Experimentation continued…till…I got busted .For folk’s, at home it was blasphemy…needed to move into a fresher pasture…
Better late then never…
Herby had no qualms …his escapades got wilder…Manali…Arangal….Rave parties…
Moolah was never an issue for him as he was very well off……
I got domesticated with marriage and the perspective towards life changed for the good………..Moved based to Dubai…Work, wifey & kiddos were the focus…
Isolated cases of Bohemian-spirit taking over, were gradually curbed…
Herby got a gold -digger as a live-in….She ..gave her best in changing him but got sucked in….Both…nose-dived into a escapist existense….literally ….Khamset…became the catalyst and Para-gliding the bonding factor…….Extreme Sports…
Caeaser & Daisy…poor dogs..could sense ..the disaster in waiting….but like the owners had lost the will to fight…Inhaling the potent stuff …day-in day out, they could bark no more…..
Touching base home, during September first week…annually, is when I used to catch up with good ol Herby…..We had our Birthdays….4 days..apart…Invariably…I used to fly into Mumbai around 3rd Septemeber and we had a joint party of the 6th………For me it was a stop-over……..but Herby was the King of good times…..He had taken partying to another level.
…My first visit to Khamset with Herby & his new junky friends….was shocking…Early morning trek @ 4 am and sitting on the cliff….rollin..with Rizla’s….waiting for the turbulence to subside…they used to take off….Mostly touch-downs in their gliders……..Crazy stuff….All of them were soaring higher than their machines….with all the smokes lodged in their head….
Melissa’s Lake side pad…was the base….Surreal….such a beautiful villa….Ravaged by this bunch of Junkies…….
Worst was when I saw…Melissa….joining the gang with a Bazooka dangling on her lips……She used to fly for Cathay and had taken an early retirement and with her savings had opened this pseudo…Base camp for all ….weirdo’s…For her it was business & pleasure together…and for the Junkies….a safe haven to reveal their dark-side…
For Herby it was home as he had no other side………….
Rattled by this experience, I was too worried about Herby….but had no say…..Sometimes, I used to envy them…..If not for the timely marriage, I would have been one of them…
Ronty- a common friend of Herby & Myself joined us in Vashi…his home-town,….very agitated …He had to leave a Rave party in Goa ..for his father’s funeral…..Euphemism…is not the word….when I saw the next series of episode…Ronty’s father on the pyre and …..Junkies rollin a joint….I distinctly remember..one weed told Ronty…..why lose time on bathing the body…Splashing the Bisleri on the old man’s face ….will suffice….
To top it off….Ronty was distributing some printed CD’s with Invitation…for the next Rave party in Pune…Partying had to continued…..even before the old man’s soul could reach heaven……
Thanking the Lord for …putting in some sense to me…..I got too involved in my work…Was abreast with latest antics of Herby and his clan ….either from some common friends….or some time from the Horse’s mouth….especially when he was in the Detox trip…..Withdrawal sysmtoms were severe…and he used to cry out in anguish on the phone….I could see that Herby was on a slide…..All this wild deeds had taken a heavy toll on him….He was in a mess……..and he had become a Slave….Gold-digger…made it worser by cheating on him….She could n’t be blamed…Herby had become an animal….
Ocassionally, he used to drop in to see my folks and have some home made food….My Mom used to like him as she could relate to his trauma……..Herby’s dad had remarried on his mom’s death and the groin rulin the brain….He was too harsh on 7 year old Herby….
He had literally lived alone all his life ……With no one to drill in him the values of life……Nevertheless, Herby should have faced his past…..head-on….I made all attempts possible…whenever we had a sensible discussion…I thought he could be a Late Bloomer….
My wifey used to detest him and considered him as a Satan hovering around ….If she lets me off the rein…..Satan will take over….
It came as a surprise in September 06, when for a change, I took my family to Bombay…Possibly as a shield…I had anticipated fireworks, when she confronts Herby at the Arrival…But they hit off very well….
Herby had changed…He was glowing…Had became a Fitness freak and a decent squash player…My kiddos warmed up to him and for the first time of my life….I was not on the edge…as Herby was not only talking sense….but also had a new girl in his life……..
