This is my first attempt at doing what i always wanted to do …Writing fiction…Hope you guys like it…

PROLOGUE

It was a cold wintry night in Mumbai. All the people were returning home from their work. It was the beginning of the weekend and some had already made plans for the weekend…It was friday the 13th of April and the year was 2006.It was quite a coincidence but as the date suggested, the air had a deathly silence to it.It was as if something bad was about to happen or had already happen.It had the rotten, stinking smell of death.As if death had already struck or was about to strike.But one thing was sure,nothing after this night would be the same again.

Suddenly, the silence of the night was broken by wails of sirens and the night ait was filled with the whirring sounds of a police chopper.

“All sections to unit,all sections to unit.Please proceed to Oberoi Towers.Shots fired and officers down. I repeat shots fired and officers down.”

Oberoi Towers, a beautiful and elegant building in the financial heart of the city,Nariman Point.Now the scene of a deathly carnage.A man was standing on the terrace.Lighting a Marlboro,he looked down and smiled.Cigarettes were dangerous to health,but he had lived his life dangerously.Now nothing mattered to him.In his other hand,he held a Remington sniper rifle.He was talll and rugged looking and he had that eerie calm around him.He was quite obvious to the wails of the sirens and the sound of the chopper above him.He knew that they were coming for him,but he made no attempt to escape.For him it had ended today.The nightmare which had begun some months ago with the killing of his wife had finally ended today

To be continued…

well this is a true story of what had happened to me.I still dont know the reason as to why those things occurred or why they started…But let me tell you, i was very scared at that time…This is when i was in my 8th standard in Fr Agnels Multipurpose school,Vashi..At that time we were living in a 2 BHK.. and the temple used to be in my room..now this was the time of navratri..in navratri at our place we keep the diya for 9 days and believe me i experienced that strange phenomenon for 9 days..my school used to be at 7 am in the morning…now on the first day of navratri, i got up as usual and was infront of the mirror when i saw something white flying behind me…i turned back but nothing was there…i dismissed it as a trick of the mind…then immediated after 5 minutes i heard a sound of payal..you know how payala makes a sound when u wear it in ur ankles and then roam about …it was exactly the same sound…and it was coming from behind me…i was scared…i looked back but no one again…then i went in to the hall to check if someone was tere but no one was there but the sound kept on following me…whether i went to school or to play it used to follow me everywhere…never did it harm me though..and i realised that the sound used to come from the temple itself…when i discussed this amongst my friends,some said it might be a ghost whereas some said it might be devi durga herself..

Till today i dont know what it was..but i was really scared at that time…

As eveeryone knows there are different kinds of  love…its not always necessary that love has to between a man and a woman…it can be between a person and animals also,in my vase it is a bird.I will tell you the story of my australian parrot sonu today.Sonu came into our lives when he was given as a birthday present along with his partner to my younger brother two years back.There he was cute looking,smooth silky skin with some yellow strands on top of his head..he was just two months old then…i remember for the first two days he refused to let go of the bars surrounding the cage,whereas his partner who was sick kept on moving about. This guy used to get down only when he was hungry or thirsty,otherwise he used to remain there and observe,often wondering where he had come?He never used to let anybody come near him in the beginning..then after few days his partner died…now even he sensed that something was wrong…so he kept unusually quite…everyday we used to talk to him…and the first words he uttered was my name…i was so happy that day ..then everyday we used to have a daily conversation ..he slowly started learning words…whenever he never saw anybody he used to ask where is everyone in his language.when i used to come back from work,he used to ask me where had i gone and i used to tell him office…then he used to repeat the words office again and again..slowly and slowly we learnt that he was very intelligent,very observant and he used to love listening to songs a lot and cars a lot….he could understand our emotions quite well…whenever anyone in our house used to be angry and shout,he used to keep quite sensing something was wrong..there are many incidents…last year in august , i had gone to goa with my friends…when i came back home , i got welcomed by so many of his questions…later mom told me that he used to keep on searching for me…everyone whether it be our family or relatives or friends ,our socity people loved him a lot…and he remembered each and everyone…and used to talk to everyone…the first thing anyone who knew us used to ash how is sonu…whenever the bell used to ring or the telephone used to ring he used to see if anybody is answering or not…if no one used to answer then he used to call us …he always had a smiling face and he used to become particularly happy when we used to take him to the terrace ( i have a terrace flat) or i used to pick him and make him sit on my lap..he used to be very happy…he also was very hot tempered..whenever anyone used to touch his tail he used to shout at that person but he never bit anyone…he was very loving.. and he used to understand each and everything we told him…he was a good listener and he knew each and every corner of the house..normally all the parrots have only chillies and guauvas but sonu used to have every thing from chapatis to papad and he used to love kakdi and kotmir a lot…given these he could eat them the entire day..he used to eat whenever we used to eat and when he knew that we are sleeping he also used to sleep…he sometimes used to dance to some of the songs that we used to listen …oh yes in the evening mostly both of us,me and sonu used to listen to songs or watch movies..his current fav was kabhi kabhi aditi and he also loved mere pas aao from natwarlal and pal pal from munnabhai…he was someone whom everybody loved selflessly,unconditionally…he made us a family again by binding us in the beautiful feeling of love…he had an accurate sense of time also…whenever the time for his daily outing used to come,.if we had forgotten it ,he used to see that we remember it by telling us at that particular time.. since the past two years we even celebrated his birthday

