Article by Sir Ignoramus.

I read a hilarious news piece and it would be injustice if I did not put it here.

A crocodile carcass has been floating in the Powai Lake for more than three days, allegedly because municipal and forest authorities expected each other to remove it.

Powai Lake (named after Framaji Kavasji Powai Estate) is an artificial lake, situated in the northern suburb of Mumbai, in the Powai valley, where a Powai village with cluster of huts existed.

(Doesn’t this sound like a tongue twister with plenty of Powais. Powai lake named after Powai estate in the Powai valley where a Powai village existed inhabited by Powai people who made wonderful Powai dosas on special Powai tavas using Powai dosa batter eaten with Powai chutney which goes well with Powai lemonade in special Powai mugs followed by a Powai pan…….)

Coming back to senses, the forest department has now said it would have the carcass removed.

Visitors complained of the stench from the carcass, floating amid the hyacinth since at least Sunday.

(Seriously, did we expect a Ralph Lauren special fragrance from a 3 day old crocodile carcass? This lake had a crocodile which is dead but there can be many more. Run for your life instead of enjoying the stench.)

The hydraulic engineering department, which is in charge of the lake, and the forest department, responsible for wildlife in the city, kept shifting the responsibility on each other.

(Can any one of you please help me understand, why the hell is hydraulic engineering department is in charge of a lake? What hydraulics can be involved unless you could convert the lake into a cricket stadium by temporarily draining out the water on push of a button and visa versa).

The chief conservator of forest in charge of the city’s wildlife confirmed that he had asked his officials to remove the carcass. “I have also advised our doctors to visit the spot and conduct a post-mortem immediately. The post mortem will prove if the animal’s death was natural and also the approximate day of the death,” he said.

(This is where I fell off the chair and rolled all over the ground. In a country where human bodies end up on a dissection table without undergoing any checks for identity or cause of death, here’s a department which is getting a postmortem done for a dead crocodile. How do these people get a job? )

The Article was originally published at http://nanjud.blogspot.com/

They described it at as a leafy and peaceful suburb, far from the madding crowd. It went by the name of Powai, back then, known only for its eponymous lake and as the location of the prestigious IIT Powai. It was the place SOBO schools took their kids for their annual picnic. It was a picturesque suburb dotted with a lake, hills, and forests. That some foresighted builder saw potential for development here and had a vision of carving out a concrete jungle in the midst of the greenery and hills is in itself quite baffling. Then to go and convert this concrete jungle into one of the most sought after exclusive projects in Mumbai city is even more baffling. If Bandra is the queen of the suburbs, then Powai surely must be the crown princess today!

There is a lot of difference between the original inhabitants of Hiranandani Gardens and those that are flocking it today. In the late 80s and early 90s, it was sold as an ideal retreat for the retired city slicker who wished to get away from the pollution, traffic, noise and the chicken-coop sized homes they had been in living in for so long. The Powai homes were large by any standard, not just Mumbai’s, were surrounded by gardens, and had breathtaking views of the lake. It was the ideal place for evening walks and relaxed Sunday mornings at the club.

Hiranandani Gardens

Today there are over 40 buildings and towers within the Hiranandani complex alone, and new ones are getting added as you read this, not to mention all those me-too builders who have jumped onto the Powai bandwagon in the last decade to construct more me-too towers on the lines of Hiranandani. Residences, retail establishments and corporate houses of repute proudly call Powai their home today. Unfortunately many of these stand where hills and trees once stood.  

To cater to the growing population of floaters and regulars, Powai today boasts of everything from luxury hospitals to luxury hotels, supermarkets to gourmet stores, fine-dining restaurants to casual eateries, lounge bars to juice bars, go-carting tracks to dashing car tracks. Exclusive gyms, swimming pools, tennis and squash courts and the biggest draw of them all– a top notch ICSE school –  are all available within a two kilometre radius.

Adi Shankaracharya Marg

With development come the pitfalls. The traffic in Powai is among the most dreaded, for residents and visitors alike. The JVLRI (Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road) which is supposed to have eased traffic has brought in more vehicles into Powai. Huge bottlenecks are caused by vehicles trying to use Hiranandani as a by-pass for getting from Andheri/Goregaon and surrounding areas to Ghatkoper and Chembur.

