Lifted from ToI,Ahmedabad dated 28th Feb, 2008
Call it good fortune or just the will of God. But the life in a seven-month-old foetus, that fell through the toilet bowl of a running train when the mother went to ease herself, still lives on!
Call it a miracle, perhaps. This tiny bundle weighing just 1.4 kg, which slipped from the womb into the toilet tube and crash-landed on rocks between two steel tracks, is from the top drawer of survival tales.
Born a good two months premature, she is recuperating in the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Rajasthan Hospitals. Here, she lies without a scratch after the providential escape just before midnight on Tuesday.
"She is a fighter. In just 12 hours after the unthinkable accident, she was coming out of the accident quite well," said pediatrician Dr Raj Kumar.
"She is a gift from God. How else can all this be explained," the girl's mother, Bhuri Kalbi (33), said. Bhuri is a native of Swaroopganj, located between Sirohi and Abu Road, in Rajasthan and was travelling by the Jodhpur-Ahmedabad train.
Bhuri was headed for Ahmedabad with her relatives for a medical check-up. She felt very weak on the toilet seat and passed out. The next thing she remembers is people knocking on the toilet door.
When she managed to get up to open the latched door, she realised an emptiness in her stomach. "I realised my stomach was flat. My child was gone," said Bhuri whose husband works in a packaging unit in Ahmedabad.
Bhuri's brother-in-law Arjun said when she opened the door she was semiconscious. He realised with complete shock what had happened. "We immediately pulled the chain at Kalol, two stations away from where the child had slipped off and alerted the train guard," he said.
On a day when the Railway Budget was presented by Lalu Prasad, who promised ‘green toilets' in trains, the girl can thank railway personnel for snatching her from sure death. As she lay on the track — fortunately located close to the Amblisayan railway station — some members of the Gram Rakshak Dal alerted station master KK Rai that a new-born child was lying on the track.
While rushing to the spot on foot, Rai said he could hear the cries of the baby from a distance. On coming closer, he could not believe what he saw. "The baby was lying dangerously close to the left track with the umbilical cord hanging by the side," Rai said. The baby had turned blue due to the chill at midnight.
The railwaymen wrapped the baby in a cloth and called the local doctor. While the child was being examined, a call came, saying the parents were traced.
The mother could not believe her eyes when she was reunited with the baby two hours later at the Kalol Civil Hospital. And she just can't take her eyes off this baby ever since.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Drunken Talk
Who invented alcohol?
This is a repeat of the Deli. " Delhi?" "Yep, Deli". Delhi? " "Noooo....Deli !""oooo, Deli :)"
"Oye guju, bahut bhalo che" ( trying to market bread and pickle )
"Mereko thodi thodi chadhi hai." " Climb ?!" heeheehee " Mereko thodi thodi climb hai"
"I will tell you ghoom ghoom ghoom, then you ghoom" "I generally don't ghoom, but I will now." "Ok, faster ghoom, ghoom, faster ghoom" "haahaaaaa"
"Getting wasted is fun as long as you don't puke" Ok, if you puke once, its alright, but not too much"
"You want chapattis?""haaan, yes !! "
"I can wear pajama if you want" "do that". "damn, how much you want me to wear ?"
"Play Robert Miles". "What is Rob Miles?" "He is known for measuring long miles, hence the name" " Haaahaaaahaaaaa" "Ae, cute she is"
"U know in India, we make mental patients wear gown, you look like them."
"this is aplam." ( Tamil for papad: appam. And here they were trying to classify a chappati!) "Haaa haaa, she called it aplam" " Ae, this is chapatti." "No, its chapatti aplam " ( LOL )
"I stayed in Macy's 4th floor to listen to Bhangra. And ended up buying that dress."
"My hairband drank my drink"
"I had a long island ice tea. How long was it? "
3 girls dancing to the Macarena. Nothing can beat this.
On a 31st floor Manhattan Apartment on December 31st.
This is a repeat of the Deli. " Delhi?" "Yep, Deli". Delhi? " "Noooo....Deli !""oooo, Deli :)"
"Oye guju, bahut bhalo che" ( trying to market bread and pickle )
"Mereko thodi thodi chadhi hai." " Climb ?!" heeheehee " Mereko thodi thodi climb hai"
"I will tell you ghoom ghoom ghoom, then you ghoom" "I generally don't ghoom, but I will now." "Ok, faster ghoom, ghoom, faster ghoom" "haahaaaaa"
"Getting wasted is fun as long as you don't puke" Ok, if you puke once, its alright, but not too much"
"You want chapattis?""haaan, yes !! "
"I can wear pajama if you want" "do that". "damn, how much you want me to wear ?"
