Going to Goa??

Is there any other drive so looked forward to by Puneites as the one to Goa?

So le famille vacation..once a year. Preferably at Diwali time when the crazies are burning their money (literally) but beggars can't be choosers so May it was.

Left at 5 am and Pune is beautiful that early. No smog just fog, no traffic, no honking, no bloody asses walking in the middle of the road givin you dirty looks when your bumper grazes their bum(p).. er... Anyway en route was quite uneventful except for some strange buggers near Shirval running in their skivvies with something that looked like an olympic torch. They would run a km then hop onto a truck full of young lads who were beating drums feverishly at 6am. The truck would then drive a couple of kms away and then they would hop off like easter bunnies and start running again... hmm nayeisha's believe it or not.
Reached Satyavati palace at 9 ish and stopped for what my girls call a soo soo and snack break. The younger one decided that the soo soo place was too smelly for her liking so she decided to water the tree outside and in the bargain watered her sandals as well. Oh! the joys of motherhood.. Alors back in our demonic deisel driven machine kind courtesy of mon pere and toot tooted across Nipani. Green and lovely and the roads with nary a pothole in sight.. Ah this is part of Karnataka right? No wonder.
Must say lots of road signs visible this time so no chance of taking a wrong turn and finding yourself in a quaint village with no electricity or water and only cows for company. Hit the Amboli ghat about 12ish and it was a pleasure to motor-manouevre the winding roads up up and away.. Monkeys were visible few and far between much to the chagrin of my eldest who firmly believes that if there is any greenery around there must be animals. Who can blame her? She now lives in a concrete jungle called Pune and her father keeps telling her how in Pune in the days of yore ( read his childhood so very yore) there were trees and parks galore and animals roamed freely about unfetterd and untamed..
So back on Amboli we descended into Sawantwadi lunch time and got a bit lost. Could it be cos Eve dozed off and left Adam to find the way? Two circles around Sawantwadi, a few heated discussions, some 'fuel to the fire' comments by the smallies and we were chitty chitty bang banging our way to Mapusa on the NH17.

The Nh17 is a highway marvel. Just one lane in many places through Goa with Uncle Peter and Auty Mary on a scooter bravely darting in and out of traffic with Bosco on their lap and marketing bag flapping wildly in the wind - but mind you no mishaps. And to quote a good friend "thank you st Francis Xavier!"

6 round abouts after and a right turn at Margao circle - stopped at Ermeline's wine shop to buy some nectar and voila! - Royal Palms Benaulim.

Now tell me, Is there any other drive so looked forward to by Puneites as the one to Goa?

Discrimination at home

Have you ever felt discriminated against in your own country?

I lived 8 years in Dubai and approx 25 years in Pune - and boy am I a second class citizen here in Pune..

"Second to whom?" you may ask. Well second to the marathi manoos at work who maybe a jerk but got the job of the clerk for having the same name as the boss..ofcourse.. and second to the auto guy who brings me to work who can be rude and crude and act like a dude. "Hows that possible?" you ask. Well its quite a task when you have to flag them down in rain or sun - they know its no fun and rejoice in your desperation to get their attention.
Nevermind them I say, what when I spend the day at the govt offices trying to pay my dues, mind you having not received the bill - just the notice of kill - my connections - electricity and phone. While pulling my hair out trying to get him to re-connect he decides to go for chai!! How I hate the chai breaks "why?" Cos it takes all I have to remain calm and use charm on these buggers to beg them to finish the job at hand and then disband but to my dismay they must either eat or pray ( depends on the time of the day)
So defeated I say I'll come back. I may. Or I'll send (read beg) my office boy that way- sounds quaint but you'd faint to know who actually runs the show. Its him I assure you. Yeah well what to do? He is a diva mind you. Ears of the boss..threads so gross an attitude from hell and hair full of gel..
Now bevermind this hiss and tell...
Have you ever felt discriminated against in your own country?

Save us from the ghats

I say..I say who put the ghats in charge??


So there is this guy who is short, thin and I suspect near sighted. Moustached to compensate the lack of hair on the crown. Dressed like a typical ghati man - no arse no pouch just sag and bag and oh! in some cases tag( which he often forgets to remove from his Big Bazaar bought trousers and shirts)

CEO of this big burgeoning conglomerate. Sits in office all day looking for ways to make everyone's lives just a bit harder. And mind you comes up with novel ideas - truly award winning ones in which the company actually lands up making money - I think he should be working for the govt - India would be debt free...free of people as well cos everyone would just kill themselves or immigrate. Anyway lets not get all morbid cos God forbid that be the toast of this post - I would not like to host.
"But sir when I joined this organisation I was not told I would need to do marketing. I am a secretary sir" "He pulls himself up to the extent that he can which is one foot over the table ( and both feet folded on the chair under the table ) and says," Phine phine - iph you don vont to vurk for your boss who is paying your salry then ve haph to look phor somevun else. Its your deshishun. You see ve hab to preserve our haritage and throw these forners out. We are aphter all Gandhiji's phollowers no? Iph you don do 3 jobs and get paid phor 1 than you are not Indian!!

So I ask - who put the ghats in charge?

whats it about sons of successful self-made business men?... pathetic.

So Gen one slogs like dogs, makes money the hard way or anyway for that matter and then little beta comes along .... silver pacifier in the mouth and grows up no chip off the ol block.
Infact chips off the old fortune bit by bit - Audi/Armaani and Anjelina all in toe. Then deemed fit to take over papa's empire by virtue of expanding waistline or receding hairline ( whichever happens first) and after getting phoren education from New zealand ( where's that?). Given the corner office with a view - mind you and secretary mary lou. Comes to office at eleven - thank heaven he atleast comes - to office that is and proceeds to play games on his blackbeary( thats how they pronounce it is New Zealand deary). Come lunch time dabba must come from home - we are our mother's sons mind you (which mother haven't got a clue). We eat lunch in our AC office ( can't eat in public without the occasional tic ..hic..hic burp -no excuse me)
Now my dear Mary let us not tarry. It is time for the most important task of the day. Signing the documents, cheques for everyone's pay. Did I say cheques? Keep them for tomorrow - lets do the documents today"
And then after he has exercised his pointer and thumb to the point of being numb - it has been another hard day at the office.
So I ask -whats it about sons of successful self-made business men?... pathetic.