Monsoon Magic

Monsoon is here and no one that I know of has escaped this misty and moist mushy feeling of the season. We are busy giving final touch to the next issue of MEG July-Aug'10. I find this period very happening – some students are awaiting their results, some have already entered the second week of schooling and colleging; and on the other hand – FIFA. Just the other day, there was this kind of heavy shower, and the next thing you know is that the trains running late, people hassled up and stranded, while some kids near my office were playing football. This season has a lot of melodrama and I love to catch the glimpse of life pass by my virtual camera.

It is monsoon all over; my Slovakian friend asked me, how’s monsoon at my end? And I went on raining words on the feeling of this season. The first thing I did after replying her was getting the MEG theme the monsoon feel. I was not yet out of the ecstatic feeling of Argentinean's Gonzalo Higuain's hat-rick and the next thing I get is a call from my editor that the beta version of the newspaper is out and that was did the topping of a cherry moment, I find myself working on the MEG issue. At MEG, we are all charged up with this issue, the rains ain't the adrenaline alone but the proud feeling of beginning of 3rd season of MEG.

It is always a pleasure to read emails sent by readers of MEG that goes to show that how they have accepted the newspaper and how they want their MEG, their way. Pressed for sponsors, makes it a bit challenging to live up to the expectations of our readers, but then performance under pressurizing situations is the mark of a man. Undoubtedly, the MEG teams is always working towards making MEG better and reach wider audience and cater to the suggestions and recommendations of our current readers.

I hope you like this issue. By the way, the open secret is that we are going to open this season in style. Yes our cover story for this issue is fashion.

Noel Gomes
Creative Head

The L Board Bulletin

I wrote this write up when I was asked to come up with a name for a bulletin for our client Higher Education Forum. I came up with the name L Board to which I was told to elaborate and here it is.

Just another day at work and I had this 5ft 5 something, a man in early 50s, white whiskers, and a forehead that reached the medulla oblongata to be my next appointment. We got talking and it was about the distribution of my newspaper MyEducationalGuide. They say listening is one of the best skills and what did I get? Allow a man of experience and age to talk, and he will leave you enlightened. I like to share an excerpt of this conversation with you.

He said, “Sir, there was a time when I had my own taxi service. I have all those years of being on road turned in to being my veins.” You could sense this man belongs to one of the quote I use from my quote dispenser, “Some people talk because they have to say something, while some because they have something to say”. This man obviously belong to the later category.

He continued, “You know one thing, I drove the taxi for 19 years and I still have the L board on, for I believe I am yet learning.” He said this and I could sense the ghost of Socrates next to me saying, “All I know is I know nothing.”

Learning is about humbling and it is a process that never ends. I believe we are all learning and we need to be humble enough to have the L board on. I am going to get my L Board soon and I hope you get yourself one.

Thank you

The Can

The Can from Carlos Lascano on Vimeo.

First shower to hit Mumbai, June2, 2010 – Monsoon has Signed In.

I was on my way home after an ordinary day at work. On my way I need to take this road that gives you a feel of a walk on the moon with the gravity similar to that on the earth. And as the road waves to the right it turns into a lane; the lane begins with a temple of Lord Krishna where on any given weekday there is always this regular hubbub of worshippers around that place. Few steps ahead under the moonlight sky, no street lights and the prominent drumstick tree was camouflaged a van which read IRIS paints. My tired steps passed two men dressed in dungarees next to the van; I could see one of them with his index finger drawing a semi arch shape in the air and was saying that this is the apt place to fill it with seven colors. You could tell they were some painters. At the end of the lane is my building.

I believe in life there are not accidents. Just few nights before, like one of those dreams where I dream what I read and I read what I dream, I dreamt that the Greek goddess of rainbow – IRIS telling the Mexican God of rain – Talaloc that she has already deployed her people to paint the sky.

I got home freshened up, had dinner, played John Coltrane, caught up with my reading, slipped between the sheets and just then I could hear the first shower of the monsoon and I slipped into another world.

Descendants

Descendants from Goro Fujita on Vimeo.

So what...

Sunday is the festival day of the week, says who? Says, Noel.

On Sundays I wear the hat of a part time English teacher. Last Sunday, I boarded the 9:58 train destined to Churchgate, I was standing on the foot board of the last first class compartment just then a bunch of people got into the compartment, and the train took off. Once into the compartment they quickly made sure that the whole group was in. The patriarchal figure did the head count, before he would count the last head he realized that they were in a we-have-a-situation kind of a situation.

Lets look a at this episode in a  video clip : a group of naive masonry workers, new to the city, gets in to the compartment closest to the stairways all in a hurry and then... realization knocks hard and catches you unaware. Traveling first class with second class ticket ! What do we do if we are caught ? I saw all this happening but there was hardly any time to throw a caution at them; including the woman and the baby, they were 10 of them in all getting into train that was about to depart, anything said or done would be like flashing torch lights of panic on them.

While realization hovered over three men and woman in the group, the rest were unbothered. When the old man with an oops tonality said, "this is a special compartment," to which one of the boys from the group said, "So..."

Seriously, when there is so much of life happening to us, that noise, that fear, that loss, that pain and all that failing and falling... So What?

I read this post by one of my students, "In life, go straight and TURN right," I realized after turning right there was nothing *left*.

Many times how much ever you play by the rules, you still don't get there. So get rid of that rule book, and play by your gut, seriously, wtf.

I was sure that the masonary folks woudnt meet the ticket checker while moving to the next compartment.

I believe, So what? and why not? Are the two questions that have given us revolutionary leaders and outliers.

"Be yourself" attitude is not applicable for all, you either know it or you don't. At times, just shut up and listen, all the answers lie within, what you are looking out for is to get confused.

Good Vibration

Good Vibrations from Helene Emain on Vimeo.