"Play Robert Miles". "What is Rob Miles?" "He is known for measuring long miles, hence the name" " Haaahaaaahaaaaa" "Ae, cute she is"
"U know in India, we make mental patients wear gown, you look like them."
"this is aplam." ( Tamil for papad: appam. And here they were trying to classify a chappati!) "Haaa haaa, she called it aplam" " Ae, this is chapatti." "No, its chapatti aplam " ( LOL )
"I stayed in Macy's 4th floor to listen to Bhangra. And ended up buying that dress."
"My hairband drank my drink"
"I had a long island ice tea. How long was it? "
3 girls dancing to the Macarena. Nothing can beat this.
On a 31st floor Manhattan Apartment on December 31st.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Dada...........
He was born into the most affluent family in the village. He had all till he was 10. Then his family went into debt.He lost his father at 14.Suddenly, he was the head of a family of 4.And had no money. He decided to move away from the village into the city. During those days, he got entwined into the freedom struggle. School suffered. At the threat of being thrown out of school, he managed to get 58% in Std. 10. After getting 6% in his prelim exams.He got accepted into a technical college. He needed a document for it. He didn't have it. It was the weekend, and the court was closed. He would have to go to the District Magistrate for it. The DM lived far. Very far. He didn't have money, so he walked to the DM's place. 6 hours away. And back.He got a scholarship. Did his diploma in textile engineering.All the while, he worked to get his family out of debt. He put his youngest sister through medical school. His younger brother was made into a Chemical engineer.He shifted to Bombay. Started working in a textile mill.Worked his way up. Travelled to UK, Germany, Mauritius, France, US on work.Started a family.Had two sons. Didn't have money but sent one to the US on loans, knowing he wanted to go. Became " well-settled" in life. He retired as the President of the mills. Wasn't content with retirement. Went to work as honorary secretary/president/chair with a social organisation. Used to work 9 to 5 or more. For free.
He saved my life.I had fever.......107F. My mother was trying unsuccessfully to bring it down. He came home, saw me and dumped my 3 yr old burning body into a tub of ice-cold water.He taught me swimming.The trip I took with him to Panchgani was my first trip without my parents.He taught me cycling there.He taught me cricket when we were back home.He was hell-proud of me.He took me to the beach one day with him at 4am.He used to take me to the beach for breakfast parties he and his friends used to have. He was the first one to tell me how to hold a car's steering wheel when he was driving me down somewhere.He stopped eating paan when I asked him not to.Always eager to learn new things, he learned email, MS-Office and developed a love for sizzlers.
Before I left for the US, he said if health permits, we'll come visit you. And told me that it was a crime to spend money earned in India in the US.He was my role-model.He always had words of advise for me.
I spoke to him on Sunday. After 15 days. Felt good to hear him happy and cheerful. Now, I will never be able to speak to him.He breathed his last on Tuesday,October 30th. And I couldn't be there with him in his last moments because I was here, so far away.
He lived life the way it should have been lead.He rose from nothing. To something.Meant everything to so many people.And he never hurt anyone along the way.Graceful in actions and words, he was amazing in all senses of the word.
He was my grandfather.
He saved my life.I had fever.......107F. My mother was trying unsuccessfully to bring it down. He came home, saw me and dumped my 3 yr old burning body into a tub of ice-cold water.He taught me swimming.The trip I took with him to Panchgani was my first trip without my parents.He taught me cycling there.He taught me cricket when we were back home.He was hell-proud of me.He took me to the beach one day with him at 4am.He used to take me to the beach for breakfast parties he and his friends used to have. He was the first one to tell me how to hold a car's steering wheel when he was driving me down somewhere.He stopped eating paan when I asked him not to.Always eager to learn new things, he learned email, MS-Office and developed a love for sizzlers.
Before I left for the US, he said if health permits, we'll come visit you. And told me that it was a crime to spend money earned in India in the US.He was my role-model.He always had words of advise for me.