on this janmastami,he was playing as usual and had a bit of cold and had not eaten the entire day…so me and my dad took him to a doctor..the doctors gave him medicine and prescribed some more and said he will be fine within 4 hrs…and he was doing a lot of masti,but for the first time in two years he tried to open his cage door…i told mom abt this..and once when he came and down,,he refused to climb up on his resting place…that day i was fasting and the janmastami fast needs to be broken after 12 midnight..he saw that my dad had eaten his food…before going of to sleep my dad came and kissed him..yes,sonu used to give everyone a good night kiss…at midnight we performed the pooja..he sat through the pooja also and me and my mom had dinner and for the first time i felt a bit uneasy…i just looked at him…and ate my food…after i finished my food,he called my mom and gave her a kiss and me 2 and just looked at us…and we were stroking him and he suddenly collapsed never to get up again

There will be always memories of him because no one can fill that void…yesterday was his chautha…i know for other people he may be just a pet but for us and for those who knew him we all realise what he was to us…may god rest his soul in peace…we miss him a lot

Today is janmaastami the day when lord vishnu took the avatar of shri krishna on this planet earth to destroy all evil…well right from my childhood i have always been wat u can say a great bhakt of lord krishna..i dont know but somehow his entire personality whether it be his childhood or his later years always had an impact on me…i remember when i used to stay in bandra at my grandparents place we had an entire temple room and the only murti there was of radha krishna..even in the living room there were all paintings of lord krishna…..so there has been a profound influence of him in my life….even my aunt is a member of ISKON…i go there only on sundays for the evening aarti…and today being janmashtmi i will definitely go today..even though according to them janmashtmi is celebrated tomorrow….my naani used to tell me kahanis of shri krishna and i remember in my childhood i used to eat butter like that only just exactly the way shri krisna used to do it…even today sometimes i do it…u know i have got a big murti of shri krishna at my place and sometimes when i am depressed i just sit infront of it…nowadays i have been doing it quite often due to my break up with my gf whom i loved very much…i remember when we had gone to mathura because earlier we used to travel quite a lot i was in awe..there we visited the mathura temple and vsited vrindanvan where the famous raas leela had happened…i just didnt want to come out of there…there was so much of peace over there …it was just as if i wanted to stay over there forever…there are some people who say that every night in vrindavan the raas leela happens at 12:00 midnite…no one can see it but everyone can hear the beautiful music and its soothing to the ears….i even have got a photo in my childhood dressed up as lord krishna

Right from my childhood, i have been fasting on this day….fasting means not the normal way.. i will not be eating anything today , i will be breaking my fast only tomorrow..and i will be eating absolutely nothing during the entire day…at midnight there will be a puja and i always make a point to start reading the gita every year on this particular day…so much knowledge so much wisdom in those words which we can apply in our daily life also..

