Bigg Boss and Big B.

Do you remember the mass hysteria around the KBC season 1.How the roads wore the deserted look as the Big B quizzed the nation and contestants inched closer to a sum of 1 Crore!!

The season 2 was popular too but not as much as the first one.

Big B had played a big bet and won handsomely as he came out of the jinxed phase of his career and cleared all the debts accrued due to the failing ABCL..

That was the start of the reality TV genre in India.Post KBC we have been dished some good and some horrible shows in the name of reality TV.

I virtually lost track of reality TV after NDTV Imagine did an un imaginable show called Rakhi ka swayamvar?This eroded the respectability for NDTV India news channel by showing updates from the soap as the public refused to watch the garish cheap romance on imagine.I silently switched over to Times Now.

But now its the Big B who is coaxing me to give the reality genre some consideration again.Amit ji is playing the Pop psychologist who will elaborate and analyze the un predictable behavior of the contestants.

The set has been put up at Lonawala Mumbais own hill station.Endemol has taken all the precaution to ensure that all the possible activities are captured by the 40 cameras.

Who is going to be inside this season is a big debate and a lots of speculation..the list changes every few hours...

Shamita shetty,Sherlyn Chopra,Ismail Darbar,Kamal Khan,Rakhi the Sawants mother,Tanazz and Bakhtyar,Punit Issar,Poonam Dhillon..

The channel is said to have approached Baba Ramdev to be an inmate..

Awaiting for tonight to see who is inside and how Big B looks in this new role...

Tune in to Colors Chanel at 9 pm IST...

Mumbai Local Trains.

Where else in world its OK to accept a casualty rate of 10 human being per day due to fall from trains??

Where else the trains get delayed because in a span of an hour 7 dead due to train related accidents?

Yes its common and a Way of life for a typical Mumbaikar,as and sex no bar?

Cause its out of fashion and un machismo to use the foot over bridge to cross track.They say in Mumbai every one i in a hurry?So when a fellow commuter falls due to push and shove from local train its normal.Some words of kindness about the victim being out of luck or fool or not strong enough to hold on!

Some one from the crowd will call the helpline or the next train driver will alert the station master who will get the victim picked up by next train or Hamal's(Body picker's employed by Railways) using metal sheet stretcher.

If the victim is alive an ambulance is called and the victim sent to the Gov hospital near by.

In most cases its head injury and the rate of survival is abysmal.

Even if the victim survives its with severe impairment like feet or hand amputated.

So Hundreds of thousands witness the bloody trail or are aware of the impending danger so why no precaution??

Personally according to me its the shere disregard to the value of Human life?A gift of God wasted in crossing the rail track to reach on time?

If all individuals practice no tress passing tracks policy it will half the rate of deaths per day.

In a recent drive by WR to check tress passing people caught and fined were from all layers of society.

From Young to old from rich to poor from educated to non educated?

I was surprised to note a school principal caught trespassing?

The lame duck excuse of the commuters caught are that the bridge is on either side and too far?

The reason people fall off from local trains is over crowding on which the janta has no control except fro some hooligan's who trap and occupy the door.

The herd behavior of reserving seat and place for group by inconveniencing others is common.If a new commuter takes on the hooligan group he is thrashed and some time shoved from running train.

How ever these cases are limited and not common.

The overcrowding of train is a demand and supply problem where the Railways has not matched the requirement of timely increase in capacity.

While thousands of crore are invested in the road infrastructure local trains are seldom considered.The way of transport of majority white collar taxpayer is local train but his money is spent on fly over and sea links.

Its for this reason that any tourist in Mumbai is advised not ot take local trains,compare this with Delhi and Kolkata where people take their guest with pride to show Metro?

The chalta hai attitude of normal Mumbaikar is one big problem,similarly its the disconnect of the political class from the real problems of the common man or else the government would have spent the 400 crore on rail infra rather than a statue in the sea??

Ganeshotsav 09 Vasant Nagri,Vasai,Mumbai

Old world charm of Mumbai.

My work recently took me in to the business hub of Mumbai,Nariman Point,Cuffe parade and Colaba.It was a trip after 2 years or more.

There was a time when i use to commute daily to the southern most part of the city daily for work.

The hiatus was a welcome change.

The area reminded me of my earlier visits and the work.I noticed the new more aware part of me mainly due to travel to different destination in last two years on work.I was more appreciative and less sceptical.The old world buildings of Opera house looked enticing and psychedelic.

I went to the HQ of SBI,Union bank of India and IDBI bank.

Most impressive security was at the State bank of India HQ where vehicles were screened and visitors image captured by web cam to release a visitor pass with photograph on it.

Before the entry to the building the bag was screened under Xray view similar to airport.

The entree inside was through a digital gate,since i was a visitor i could not enter inside without the guards help.

My ride to the 18th floor was unobstructed.I guess going to meet CMD of SBI gives a short of reverence to the visitor but the security should not be intimated cause of the visitors profile.

The grandness of the office of CMD's was a treat to the eye.

The IDBI tower at the WTC cuffe parade has the CMD office on the 24th floor.The view from the room was awesome the hight makes it a vantage point on top of the queen's necklace.

I couldn't help but compliment the CMD's assistant about the fabulous view,for him it was OK as he See's it daily!!

Posting some pics from the visit with tag's.

Mumbai shutdown!!

The maximum city is facing a maximum slowdown?

The H1 N1 has taken its toll on the speed of the fast paced Mumbai.Result all schools and colleges closed for next seven days in Mumbai,Navi Mumbai and Thane district.

The average Mumbaikar is braving the threat daily by commuting in the packed local trains.

The response of the administration has been better in Mumbai as compared to Pune.

I recall how one of the officials had proclaimed a month back that there will be no swine flu in Mumbai as the climate is not favourable to the Virus??

In our office we had people who had travelled from Pune and came to office the next day without any screening done?

The closed and recirculated air of the centrally conditioned office is conducive to the growth of any infectious organism if cleaning is not timely and proper.

My personal bravado against the swine flu was foolish as i discovered a sore throat and running nose just going to office by local first class.

So i am at home trying to recover from the flu which hopefully is not swine?

The masks are in short supply and are selling fro Rs 25 /piece.The Nilgiri ka tel sms is circulating in the air and the stocks of the fragrant oil is down.

The severity of the grim situation dwells on you when you find your next door chemist and his all staff wearing a mask?

Its a good publicity for the product and a chilling reminder to you,follow the silent dictate or get the flu??

My own personal googling and wiking has reveled that its the basic personal hygiene and being well hydrated that's the key to be healthy in the virulent times.

A vit c chew tab can improve your chances of fighting the cold.

The city of Mumbai will forgo its chances of watching the release of Kaminey the maverick director Vishal Bhardwaj's flick due to closure of all theaters for next three days.

This shutdown is historic and unprecedented as we shall miss the famous Dahi handi festival.

I pray and hope that this shut down helps contain the spread of virus and Mumbai emerges victorious..

Raksha Bandhan(The thread of security)India. | Demotix.com

Raksha Bandhan(The thread of security)India. | Demotix.com

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