I spoke to him on Sunday. After 15 days. Felt good to hear him happy and cheerful. Now, I will never be able to speak to him.He breathed his last on Tuesday,October 30th. And I couldn't be there with him in his last moments because I was here, so far away.
He lived life the way it should have been lead.He rose from nothing. To something.Meant everything to so many people.And he never hurt anyone along the way.Graceful in actions and words, he was amazing in all senses of the word.
He was my grandfather.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Slogging thy rear end away....
Waking up, making breakfast, run to catch the bus, miss it, walk down to campus, attend lectures, try hard to stay awake through them, talk to friends, make new ones, watch cellphone minutes, discover new places to study, win stuff, collect free stuff, have lunch at a new place, go back for more classes, go to office for office-hours, help UGs solve doubts, joke, work, study, get back, clean house, make dinner, wait for clock to strike 9, attack the phone, study more, go down, have people come up, talk, laugh, reminisce, dream, change, sleep. Repeat.
Its the way to live..........:D
Its the way to live..........:D
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Of friends and their "songs"
Its getting colder at Penn State........brrrr yesterday was 14 degrees Celsius with wind and rain. And I was out moving only in a shirt and jeans and my umbrella. And it seems today is colder, but I haven't bothered venturing out. Speaking of umbrella, it now has a new significance for me....we've been having parties all week long now......me going over to some people's place or people coming over etc etc. And whenever the parties happen in the building I stay, the song that HAS to play is
And just yesterday S told me that whenever she hears this song 3 years from now, its gonna remind her of the first week at State College. New friends, people, surroundings, relationships this is all so much fun. Though I catch myself thinking of all my years in Bombay and especially the last 5-6 eventful years and how I just have to get in touch with all the people but I just don't get around to doing it. Bra, bawa, akki, pavi, krits, dips, soo-zay, pj, shitty,dave,vg,kp....all you guys......I do plan to mail soon :D Please don't give gaalis! :D I've had such awesome fun times with you guys........it would have been so fun if all were here at Penn State.
And here's to all new friends........and more parkway parties and a whole new sem and so much fun that I can wirte about you guys in my next blog like this 2 years from now when I am somewer else!
For all those who were not there......
whobeinlilreminiscent
And just yesterday S told me that whenever she hears this song 3 years from now, its gonna remind her of the first week at State College. New friends, people, surroundings, relationships this is all so much fun. Though I catch myself thinking of all my years in Bombay and especially the last 5-6 eventful years and how I just have to get in touch with all the people but I just don't get around to doing it. Bra, bawa, akki, pavi, krits, dips, soo-zay, pj, shitty,dave,vg,kp....all you guys......I do plan to mail soon :D Please don't give gaalis! :D I've had such awesome fun times with you guys........it would have been so fun if all were here at Penn State.
And here's to all new friends........and more parkway parties and a whole new sem and so much fun that I can wirte about you guys in my next blog like this 2 years from now when I am somewer else!
For all those who were not there......
whobeinlilreminiscent
Friday, August 3, 2007
Of Glittering pavements and 3 inch shorts
So, I had my first true do-it-yourself trip of my life. "Look at New York City", planned oganized and executed by me. They were the best 24 hours I have had in a long long time. Beginning on 1st August at 4:30pm from Bernardsville Station, NJ it ended at the same station at 4 pm on the 2nd.
Having had a full itenary planned out, it was all blown to bits when my frined (whom I was supposed to meet at WTC), called saying a meeting came up and he had to rush back at 8. So, anyway, we decided to meet at WTC.While waiting for him to arrive on the hot NY sidewalk, I observed the people moving past me. Indians, Chinese and Americans.......these were the headings under which I classified them. Each of them dressed in formal clothes or suits, they had this air of purpose, a look of determination and some sort of destination to which they purposefully strode, pushing others out of the way, sometimes with an "excuse me" or else a shove. This was so much like Bombay.....it was instantly apparent they are called sister cities. No one but yourself. Just for kicks, I felt like asking for directions to Wall Street, so I asked one white guy dresssed in a classy suit to help me out. The guy turned around to hear me out, but didn't stop walking! So I'm hurrying behind him asking him and he continues walking while giving me perfect directions to Wall Street leaving me displaced from my resting place by a 100 metres ! Again total Bombay-style.