Met up with him on our Party night and got to see his new girl….Very Sane & Pretty and I complimented her for the Metamorphosis….in Herby….
Great 4 days, I had in Bombay, Herby insisted on seeing me off…Family had to stay back …
We had a blast all the way to the airport….stopping at our regular watering holes…to grab a beer or two….Herby was in high spirits….He had asked his girl to join us at the Airport and he had plans to go out with her after seeing me off…..As expected, we got drunk to the core…..and kept the poor girl stranded at the airport for 2 hours….Finally at the Chakala crossing, Herby stopped at the signal and caught hold of the Vendor selling heart-shaped baloons……and got his Car filled with them…..She will undertstand was his repartee….
Last I remember, I saw them hugging each other at the entrance gate of Departure terminal….Madly in Love……Herby was so lost in her…..He even forgot to give me a hug…..I had to rush…Happy and contented…..Seeing my Herby in command of his life was very satisfying…..
Second day of my reaching Dubai, …I was having missing my kiddo’s…..To top it off…..Ramadhan fasting had sapped me off all my energy….I got a call from Bombay….Herby had shot himself….straight through his heart…..
He had a minor tiff…with his girl….and in a moment of madness all was gone !!!!
PS: To be read in conjunction with my earlier post……Born to be wild….!!!
Posted in Tribute.
By syed ali
– May 26, 2007
Met him for the first time……fully blown on a cock-tail of Hash & Mary…local slang those days was Ganga Jamuna…He was Devil re-incarnated………..Scars all over his body…5 rings on his left ear-lobes…Aura around him was too over-powering…He was like Lord Shiva….the Destroyer himself…Saw him gulping 5 shots in 30 mins and rolling a Bazooka….Tola..esque..must be the content…Potent !!
Eyes shining bright…slurring…to call my name…..al…al;;;all…ali…I
could feel the shiver down the spine…..when he offered to drop me back home….He was living 15 kms off my pad…The drive was the beginning of the several death defying….stunts…we did …over a period of next…..16 years……..Existence was ephemeral…..what mattered was to live for the moment…First drive was like ….seeing your entire ….life in a flash-back….Shivers down the spine………Brain damaged with all the chemicals….Hallucinating…..Must have faced death @ 120 kms per hour at least 5 times in a drive of 18 kms….Cursed my luck…as I crashed on my bed !
Morning, dig my grave deeper….by calling to check on him…..He had slept on the wheels…in his parking lot…..Most frightening part was to hit me ….next….when he said…he does n’t remember any thing…..Black Hole Theory was born that night…..
Met up in the evening to clarify…..and this session lasted till the wee hours……dropped me back home…this time….Zombie-like……crawled on the floor to reach my bed…..I could see the entire universe….around it…Dazed and with the acid-induced…..slumber…I became a night-crawler….Herby, my mate…..was the Shepherd……and for the next 7 years……we did all possible research on Toxicology…..Our body had got used to this kind of abuse….Battered…either by the violent fisticuffs….after-math of …friendly…interations with …fellow crawlies…Grey Cells had clouded…and has lost its function…Sediments of all intakes were gradually embedding into them…We were stemming the cells….
Worst were the Concert nights….driving to Indi-rock, Mood I, all …….rock.events in the 90’s…Green stock….Razberry…being on shoe-string budgets…getting blown..with all possible concentrates…in any forms…some times emulsified too….Remember once, getting hold of the Green Prasad from the Mumba devi temple….Topping it off with a quart each…we sneaked pass the security with the chillum..hidden in our crotches…Hallelujah…we screamed….for this manly deed….Shared a drag or two with the Pentagram…squad.or was it Pythagoras & Right angles……Rock against the Drugs was the concert…..Irony !!!
During the Juravi…act, I remember….Herby…standing next to me….stony-blank….expressions…..blood-shot eyes…he had lost his audio signals….could n’t decipher a single word….Lost….Crazy………days…….
Worst is the after-match……..with OD’s all around….
Posted in Nostalgia.