On the 16th of august we celebrated the festival of Raksha Bandhan….well ask me the meaning and the significance of this festival as i have got no real sisters but yes lots of cousins…i was working on that day but made it a point to come home early as this is one of those days where in everybody meets and it becomes like a family get together…now of all the cousins that i have from both my dad and my moms side only 5 are sisters from my dads side and from my moms side only 2..you know i had this wish always that i should have a real sister…this is one thing which was not fulfilled….when my brother was yet unborn i secretly used to pray to god to give me a sister…but nothing of that sort happened….now only one wish is there that at least give me a daughter….lets hope this wish at least comes true…

The relationships are the essence of celebration. This holds true for any Indian festival. Each festival brings the families together. That mere togetherness is celebration. It calls for a total festive environment. The celebration of one such relationship is Raksha Bandhan; the celebration of brother sister relationship. The sibling relationship is nowhere so celebrated as in India. The brother sister relationship is no where so worshiped as here. It is this affection and love that is celebrated on the Raksha Bandhan…

Raksha Bandhan is a festival celebrating the bond of affection between brothers and sisters. The day when the siblings pray for each others’ well being and wish for each others’ happiness and goodwill. As the name ‘Raksha Bandhan’ suggests, ‘a bond of protection’, Raksha Bandhan is a pledge from brothers to protect the sister from all harms and troubles and a prayer from the sister to protect the brother from all evil.

The festival falls on the Shravan Purnima (full moon day of shravan month) which comes generally in the month of August. The sisters tie the silk thread called rakhi on their brother’s wrist and pray for their well being and brothers promise to take care of their sisters. The festival is unique to India creates a feeling of belongingness and oneness amongst the family…

Though now it is considered as a brother and sister festival, it was not always so. There have been examples in history where in rakhi has just been a raksha or protection. It could be tied by wife, a daughter or mother. The Rishis tied rakhi to the people who came seeking their blessings. The sages tied the sacred thread to themselves to safe guard them from the evil. It is by all means the ‘Papa Todak, Punya Pradayak Parva’ or the day that bestows boons and end all sins as it is mentioned in the scriptures.

Rakhi for many centuries encompassed the warmth shared between the siblings but now it goes way beyond it. Some tie rakhi to neighbors and close friends signifying a peaceful co-existence of every individual. Congregations like Rakhi Utsavs, popularized by Rabindranath Tagore, promote the feeling of unity and a commitment to all members of society to protect each other and encourage a harmonious Social life.

The day has a deeper perspective in today’s scenario. The occasion holds for a life long pledge to practice moral, spiritual and cultural values. The values and the sentiments attached to the rituals of this festival are worth inculcating by the whole human race, the sentiments of harmony and peaceful coexistence.

Raksha Bandhan assumes all forms of Raksha or protection, of righteousness and destroyer of all sin. The rakhi tying ritual has become so much a part of the families that come what may brothers and sisters try to reach out to each other on this particular day bringing back the oneness of the family, binding the family together in an emotional bond.

Yesterday as soon as i went home ….i was feeling a bit bored and wanted to watch a movie…now i have got a huge collection of movies and i wanted to watch an old english movie…so thats how i saw this movie called von ryans express…now the tag line of this movie is as follows :

Why did 600 Allied prisoners hate the man they called Von Ryan more than they hated Hitler?

Now this got my curiosity going and i saw this movie…let me tell you this theres not even a single moment where you will feel dull or feel like switching off the tv…it just sets you on the edge of ur seat….

Von Ryan’s Express is a 1965 World War II adventure film produced and directed by Mark Robson, and starring Frank Sinatra and Trevor Howard. Based on the 1964 novel of the same name by David Westheimer, Von Ryan's Express was a project keenly undertaken by 20th century Fox who were still financially reeling after the financial extravagance and critical bashing of Cleopatra. Fox, in a bid to prove that they were still able to make films on an epic scale, shot extensively on location in Europe and built a full-scale prison camp as opposed to shooting on a backlot.

Rumours of a personality clash between star Frank Sinatra, who was flown by helicopter to the set, and director Mark Robson, were seemingly not enough to dampen the making of a film that was shot with relatively little trouble, although Sinatra's insistence on the ending of the film being altered put an end to a proposed sequel that Fox had in mind…

the plot is as follows :-

Colonel Joseph L. Ryan (Sinatra) is an American pilot whose P-38 Lightning is shot down, and then is taken to a Prisoner of War camp in Italy, run by the cruel Major Battaglia (Adolfo Celi), and populated mainly by British prisoners (9 Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, 167 Infantry Brigade, 56 [London] Infantry Division [British]).