Mah friend came, we caught up and then I realized I needed to pee. So what does he suggest? Go up to this Indian Restaurant (which served naan for $3, paneer-mutter for $6) and ask him if I could use the loo. So, thinking Indian-Indian bhai bhai, I did that.
"May I use your bathroom? "
Stares..........20 seconds.Then a nod of the head and a finger lifts in the genral direction of loo.
After I'm done, "Thank you"
Nod towards exit.
Unbelievably rude behaviour! But again, Bombay :D.
Anyway, then we had slices of cheese pizzas, beer and then went to Times Square at 10:30 in the night. Stupendous is not quite the word which does justice to the scene that greeted us. Flashing neons, a mass of humanity omg, Times Square has to be visited once in the night! Friendly, jovial people, tourists and couples mainly. The footpaths again reminded you of the street stuff in Bombay, with various people coming up with innovative ways of earning money.Potrait painters, entertainers, robo-impersonators, stall owners, name em and you find em. Indians, Pakis, Albanians, Chinese, Koreans saw all of them side-by-side with the French, Africans, Italians. Roaming around in Times Square I saw the flashiest wheels on one side of the road, while just next to me there lay an old homeless guy in deep sleep on the pavement!!!
And the pavement, oh my god !!! It actually glitters because of some granite or whatever it is that they have put in it whie making it. So in the faintest of lights you can see it glimmering and shining in front of you, twinkling away, and that makes you feel so good coz you feel like you are walking amongst the stars :D :D
These are the pics of the night :D. Enjoy them and then continue reading !
Cut to 2nd August, morning 7:30 am. After spending time at Times Square till two in the morning (and seeing lesbians and straight couples make out on subway stations ) and spending the whole night awake chatting to friends and uploading pics, and seeing the sun rise in New York City, I was out on the streets again, heading to Rockefeller Centre. On my way I stopped at a roadside cart for coffee (really watery crap) and an onion bagel (cold as an ice-cube, hard like rock). Eating and walking while looking at hurrying locals on their way to work in the sweltering sunny weather made me feel goood in a sadistic way ! :D That I was here, free without a care in the world while they had to go do work and routine boring crap!
Reaching Rockefeller before 8 meant I had sometime to hang around before they opened and let me up onto the observation deck. I spent that time chatting up an Italian couple, Antonio and Camella, from Napoli who were der on their honeymoon (wedding holiday as Antonio put it in his broken English!) and were also waiting for the place to open. NYC from the 70th storey offered a good view, but the dirty yellow-brown smog around the whole city showed the sorry state of afairs Again, made me think of Bombay and its haze. When we went down from the observation deck, in the gift shop below, Iwas waiting while A & C shopped around. We'd decided to go to Times Square together next, coz I already knew the loaction and they didn't have anything specific in mind. So while I was waitin, I got chatting with a black guy at the counter. Turned out his granddad was Indian who went to Guyana and did stuff with the locals there which led to this guy being born. :) His name? Justin Singh. Was funny and awesome at the same time........
Anyway, then we went to Times Square, I'd wanted to see the Ripley's Museum there. On our way to the place, me and Antonio were trying to converse in however way we could, gesticulating, speaking, mouthing syllables. Finally Camella had a brainwave. Digging into her backpack she handed Antonio an Italian-English dictionary while I got an English-Italian dictionary. So der I was explaining that Madame Tussad's was a "muesmo de cera" while he told me he was a "book-keeper" (he meant he had something to do with finance, I gathered he was a fin. consultant or something) and that "mechanical engineering has great profit in Italy". Ohh, it was fun.
After Ripley's I was just moving around in NYC, on the streets looking at the various shops and the goods they had.....did yo uknow you got fake branded stuff on the streets in NY and that you could bargain for it ? I thought that happened only in India ! The 3-inch shorts, by the way refers to the length of the clothing worn by the girls in NYC. The most ostentatious display of legs- fat, thin, wrinkled smooth however the condition, the shorts were ubiquituous. Either that or a tight mini-skirt. Perfect.
love
wholikestravelling.