By syed ali
– May 23, 2007
I close my eyes
Only for a moment and the moments ..gone..
All my dreams pass before my eyes ..a Curiosity….
Dust in the Wind….All we are is ……Dust in the Wind
Source-Kansas
Wahiba Sands-Sultanate of Oman.
Cruising @ 160 km per hour…..passing by…hamlets like Rawdah, Samad Ash Shan,
Al Akdhar & Lizq..Sandy Landscape all around ……humbles you…It seems endless and with winds blowing ….you see the sand dunes formation….Layers of Sand …spread on the turf ….like a blanket…Surreal…feeling..
Wahiba sands are longiitudinal dunes 210 km long & 100 km wide…Sands can be spotted in all shades of color..from orange to hues of amber…
First thing which strikes you interacting with the Local Bedoiuns is how trivial our existence as human race is ….we are so fragile….so many elements has to fall in place for us to exist…..
Dates are Kahwa are still the staple diet……..Camel milk is the elixir and its meat ….indulgence….Good lords !!!
Wish we had a similar existence and a simple equation for survival…..
Driving through the dunes…is a luxury in a decent 4X4…
Late evening was magical with the sun-set and lying on the desert ….staring at the horizon….Cloudless ….
No medium required to connect to the Lord !!!
Whisper and HE hears in solitude…..nothing between us…….from his perspective we are nothing but Dust in the wind……….HE makes us rise & fall……spread our wings …
Reaching back home after the morning prayers……it was a very blissful……..Mind cleared of all cob-webs…..Dusted & wiped clean……….
It is like a re-birth………Only hitch being…….the fear of lying down…..what if ……….I crumble into sand……….And wind will blow me away…….This thought drifted in my mind……..till I dozed off …tired and contented with my self….
Morning will be an ordeal………..Got to rise like the Phoenix to face the world !!!
Posted in Travelog.
By syed ali
– May 8, 2007
Tin Roof…with Black Vinyl sheets as wall…held together by Fragmented Wooden blocks was my divinely abode….All of 10 sq. m….sheltered the family.
Took a spin …around last week….to touch base with my roots….down in the Shanties…ZL, 4000 88…Sounds like a classy pad in uptown….NY… ZL stands for Zopad patti Land…
No guts to stop….all familiar faces….wrinkled with grey heads…reflected on the Rear View Mirror…Seemed surreal…like a flash-back in a Tarantino flick….
Life’s been a long long climb from the nadir…..to a level of comfort…Exposure has been unbelievable…Traces of origins cannot disappear….No matter the ambience….it stays in you…..
First brush with Opulence was my 10 nights stay at Marriot Heliopolis in Cairo…Could n’t sleep for the first three nights………Break fast was very humbling….My whole Shanty land would have savoured for a week….what was served for mere 15 guests…..Eton in Hong Kong was the next of the series of properties …stayed in all across the globe…
Difficult camouflaging………Class does n’t reflect in your Valentino Jacket…it may act as a shield…May by lil one’s will not feel my sense of discomfort…Past & Pain ….remains with you…
Living for the moment and letting things sink in….ain’t easy…if you are sensitive to the surroundings….Disparity haunts you…if you have experienced the extremes…The flip side is it helps in Efficient Management….you tend to see both the sides…. more clearly with all the intricacies…amplified…
But you can’t be ruthless…Humanity prevails and your origins gets you grounded….Rags to riches…is a cliche’…rags remains in you…despite of all wordly demeanour…Hats off to the mortals who get over this thin red line….tread over their past ……
Clarks shoes, CK undies, Armani Jacket, Hugo Boss EDT, etc…..the masquerading tools….Torn mis-matched socks….with the toe-protuding out, invariably getting the Clark tan in the inner toes….Feels good…sipping JD in the bath tub…using the Burberry towel to clean them….Paradox….