Only the brave hearted Powai resident ventures out in his car between 6 and 7 pm on weekdays. On Saturdays, things just get worse, when the whole world and his neighbour seems to want to get into Powai for attractions like the go-karting track, Hakone gaming area and the supermarkets, Haiko and Dmart. The poor Powai resident on the other hand is dying to get out for the weekend but finds himself stuck at home for fear of being caught in a jam  before he has barely got off his building. Office goers in Powai use the traffic as an excuse to spend longer hours at work, and don’t leave till after 8pm when the coast is marginally clearer.

With so much action shifting away from town (the original Bombay that extended from Cuff Parade to Dadar) towards the suburbs,  one can’t help but wonder  if all those retired people who shifted to Powai for the greenery and fresh air feel cheated today;  maybe a shift back to town  is what the doctor might order for the tired and retired Powaiite a few years down the line.

The above article was written by Kundhavi who blogs at http://jest-kk.blogspot.com/

Restoring Serenity-on powai lake an article by Aruna Thosar – Dixit, PRO, IIT Bombay (1986-2007)wrote for IIT’s mag Raintree.

The Powai Lake was integral to the life of every campus resident; like a leitmotiv surfacing again and again. Toddlers playing on the green slopes of the guest house lawn while mothers or grand parents or the occasional dad, sat and chatted, watching the sun set across the lake; students on steps or the slope leading to the water; joggers and walkers early morning and evening; cricket on the dried up lake bed; spotting birds in marshes and trees, BNHS nature trek around the lake; dragging willing or unwilling guests through the wooded trail to the old boat-house to view the incredible expanse of water – the lake-pictures and lake-associations retained in the memory are too numerous to narrate.

Powai Lake made its presence felt in another way in my role as the PR officer for the Institute. In the early years, contact with media or local officials, environmentalists and even “concerned” campus residents, often brought accusations that IIT was the major culprit in the degradation of the lake. Its untreated sewage was flowing into the lake creating a nutritious base for the water hyacinth to flourish; the lake depth was decreasing, consequently leading to the sorry sight of a dried lake bed for many months. Read the entire article here http://www.csf.org.in

R-city, the newest mall to dot the otherwise banal landscape of Ghatkopar is a place that lives up to its name – it is a city, in fact a world in itself. Its arrival is a boon to the entertainment starved Powai resident and has significantly reduced his/her trips to Mulund and Bandra to fulfil these needs. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to state that it’s construction was one of the most eagerly tracked and anticipated events this side of the suburbs. When the huge mall finally opened its doors for business sometime last year, it did not disappoint.
R city, a part of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group’s foray into the retail sector, is a massive semi-circular structure with a gleaming steel and glass facade and gurgling fountains that lures visitors with the promise of fun, food, fashion and films for the entire family. Nearly a year after inauguration, new shops and eateries are still being added each month.
The ground floor has an eclectic mix of famous names likes Reebok, Lifestyle, Globus, Marks and Spencers, UCB, Pantaloons, Hidesign, The Body Shop etc. And some relatively unknown but surprisingly good finds like the fashion label ‘Only’
There is Croma and the Bose showroom for gizmo buffs; and Reliance Gold for those who have an insatiable appetite for the yellow metal.
There is Fabindia, Good Things and Cotton world for casual clothes. There is Jashn for sarees; Homestop and Tresorie for brightening up your homes.
There are some unique concept stores like ‘Ethnicity’ which as the name suggests, promises to be a one stop shop for everything Indian (clothes, accessories, furniture and home decor items). Its bazaar style decor and interiors adds to its charm.
The Reebok kids store is a must visit for parents of little children. The tiny size zero (no reference to Kareena Kapoor here) shoes for babies who can barely walk and toddlers are difficult to resist buys even for those who don’t have babies or toddlers.
There is AromaThai, a reflexology chain that regular patrons warn can become addictive. A 30 minute oil-free or hot-oil massage could be the perfect solution for shop-weary feet.
While the first two floors cater to the shoppers, the third floor is dedicated to the movie and food buffs. There is of course the ubiquitous food court that is now a compulsory part of every mall, with its usual Chaat, Pizza, Frankie, Rolls, Kebab outlets and ice cream joints in addition to eateries catering to the South Indian, Punjabi and Coastal palates. Stand alone restaurants include Rajdhani, The Bowl House, Subway and Casa Mia among others.