Anyway, then we had slices of cheese pizzas, beer and then went to Times Square at 10:30 in the night. Stupendous is not quite the word which does justice to the scene that greeted us. Flashing neons, a mass of humanity omg, Times Square has to be visited once in the night! Friendly, jovial people, tourists and couples mainly. The footpaths again reminded you of the street stuff in Bombay, with various people coming up with innovative ways of earning money.Potrait painters, entertainers, robo-impersonators, stall owners, name em and you find em. Indians, Pakis, Albanians, Chinese, Koreans saw all of them side-by-side with the French, Africans, Italians. Roaming around in Times Square I saw the flashiest wheels on one side of the road, while just next to me there lay an old homeless guy in deep sleep on the pavement!!!
And the pavement, oh my god !!! It actually glitters because of some granite or whatever it is that they have put in it whie making it. So in the faintest of lights you can see it glimmering and shining in front of you, twinkling away, and that makes you feel so good coz you feel like you are walking amongst the stars :D :D
These are the pics of the night :D. Enjoy them and then continue reading !
Cut to 2nd August, morning 7:30 am. After spending time at Times Square till two in the morning (and seeing lesbians and straight couples make out on subway stations ) and spending the whole night awake chatting to friends and uploading pics, and seeing the sun rise in New York City, I was out on the streets again, heading to Rockefeller Centre. On my way I stopped at a roadside cart for coffee (really watery crap) and an onion bagel (cold as an ice-cube, hard like rock). Eating and walking while looking at hurrying locals on their way to work in the sweltering sunny weather made me feel goood in a sadistic way ! :D That I was here, free without a care in the world while they had to go do work and routine boring crap!
Reaching Rockefeller before 8 meant I had sometime to hang around before they opened and let me up onto the observation deck. I spent that time chatting up an Italian couple, Antonio and Camella, from Napoli who were der on their honeymoon (wedding holiday as Antonio put it in his broken English!) and were also waiting for the place to open. NYC from the 70th storey offered a good view, but the dirty yellow-brown smog around the whole city showed the sorry state of afairs Again, made me think of Bombay and its haze. When we went down from the observation deck, in the gift shop below, Iwas waiting while A & C shopped around. We'd decided to go to Times Square together next, coz I already knew the loaction and they didn't have anything specific in mind. So while I was waitin, I got chatting with a black guy at the counter. Turned out his granddad was Indian who went to Guyana and did stuff with the locals there which led to this guy being born. :) His name? Justin Singh. Was funny and awesome at the same time........
Anyway, then we went to Times Square, I'd wanted to see the Ripley's Museum there. On our way to the place, me and Antonio were trying to converse in however way we could, gesticulating, speaking, mouthing syllables. Finally Camella had a brainwave. Digging into her backpack she handed Antonio an Italian-English dictionary while I got an English-Italian dictionary. So der I was explaining that Madame Tussad's was a "muesmo de cera" while he told me he was a "book-keeper" (he meant he had something to do with finance, I gathered he was a fin. consultant or something) and that "mechanical engineering has great profit in Italy". Ohh, it was fun.
After Ripley's I was just moving around in NYC, on the streets looking at the various shops and the goods they had.....did yo uknow you got fake branded stuff on the streets in NY and that you could bargain for it ? I thought that happened only in India ! The 3-inch shorts, by the way refers to the length of the clothing worn by the girls in NYC. The most ostentatious display of legs- fat, thin, wrinkled smooth however the condition, the shorts were ubiquituous. Either that or a tight mini-skirt. Perfect.
love
wholikestravelling.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Stumbled !!!! And loving it !!!
Ohhhhhh...............I love this new feature Mozilla Firefox has...........it lead me to discovering these fantastic site. The first one, its an interactive online radio.........choose what genre you want to listen to, which songs, dance or relaxing, calm or energetic.........its so nice and neat. To think I could have gone through my lifetime without knowing about this site. I need to thank my kid-bro for installing the feature. Good job dude!!
http://musicovery.com/index.php?ct=us
I also discovered this site for just relaxing after a crazy hard day:
http://www.chillmasterflex.com/
I just heard Phil Collins "You Can't Hurry Love" on the interactive radio. Its such a peppy number, I had to log on to YouTube to find and share the video with you people!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brWVEHkP0Bs
love
wholuvtostumble ?
http://musicovery.com/index.php?ct=us
I also discovered this site for just relaxing after a crazy hard day:
http://www.chillmasterflex.com/
I just heard Phil Collins "You Can't Hurry Love" on the interactive radio. Its such a peppy number, I had to log on to YouTube to find and share the video with you people!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brWVEHkP0Bs
love
wholuvtostumble ?
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