Room service is so painful….each time ..they walk in with the Tea-Pot, Ash Trays,Newspapers, etc…it hurts to look in their eyes….Solace is at least a sense of concern prevails…Lord, you have been so kind…
Omar, the last guy who served me coffee @ 3 am in Sheraton, Amman was a sooth-sayer…He could see through me and sense my level of discomfort…..Invited me to his town….a good 60 kms off Amman….IRBID….just off the Israeli border…Evening spent there ..was an eye-opener…Immigrants from Palestine….living in the out-skirts in a distant land…Literally they could see their home town….across the river…Chins up…Can’t do a thing…..The wall is being built….right in front of their eyes……….Media mileage….Sympathy flying in from all over….
Cement & Steel are supplied by their own brother’s…..there is a need….Make the Moolah…Ideology goes for the Toss….
Practicality prevails….I bought 8 new pairs of Socks yesterday….
Posted in Reality Bytes.
By syed ali
– March 24, 2007
Manama, Bahrain- 06/11/06
Land Mark Suites- on the Exhibition road, Bahrain …Decent place..away for the Weekend Saudi revellers….was my head-quarters…Checked in early with my better half and two lil’ ones….Last minute addition…could n’t leave my younger one behind…Very painful…
First night was relaxing … getting used to the slow lethargic Bahraini life-style…Very soothing away from the traffic and the daily grind..
Woke up and knocked off my official commitements and had a lavish family dinner at Caesers…’ The perfect family- outing …and the kiddo;s were at their best behavior…
Evening stroll to the Downtown is mandatory and wifey preferred the comforts of the hotel room…Walked toward Baáb Al Bahrain ( Gateway of Bahrain)….a traditional natural port…strangely…with all the reclaimation ….the Baáb is almost 500 metres off the coast…Blame it on ..Property sharks…Nevertheless, the place has retained its old world charm….All Cabbies lined up at the cheap Paki Dabba’s ..each of one having names like Karachi, Islamabad….even found Charminar in the vicinity….Amazing ..how..one wants to be associated with ones roots…away in a distant land !!!
Passed by a Temple near the Baáb…flurry of activities…devotees flocking either blessed or to be blessed…Radiating positivity…wish the calmness is retained forever…not just to the next block !!!
Popped into a Audio Cassette shop…flooded with pics of all our Bollywood stars…the guy at the counter –gave me a knowing smile..My grey cells got into a frenzied flash-back trip….synopsis..data….processed…LIYAKAT …I screamed…..
We go back..donkey’s years…he was living in my area ..back in good ol’ Bombay..Struggling for survival…could never complete his studies….and to make things worse had 3 siblings to support…I vividly remember his mom…..manfully going through the ordeal …His Dad was an illegal immigrant in Bahrain …12 years back…No connection with his family for 7 long years…People used to talk…Lady gracefully strode over all and sundry….Faith is the foundation….
Liyakat begged and borrowed and landed in Manama 5 years back…..tracked his father down….He was in doldrums…just released by the cops and with a good samaritan backing him up…he was hawking audio tapes on the streets of Manama..catering to poor labourers….Liyakat joined him and all credits to the pirated DVD’s…they started aggressive marketing….on signals…and every nooks and corner of the city….Gradually…..they bought a small shop in Baáb area ….next to the temple….
Two of his brothers joined him…..and today this rags to riches story..shook me up…Not for the achievements….but what is being done after getting over the adversity….
Liyakat and his family support 500 homeless families back in Bombay…..food clothes….school fees….house for the needy…..It just humbled me….
They own two more outlets in the Baáb area and every day…around 40 poor guys are fed in Manama alone…Amazing…..
The Baáb Al Bahrain –is like a shield …..protects them…and ensures the foot fall….The temple …attracts…all devotees…..the shops get their customers……The sharks are dredging in further to reclaim more of the Sea…..It is the small fish which runs the Eco-system…..
……………All men are born equal…..but some are more equal in their deeds….
Posted in Blogs.
By syed ali
– November 11, 2006
Dyslexia is an ailment whereby a person has severe difficulties in spelling words. With no malice to the sufferer’s…let us try to take this in a lighter vein….
Many a times, even the Spell-Check leads to a comical situation….with right grammatic words replacing…the wrong ones….But due to over-sight…We cannot generalise this as Typo error’s…or Printer’s Devil ..Blogger’s Peril sounds ok..