Many regulars consider the multiplex the crowning glory of the mall. There are 7 regular screens and one 180degree Cine-diner. The cine diner must be the most decadent way to watch film, lying flat on plush recliners, with indulgent staff fussing over you with cushions, drinks, dinner options and what have you. There are just 48 seats in the Cine Diner, and the placement is such that the staff serving dinner does not hinder those engrossed in the film. It is a great experience, but at Rs.500 per ticket, doesn’t come cheap, especially when one has to pay separately for the food. But it may be worth a onetime visit or maybe best reserved for a special occasion.
The mall is reasonably packed on weekdays and overflowing on weekends. The 5 level car-park is a blessing in disguise. Security is tight, but in the sensitive times we live in, nobody seems to be complaining. The 30 rupees for parking is also willingly dispensed with.
On the whole, R city has been well worth the wait for the patient Powai residents who has had to put up with limited options for far too long.

The above article was written by Kundhavi who blogs at http://jest-kk.blogspot.com/

Miss Mumbai experience- The journey

It all started with reading the advertisement, “Kaun  Banegi Miss Mumbai 2009” in DNA newspaper .

Had about four auditions to reach the final 20 who would compete for the three main titles

1. Miss Mumbai

2. Miss covergirl

3. Miss hottie

The grooming sessions were filled with fun and enthusiasm , every day giving us a new challenge. Trust me I loved every bit of it. From the dancing to gyming , I enjoyed every bit of it. We got trained with basic make-up techniques, possing classes, a question answer session, dining etiquettes, ramp walk with gyming and dance rehearsals being almost regular. This event got delayed about four times in the whole with problems cropping up but finally it was held on 17^th October at Indian education society bandra.

Finals:

We had in overall four rounds:

1. Saree cum introduction round: The walk was on my favourite song,” afreen”. That song really gets me in the mood . The moment I slowly lowered the saree and showed my face, I could hear the cheers from the crowd. My heart almost skipped a beat as I walked the ramp in rhythm to the music. Saree is one of the most beautiful apparel a woman can wear and she looks most elegant and gorgeous .
2. Funky and indo- western round: This was one round which allowed the contestants to walk the ramp the way they wanted. This was all about playing on the stage.
3. Talent round(dance): This marked a start of power- packed performance which I could have only imagined to perform .Taking the center stage had always been my dream and there I saw it  turning into reality. I just loved it when I danced and I could hear the constant cheering from the crowd.
4. Question and answer round: This is one round that’s judges the personality of a person.

After these rounds I did get the first runner up award,” miss covergirl”

Final words:

From a game lost, it is the experience you win and I did win a lot of support, fame, recognition, experience and most of all I understood the trend of this industry. It was an amazing journey.
Don’t know the road ahead, but I am sure it is all for the best.

Reality check:

Four months have passed and I haven’t yet got my prize money of about 60,000 which would include cash and gift hampers. It thus becomes important in a local beauty paegeant to see who your organizers really are and see the credibility of the contest.

The lake-side was clogged with water hyacinth and rafts of it drifted gently further out in the lake. The rafts made good floating islands for the birds and straight away I could see communities on each one.

On the first, a Little Egret fished while a Bronze Jacana picked among the hyacinth.
Close in there were a few Indian Pond Herons and a couple of Pheasant-tailed Jacanas flushed further along the shore. {Click to read more}

This article was published by Red Gannet on his blog http://redgannet.blogspot.com/

This was my third HouseHunt in the Maximum City, Mumbai. In the three missions I have clearly understood that Bachelorhood is not just a marital status, its a social-outcast that puts you below everyone who has joined the institution. In this city, and Pune as well (as my dear friends, tell me) WE Bachelors, or Singletons, or Unmarried souls are looked down with even more contempt than Ajmal Kasab (or No, Kasab is also a bachelor), so maybe more than Nithari or Aurangzeb or your Spouse’s ex or even more than the perverted ‘married’ man, in your neighborhood, who fancies his daughters’ friends. As they believe that We, as bachelors, could be worse… [Click Read More]

