An open letter to Metallica from a Delhi guy

Dear Metallica,

I am the guy who was standing for 4 hours outside the concert venue who didn’t get to see you, didn’t break anything and now feels insulted by the talks of the full amount refund.

But here’s the catch:

I DON’T want a refund, I wanted to see you and that’s what I want. If I wanted my money I wouldn’t have bothered with the ticket and contrary to what the organizers told you, most the people who turned up for the concert were college going kids or working professionals who have saved up the money, taken leave, boarded flights, trains just to see you in flesh and blood.

They are disappointed, really disappointed. Don’t you think you owe us an apology?

And please, don’t give us the security shit. You have performed at THE Woodstock. This crowd didn’t even come close to that. And lest you forget these are your fans, YOUR fan. You know they can never harm you. Don’t judge us for the organizer’s fault.

'here i am, on the road again'

Was it my fault that the organizers didn’t arrange for enough security for the crowd? Were they expecting toddlers to turn up for a metal concert?

They could have organized a ‘ghazal concert’ of they wanted ‘well-behaved’ crowd. And trust me the crowd I was part of wasn’t angry at all. They kept saying to each other ‘they have come to play and they will’

I feel cheated because no one had the guts to speak what was happening. You guys LIED. I don’t want my money,i want to see you. Please come back if you can and give us an experience we will cherish.

If only 1 of you guys would have taken the mike and tried to explain, instead of some jerk calling your fans ‘BUTTHEADS’, I am sure things would have been better.

'behind the doors, should i open it for you, or are you unforgiven too?'

A disappointed yet still, a FAN from Delhi who does not give a rat's ass about F1

\m/oO\m/

Open letter to the guy who came back and went back again

Recently NYT (New York Times that is) carried an article about a certain person who came back to India a-la ‘swades’ but was not impressed and chose to go back because this country was unable to provide the comforts he is used to in states for 11 years or so. Details here

For starters let me clarify that I am not disagreeing with the person (okay I am, a little or why else would I bother with a response) heck I find myself in the same position. To give him some credit; he actually tried to make it work down here. But somehow the status quo, the bullock carts and the average Indian’s road sense took a toll on him and he thought it’s better to leave. It worked last time.

I agree on this point. A friend of mine after being ridiculed in our class as a “BLOODY NORTH INDIAN” was talking to me with teary eyes,he said ‘dude, you know my dad wanted to send me to US for engg but I declined, it’s better to hear you bloody Indian in a foreign country than listening to this north Indian crap in my own country,i should have left’. I had no words. Come to think of it, it’s really a personal choice.

But I differ on the point where he said leave, because I won’t. Would love to quote ‘rang de basanti’ here

“koi desh perfect nahin hota, use perfect banana parta hai”(no country is perfect, you have to strive to make it perfect)

And good, bad, pathetic whatever; I belong here, and I am not leaving. Because for every venom spewing jerk, there will be a person who will be ready to help you because they know you have been wronged. I might look at the maid for asking the extra money with suspicion but like my mom says, you have to take chance once to know if the person is reliable or not. It’s only that they weren’t fortunate enough for a high-class education or a lifestyle you can afford. That doesn’t make him any less worthier of sharing the same road with you.

The countries that progressed did so because of the people, who stayed, strived for the better living. I still believe goodness hasn’t died. And having the mentality that just because a person is not financially well off, he is a potential thief is completely RIDICULOUS. People travelling in cars think the guys driving bullock carts are the ones slowing them down. Well check again, he might be carrying wheat, rice, dal … oh yes he is the same farmer who grows crops so you and your family can eat.

I still yell at the erratic auto driver, wish I could punch that zigzag guy on the bike or always look for my purse when caught by a traffic police while on my way for that late night aloo parathe. But I still hope things will change. Because I believe that universe always tries to put everything in balance, it always strives for perfection and I do my bit by not breaking the law, putting my leftovers in the nearest dustbins that I can find (1-2 instances can be overlooked I am sure :P) . But I am trying to make this a better place to live. And this ‘he is below me in social status so he s a thief’ theory doesn’t work with me and is just SAD

But since I am not him, I can’t pass judgments about his decisions. Wish him a happy life wherever he is.

Like mr Gandhi said “be the change you want to see in the world”

I am trying man , and will keep trying!