Let us have some fun coining your own words and adding to the lexicon….you never know…a decade down the line you may also get the credit…when added up in the Websters… With genuine apologies to Mr. Wren & Mr.Martin…following are few of weiords -
Mandelised : Put behind bars for no legitimate reasons. eg.Eyeing the election results, on the 111 th day,Nelson got mandelised.
Blairy Eyed :Myopic Vision eg. President Musharraf, born blairy-eyed, can’t even handle the bird in hand forget the Bush.
Saddamised : tortured eg. AIMS saddamised the Dengue victims by treating them with Mustard gas.
Osamised: Vanish in thin air eg. All his fears osamised, the moment the bin laden with guns fell into his lap.
Chelsead: bought over outright. eg. Barak chelsead George to sign the Jetley deal.
More to come….join the brigade !!!
Posted in Fun N Frolic.
By syed ali
– October 12, 2006
Jet lag takes a heavy toll of me-Invariably leads to stuffed nose or Blocked ears…Feel like a cursed one…Blame it on my …..God damn Chronic Sinus problems..The only thing which keeps me going is the nuggets of memories…which gets lodged and get embedded into my DNA ..leaving an indelible stamp on my mind….Every town/country has it’s magic spots/ moments..which haunts you…forever….
Travel shows/ books are tools to be avoided completely as it ends up making your entire plan -programmed…taking away the joy of exploring…Many of my escapades has been ruined –going by the books…I have over the years..mastered the art of a being a drifter….
Amman- 29/07 was meant to be an official meet..but the Almighty had his own script…Westerners found it to be a security threat and the last minute changes reached me late…again I had to face the brunt of being planned and programmed and landing two days earlier to acclimatise and do my exploring…..
It is always the down-town area of a city which excites me….Vibrant ..and enigmatic…you can sink in, with no trace..Mandatory to be anchored in a decent hotel…with all your details clearly high-lighted….Únless, you want a Mighty Heart posthumously dedicated to you –Pearl of an advise…Euphemistic me…Still better than mixing voyeuristic pleasure and money making …producing a tribute movie for a lost soul…..Pitty-Lie, ….ooops..the drifter in me takes over..
Early morning walk to the Friday souk ( flea market )with the azaa’n in the back ground…Vendor’s getting geared up with their wares…setting booby traps for the innocent tourists..I still can’t decipher why artifacts collection has to be part of your travels…Westerners stick by this religiously..Is it due to their imperialistic past ?
Me..I was in Petra..thats the sand grains…collected 13 seconds before the storm..thats the dead sea’s 4 droplets..in an amber bottle..so much for posterity..Vanity..
I can’t connect..memento’s are the dirty T shirt worn on the ride to Jeraish..thats the scar from falling from the Camel..in Petra.. I am all for Pics’..they vouch for your presence..Moment is frozen..Relive..Rejoice..gives solace ..You are a part of the history..Imagine a clay pot made in Irbid by your hands..with the potter clicking your pics..End result..potter messes it up with the pics…with u in the right-most corner of the frame..and you reciprocate…making a clay pot..having pseudopodium’s all around..Pride of place in your Trophy room…You are a creator…
to be contd.
Posted in Travel.
By syed ali
– October 11, 2006
Based in Dubai, I had a proud feeling that I am based in the most dynamic part of the world….economic hotspot…with an affinity for the superlatives..Last 4 years has been an unbelievable boom in the Retail Market with Shopping Malls….arcades…mushrooming every nooks and corners !!!
My participation in the recent Retail Forum in Rennaissance, Powai on September 8 th….gave me a jolt….feeling the vibrancy ….I believe it is just the tip of the iceberg…India is booming and the positive energy which has rubbed off to me has made me restructure my business plans….
Hopefully, if all goes well, I will be launching up in India, by Jan 2007…………
It will be a pleasure to touch base with like minded persons based in India…..and any guidance or suggestions will be of great help !!!
Cheers for now !
ali
Posted in Business.
By syed ali
– October 8, 2006