Written by Mohit Nanda

…. Awesome, beautiful, lovely …… place you fell in love with

I read in newspaper and heard from friends everything in Mumbai is cheap except taking a room/flat on rent. Even in suburbs you get very costly place for living, which cost you half in any other metro. But past two years in Mumbai is like living in heaven called NITIE. Got admission for Industrial Management student in National Institute of Industrial Engg (NITIE) and then leaving place like Hyderabad where living is quite easy in comparison to other metros has raises many questions and worries in my mind. But to move with life I came to Mumbai and got room in Hostel-5 on floor 7th. Earlier it sounds like pain , going 7 floors daily more than 10 times seems to as if I would be wasting my precious time and energy. Where the lift is typical government college like others whom you cant trust.

But everything is against my worries. Past two years in college is like a heaven. Getting room on sharing in first year with wonderful view, surrounded with trees and attached bathroom is making it best place to live. Where room shares top awsum view, for which people spends thousand rupees is beyond imagination. In evening and early morning you have such nice breeze which refreshes you always. The view from window of two lake (NITIE pond and Powai Lake) makes you to forget all your worries and made you fell in love with nature. No tension of water supply and electricity. When trees are sharing there tops with you and chirping of birds wakes you up or sing a sleeping songs for you (as you generally sleep too late) makes an experience wonderful which is rare to get anywhere else specially in congested city like Mumbai where you can see the tall building but no trees. Then comes the second year, when getting a single room is best part. And when you get the pond facing room is bonus for you. Mine room shares the great picturesque of nature, from window you have view of NITIE pond which makes it a perfect resort. Lightening at pond always enlighten you with new energy and enthusiasm. NITIE is on hill and you have a complete resort like living experience. You are in gods own place, where there is fresh air to breathe, pond side to sit & walk under the trees shed protecting you against sun and where every move yours is shared with nature. What to say about life in NITIE and when loving living experience in rooms with awesome views, breeze and sun set/rise makes it perfect place and lifetime experience.

In addition to this the view from MDP hostel roof and NITIE guest house is something unimaginable. The view of three lakes (Vihar , Powai and NITIE pond) makes it so beautiful which forms place in your heart that moment. From the very first step in college to whole NITIE trip you have company of birds and nature. NITIE pond is best place to sit and have gossips. NITIE is one of place where nature is and education go hand in hand. Along with best education with best professors, Infrastructure make it in top 10 Bschools of India.

The article was wrriten by

Tarang Maheshwari (Keshav Maheshwari)

Industrial Management Student

NITIE, Mumbai

www.shootdbreeze.blogspot.com
http://www.10nthplanet.blogspot.com

NITIE in Rankings:
• Received the ‘Best Management Institute of 2009′ award by the Bombay Management Association (BMA)
• Ranked 3rd in placements and 5th overall in Business World B-School rankings 2009
• Ranked 5th in Outlook B-School rankings 2008
• Ranked 6th in Competition Success Review-GHRDC B-School Rankings 2008
• Ranked in the Super League (Top 10) in Business Standard B-School survey 2008
• Ranked 9th in ‘Top B-Schools in India’ survey 2008 conducted by HT-Mint and CFore
•Ranked 7th in wallstreet journal

On Sunday morning, 18-year-old Bajanjit Kaur hanged herself from the ceiling fan at her home in Powai. On Saturday morning, Dombivli resident Neha Sawant (12) was found hanging from a dupatta tied to a window in the bedroom. On Monday morning Sushant Patil (12), a Class 7 student of Shardhashram school in Dadar, was found hanging in the school toilet.

This news surfaced all over the television yesterday, and came as a shock to most of us. I could only imagine what the parents of these young ones would be going through. The question that raised in my mind was, “was it stress, confusion, pressure or motivation?” The most shocking reason was the one related to the suicide of the 12 year old. Police said the motive for her suicide is not yet established but suspect her failure to get into a reality show could be a reason.