\m/oO\m/

Scary? are you sure?

Disclaimer- *this post was written for the #ParanormalActivity3 #SpookyStory contest for MTV.thought i should share it* *this happened when i was 11 years old*

When I was in 7^th or 8^th std, we used to live in a joint family and it was a ancestral home that my grandpa built with an outhouse where a tenant lived. Very weird personality but somehow my parents liked him since he belonged to our place and spoke our language. He also had 1 of those click knife which he would show me all the time. I hated him. All my uncles, aunts, cousins lived with us (it was that big). But then my dad got transferred and it was only summer vacations that we would visit the place. I would carry textbooks with me but would never touch them. Since offices don’t have summer vacations dad would be away and me, playing cricket with all the cousins which most of the time resulted in a fight between someone.

Then my dad called and he was very angry at grandma that everyone keeps playing and they won’t be able to complete their summer vacations home work. There after grandma assumed the Hitler position. Then there was some function in some relatives place and it was decided that me, my 2 cousins and grandma would stay since we have not studied anything and grandma was not keeping well.

To say that we were pissed off by the decision would be an understatement. So after people left, we refused to study. Grandma was getting angry but we wouldn’t listen so she said that whoever speaks next is going to be locked in the room. Oh did I mention there was no light and we were studying in lantern (it was a small town). I got shit scared because every other place in the house was pitch dark. I started thinking about being locked inside a dark room without light (it’s very easy to scare an 11 year old kid), but I had to be brave among my cousins since I was the eldest. And at these times when you are told not to laugh or speak, you find everything funny. I burst into laughter on something my cousin did.

Don’t know how or why but it irked grandma so much that she got up from her chair, grabbed my hand started dragging me towards one room. She was so sweet to me that I was scared just the firmness of her grip. The room was at the far end of the house and had a window which faced a field. All my pride went for a toss and I started crying yelling but she won’t listen. After some time I was in the dark room all by myself.

The window was open and suddenly I felt as though someone is standing at the window. I still remember that image as if it happened yesterday. It was figure, a person. Man/woman I wasn’t able to make out. I wasn’t able to move for some time, as if I stopped thinking .and then before I could realize I was screaming louder than I could have ever thought. My grandma came running and took me out of the room. When my folks returned from the party I narrated the story to everyone and they said its not possible because of the wall surrounding our house.

No one believed the story; hell no 1 does it even now. But I couldn’t be more sure when I saw was actually a person standing outside the window. Whenever I am alone in a room and lights go off, I am tempted to check the open window if there is a shadow

have you had similar experiences? do share \m/oO\m/

iTweet : @game_returns follow here

Karim’s, dilli: how’s, why’s and where’s

Its mid – October or as dilli-wasi calls it, celebration time. And you thought only German’s love this time of the year? It’s that time of the year when winter starts knocking and suddenly streets are full of people roaming for their dose of parathe and lassi. The heat is off and the weather is pleasant (I know I am going to regret this statement come December but heck, better than getting the summer). The best thing about winter in northern India is the food that you can gorge without having to think about the heat ON THE ROAD. I have decided that weekends will be dedicated to eating at all such joints, which were a little tedious earlier because of the heat. This Sunday was dedicated to the mughlai cuisine by the descendants of the royal chef’s of the erstwhile Mughal empire, or so they claim to be.it was due for a really long time after my trip to ‘paranthe wali gali’ in January. Details HERE
Not for nothing has the Time Magazine and Lonely Planet listed karim's in the BEST restaurants of asia.details here and here, i would like to add that this place deserves every bit of praise.keep reading

So we take metro to chawari bazar (thank you mr Sreedharan, you are a SUPERMAN!) and the moment we get down a rickshaw guy shouts

“bhai kareems?” I see him and smile, my friend tells me its just walking distance.

And we start walking. Its Sunday so the regular shops are closed and the ‘footpath’ are taken over by ITA-lian saloon’s(its an inside joke), make shift chaat-walas and daily wagers enjoying their day of solace. When you start walking towards Jama masjid(that’s where karm’s is) there are a lot of card shops on both sides of the road, and the thing about shopkeepers in this area is they are sure that until they don’t ask each and every person if they want cards, may be they are going to cancel the wedding so shopkeepers keep shouting

“Bhai Saab cards? Kab hai shaadi?” I started laughing on his face and laughed so hard he thought may be our people don’t like cards in their weddings.

