experiment more.

I don't really see anybody new signing in, but would love to see Alexis back in his Arsenal shirt and toiling for spectacular goals as he did for his tenure until now.