As senior officer, Col. Ryan assumes command of the prisoners. The British commanding officer had recently died as a result of the harsh discipline in being put in the metal “sweat box”. Ryan at first pays respect to his predecessor, Major Eric Fincham (Howard) by refusing to sit in the late commanding officer’s chair.

When the British attempt to flog an American prisoner (of which there are only eight) for stealing rations, Ryan discovers he was stealing medicine which Fincham has ordered be stashed for an escape attempt. Ryan orders that the drugs be dispensed as necessary. He then shows the Italians the prisoners’ escape tunnels in return for their Red Cross parcels. Battaglia doesn’t keep his word so Ryan then orders the prisoners to strip and burn their filthy clothes so Battaglia will have to issue new ones. Battaglia does so, but throws Ryan into the sweat box as a punishment.

That night, on hearing of the Italian capitulation, the guards flee, leaving the camp unguarded. The British put Battaglia on trial as a war criminal, and allow his second-in-command and Anglo-Italian translator, Captain Oriani (Sergio Fantoni), to defend him. Battaglia portrays himself as a broken man who has repudiated fascism, and Ryan orders him not to be executed, but to be put in the sweat box.

However, the Germans return and capture them all. Fincham is furious at the incorrect thought that Oriani betrayed them, but when they are put on the train, they find a severely battered Oriani in the prisoner carriage. Battaglia is gloating outside, and they realise they have been betrayed to the Germans by the former commandant. The false impression of collaboration with the Italian guards earns Ryan the nickname “Von Ryan” from the irate Fincham. The prisoners manage to seize control of the train by dangerously escaping through the bottom of the carriage, climbing onto the roof, and strangling the guards with improvised garrotes. After taking control of the roof, at the next stop, they jump on the remaining guards, and capture the German commander of the train, Major Von Klemment (Wolfgang Preiss) and his Italian mistress, Gabriella, (Raffaella Carrą).

Oriani persuades the Italian locomotive engineer to help, and the German-speaking Allied Chaplain, Captain Costanzo (Edward Mulhare), is enlisted to impersonate the German commander to ensure their passage through the next station.

During stops as stations, Von Klemment and Gabriella are kept bound and gagged in a compartment. Gabriella conceals a piece of a broken drinking glass to cut their bonds. At one station Von Klemment escapes, shoots Orde (John Leyton), but is shot himself. Ryan, in a German uniform, then has to reluctantly shoot Gabriella as she escapes to prevent her from betraying them. Ryan then makes involuntary eye contact with a nearby Italian youth who had previously been hurling insults at what he thought were Germans and now silently stares with contempt at Ryan.

By this time a German troop train has been sent in pursuit, and Von Ryan’s train is attacked by three German fighter aircraft. One aeroplane is shot down, but the other destroys a section of track. The POWs then take a section of the track behind them and replace the damaged track in front of them. Meanwhile Ryan, Fincham and the others try to hold off the German soldiers. The track is repaired and the train started, and Ryan and Fincham run behind the train to get aboard. Fincham reaches the train and desperately reaches for Ryan, urging him to run faster. But Ryan is gunned down by the German commander just short of the train, which then crosses over to neutral Switzerland

…i have also read the book…there was a slight difference as far as the ending goes…

In the book, Ryan survives and makes it into Switzerland with the other prisoners. At the novel’s end, he bursts into laughter when he discovers that the words “VON RYAN’S EXPRESS” have been painted by one of the prisoners on the outside of the train. (The movie does not retain this incident.) In addition, the book delves into the character of Ryan, whose carelessness as an air cadet cost the life of a fellow cadet. Sinatra insisted on his character being killed at the end as a token of believability and to “atone” for his shooting Gabriella.

A MUST WATCH MOVIE

Yesterday I saw this movie Singh is King, a movie finally abouth the sardars as indian movies have always showed a soft corner for punjab. Well man let me tell you this…The King has definitely arrived in the form of Akshay Kumar.He just takes your breath away with his performance.Just for him this movie is definitely worth a watch and this being his 4th movie with katrina kaif ,they have alredy become a hit and successful pair.The firector has placed complete faith in akki and he delivers his best.