It was then that I saw the glimpse of the tomb, which I can recognize within a second, it was Jama masjid, images of the mosque flash into my head like a slideshow.

For the un-initiated, it’s the largest mosque in India and has history written all over it.

In case you need directions, ask anyone “bhaiya karim’s kidhar?” (prepare to be laughed at if you throw English in this area) people in the area are very sweet.do not go by their looks. When you find the ‘gali kabbaian’ (oh yes the whole gali is full of shops with kebab’s) take the first small left. That is the shop where country’s best ‘chicken tikka’ is served (let your nose guide you whenever in doubt)


I found a place to sit after some time because it was Sunday and crowded. Ordered my self chicken mughlai, chicken tikka and chicken seek kebab with rumali roti. Chicken biryani was FINISHED and I don’t eat mutton so didn’t try the elusive mutton dishes

A little word: the last time you ate chicken mughlai in that big-ass restaurant of yours, they ripped you off nicely. Don’t believe me? Try it at karim’s.

After 6 chicken seek kebab, half chicken tikka and half chicken mughlai (trust me 1 person cant eat full), I could barely walk. To say that the food is delicious would be an understatement so I am going to play it safe and let you guys find it out for yourself next time you are in dilli. For me it’s not over until I try out every item on that menu. Winter is here to stay and ITS ON.

That being said (how I love this phrase!), my next trip is going to be at Moti Mahal, daryaganj. What’s so special about this place you ask? Because these guys invented ‘Butter Chicken’. Yes the same dish, which your ‘multi-cuisine restaurant’ served you last time. Don’t, believe me?

Here, read about the discovery of butter chicken here

have you tried anything special in dilli?do share

\m/oO\m/

‘Unpredictable’ is the most dangerous word! : a life lesson in chess

Back when I was in school and lived with my mom-dad, i used to play a lot of chess. The best one’s were with my dad because to me he was THE best player in the whole wide world, I guess still is, he taught me how to play and beat me to it EVERY SINGLE TIME.

If you haven’t played chess, well that says a lot about you. And if like me you call the pieces something else in your language, well click here for the ENGLISH guide

..meanwhile

He would be back from office and I would be ready with the chess board, partially to skip the studying for the night, boasting about the new move that I have learned and I can take his queen within minutes and subsequently the game. I firmly believed that the winning-loosing equation tilts heavily in favor of a player if he can take opponents queen.

One-day things changed and HOW?

That was Friday I guess, don’t remember but dad was happy and I was waiting for him with the chess board.

Dad - “you will loose again. Go learn new moves and then we will play,” he was laughing

Me- “I have learnt new move in times of India, some grandmaster wrote it, your queen is gone in minutes” I felt bad being toyed with like that

Dad- “you know chess is much more than just about the queen, even a knight can make your king sweat, it is unpredictable which the queen can never be”

Me – “ya raaite! Nothing beats the queen”

Game began; I was trying to get that move right and was completely ignorant of my other pieces. As the rule in chess goes ‘if you cant see two steps ahead, you have lost the game already’, he took my knight and bishop but I managed to save my queen by sacrificing some pawns, I needed to set that string of chances where the move could be useful.

Dad – “are you sure that guy was a grandmaster because I don’t see a difference in your play at all”

Me- “keep playing, we will see who wins”

Dad- “you know why knight is more powerful than the queen?”

I had no idea he had planned the move already, and had all my important pieces covered so I was confident.

Dad- …”and if you see to it, no matter how much you look, their will always be 1 direction where you will miss its reach and there you loose your piece”

Me – “its really not that important, it can jump and 2 and half boxes,thats no big deal, there are only 4 at a given time”

I was getting defensive and could sense the defeat, but I had my queen with me so a little hopeful

Dad suddenly picked up the knight and I held my breath.

Dad- “here you missed this jump, check-mate!”

'DAMN!' i went but He was speaking continuously.things were going dramatic

“think of it as a lesson in chess and life, unpredictability is any day better than strength, ”

I couldn't say anything, I smiled

have you learned a life lesson while playing chess, do share

\m/oO\m/