We often believe that success is only when we achieve the best in life, the best job, the best car, the best lifestyle… but we do not realize that success is not a task that HAS to be done whatsoever, instead, it is a feeling that one needs to develop. More than the students, the parents fail to realize this fact.

Their over burdening expectations are making children struggle to achieve things that are not in their forte. When people have roses, they crave for tulips.

This is the basic problem we all suffer from at some point of time. We are never happy with what we have. We always crave for more. Someone said, “If you crave for more and more, only then will you achieve success”. But someone countered it and very rightly said, “If you have achieved your limits, then strive for excellence in what you have and what you are good at.”

People think that such notions are not present in the modern urban areas, in fact, a study proves that 70% of urban parents force their children to take up the professions or courses they want them to, as compared to only 15% in semi urban and rural areas. Thus we, the so called educated class fail to learn that it is not the pressure we put on our children that will make them succeed, instead, it is the freedom we give them to chose their area of expertise (which is a success in itself).

The very fact that failing in class becomes a social stigma for a student is depressing. If a child fails, and that too at an age of 10-15, it is but obvious that he will be demotivated. At an age when students need motivation, schools and colleges, with their though and “competitive” marking system make them believe that they are not capable enough.

In fact, the very belief in India that science and commerce subjects are better than arts related subjects proves the very failure of the education system in India.

I remember, when I was in school I took commerce tuition at a very popular institute here in Delhi. The master of the institute had a son who was interested in music and wanted to pursue his further studies in Music from London. But our worthy master ridiculed him and his desire, and forced him to take up a course of his and his wife’s choice. Today, their son is finding it extremely hard to cope up with the pressure of the studies, and the lack of extracurricular activities make him suffer all the more.

A study reveals that the average suicide rate for young women aged between 15 to 19 living around Vellore in Tamil Nadu was 148 per 100,000. This compares to just 2.1 suicides per 100,000 in the same group in the UK.

The global suicide rate stands at 14.5 deaths per 100,000, with suicide the fourth leading cause of death in the 15 to 19 age group. However, in the Tamil Nadu study, suicide was the number one cause of death among these adolescents.

Notably, young women were much more likely to kill themselves than young men – the reverse of the rest of the world. In Western countries, men are three times more likely to commit suicide than women.

“I was surprised to find the rates were so staggeringly high,” says paediatrician Anuradha Bose, who led the study at the Christian Medical College in Vellore.

All this is because of the growing expectations and the increasing competition around these students. A fact is that Indians, in particular, feel that there is an urge to make their children do tough and competitive courses and make them study abroad with MBA degrees and jobs which give them pivotal salaries and designations, but it is happinessthat we fail to consider.

Today, when alternative job opportunities like photography, pottery, etc. are springing out and creating good income opportunities, there is a need to open up our minds and look ahead of the societal norms of education. “Parents must understand that the age group from seven- to 18 years has low levels of tolerance and gets frustrated easily. It’s also when they respond strongly to humiliation and failure,” says Dr Shubhangi Parker, head of psychiatry department at KEM Hospital.

After writing such a long article, I wonder, will a teacher ever realize that it is high time she stopped humiliating her students? Will parents feel that there are multiple options in life, all that can lead to success? Will we ever feel that success is not pursuing the most sought after goal or profession, it is the excellence we achieve in what we are good at?

And I still wonder, will we ever consider alternative career opportunities?

A lot of question still remain unanswered. Be it about education, parenthood, profession, career or anything. It is only our conscience that can answer these questions.

Drop in a comment below or mail us at info@youthkiawaaz.com, you can also tweet us at@YouthKiAwaaz.

The writer is the Founder and Editor in Chief at Youth Ki Awaaz

Article Source: http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2010/01/adolescent-suicides-are-we-pushing-our.html

Durga Puja has been a festival of intrigue and great happiness. The pomp, the revelry. The gathering. And ofcourse, art and culture. All are on display here ! Check out last year !
At Powai there is this wonderful recreation of the ‘Sun Temple’ atKonark ! Here are some pictures ! All structures here are made out of Plaster, thermocol and wood. And to be dismantled in a weeks time !
Yesterday, there was ‘Anondamela’. Where people sold stuff that made at home. ( stuff as in ‘food’)!

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