Randy loved Candies !!

There once lived a little 5 year old kid, Randy, and he loved candies. He loved them in all shapes, sizes and colours. He was fixated on its texture and its perceived taste. Yes, perceived as he had actually never had a candy till date. But yes, Randy loved candies.

Why? Randy had heard all sorts of deadly stories about candies. Tooth decay, bowel misbehavior; people who eat candies are bad people; eat too much candies and boogeyman will come and get you, etc. The list could go on. His dad, his elder sister, his aunt, uncle, just about everyone warned him not to eat candies. But most importantly, his mom had cautioned him against it. Randy loved his mom the most and would listen to anything she said. But then, he loved candies too.

One fine day, Randy’s mom announced “I am heading to the supermarket, anyone wants anything?” Randy wanted candies. But he couldn’t explicitly say it out loud. So, he hatched a devious little plan, walked up to his mom and said “Mom, Can I come with you to the supermarket”. “Of course, my darling”, said his mom. Randy’s eyes alighted. He could imagine himself sitting on a little red table, with a bowl full of candies, carefully unwrapping each one of them, placing them ever so smoothly onto his tongue and savouring the succulent, delectable, assortment of tastes the candies had in them. Randy was almost in a psychedelic trance. His eyes were closed, he had a subconscious smile on his face, and his mouth was watering. “Randy? Let’s go”, called out his mom. Randy exited from the trance, but the smile was firmly plastered on his face. Today was going to be a good day. After all, Randy loved candies.

Enroute the Supermarket, Randy was sitting in the backseat of the car and going through the nitty-gritties of his master plan in his head. He was convinced it was foolproof, and even his mom wouldn’t be able to see through it. He thought to himself, “Why hasn’t this idea passed through my brain before?”. But then probably, the wait was worth it. He was picturing Candy headed minions welcoming him with open arms. Boy, weren't they inviting. This was it. Randy's love for candies was going to be realized, pretty soon. His little heart was pumping with joy, anxiety and restlessness. After all, Randy loved candies.

After what seemed like an eternity but was just about 15 minutes, Randy's mom parked the car and made her way to the supermarket along with her little boy. Randy made his final mental preparations, ran through all his rehearsed dialogues and the facial expressions he had to adapt. He wanted to be sure he wouldn't make of mess of it. As mom was fiddling around in the grocery section, Randy got ready to put his plan to action. He summoned his best puppy dog face, tilted his neck ever so slightly, and held his mom's hand, “ Mom, Can I go check out the toys section?”. “Pleeaaaaseeeee?”, he added in the most adorable of voices. “No Sweetie, you shouldn't be going there alone. Stick around with me”, said his mom. Wait, what? This was not what he had imagined. He couldn't believe his plan got screwed up this easily. He closed his eyes in despair. But then, he saw the candy minion beaming at him and urging him to give another shot. Afterall, Randy loved candies.

Randy opened his eyes and “Please mom, I promise I won't do anything naughty. I will be a good boy and just play in the toys section. Pleaaasee?” The puppy dog eyes were in full force now. “Awwww. Okay sweetheart. But don't wander around. You remember Boogeyman right? I will be with you in 15 minutes sweetie”, said his mom. Randy brought forward his most charming face and went “Thanks Mom”. The first part of the plan was successful. Now was the time for deceit. Who wanted to go to the toys section, when it was the confectionery section that was beckoning him. His masterful plan had worked. He had conned and misled his mom with his incredibly slick acting finesse. His love was going to be realized. He double checked if his mom was still in detectable distance, and slyly made his way to the confectionery, No, Candy section. Oh yes, Did I say that Randy loved candies?

As he set out on his expedition, he was being guided by the Candy Minion. It was almost like he just knew where exactly the section was. And there it was. He could see it now. About 3 shelves in front, his precious was lying there in all its glory. It was glistening, it was inviting, it was enticing, It was seductive. It was beckoning him .A few paces away from him was lying the one thing that Randy would have made a horcrux of, if he were “You Know Who”. It was tantalizing, alluring. It was his crown jewel. It was one big packet of candies. Candies. CANDIES. One Big red packet of Candies. He began the slow walk towards it. He didn't want to rush it. He wanted to savour every bit of this monumental experience. He wanted to live the moment, while it was. Yes, you got it. Randy loved candies.

It was now just a couple of strides away. His lips went from a smile, to a grin, and then to a beam. This was it. In a few seconds from now, a candy would find its way onto Randy’s tongue, where it shall unwind and blend with his saliva and spread the succinct , delectable, exquisite tastes n colours all around his mouth, sending shivers down his spine, giving orgasmic pleasures to his brain cells and tingling each and every nerve in his body. Boi, Randy was enjoying every bit of it. Amidst the glut of thoughts, he had reached the shelf wherein lay the love of his 5 year life. “Randy loves candies”, he thought to himself.

Randy was on his toes, he stretched his tiny arms trying to reach THAT packet. Time seemed to have frozen around him, everything was moving in slow motion. He stretched, stretched and then stretched some more. His little hands had almost reached the packet of candies. He could touch the tip of the packet now. “Just a little more, Randy. just a little more”, the candy minion urged him. With all his might and ability, he pushed himself further than he ever had. The candies that Randy so dearly loved were going to be his, soon.

But then, “Mummy, Look. Candies. These will be perfect for my Birthday party”, a bigger, outstretched arm overtook Randy’s arm to the finish line, and grabbed that packet of candies. The tip of the packet escaped from Randy’s grasp, and the bigger arm had it in its grasp, as Randy looked on with utter dismay, and trepidation. He followed the projectile path that the packet followed all the way to the trolley, where it landed with a rather softening thud, as it was released off the grip of the bigger arm. Life had unfrozen, everything was back to normal. From a wide beam, Randy’s face now looked gloomy, morose and heartbroken. That was the only candy packet in that section, and to make things worse “Randy, What are you doing here”, bellowed his mom, as she caught him in his failed endeavor. His wily, masterful plan had failed. He was near, just a couple of fingertips away, but his destiny was stolen from him. The bigger arm guy had stolen it from him. “Nothing mom, I lost my way”, said Randy, as he ran and hugged his mom. Why was life so unfair to him, why couldn’t he ever get his peace of mind, why was the world conspiring against him? Candies were like Road Runner to Randy’s Wile.E.Coyote. No matter how hard he tried, he never was able to get a hold of them.

Randy still hadn’t tasted a candy. But then, Randy loved candies.       

Resources & Body Shopping? STOP using these terms!!

I have been a part of the almighty Indian IT industry for nearly 2 years now. I used to wonder why this huge bunch of dreamy eyed engineering college students chase the big fat IT company dream. It was akin to Bollywood’s classic “poor boy chases rich girl” scenario. It all sounded stupid. Now, I no longer wonder. I just know that it’s stupid. Seeking help from a classic cliché, it’s akin to digging your own grave.

This won’t be a rant on the shortcomings or idiosyncrasies of the IT Industry; that would require me to write a book. I would like to bring up one particularly pointless and convoluted part of corporate life, Office Jargon. There are 2 such jargons, which are mostly specific to the IT industry, i.e. “Resource” and “Body-Shopping”. For those who don’t know, a resource is a tag given for an individual with any specific skill-set; i.e. a person skilled in .Net becomes a .Net Resource. Body Shopping is when such “resources” are placed in the client location, to fill up vacancies in their IT organization.

I find both these references as extremely denigrating to the employees. I do understand that for an IT company to function, it does need to do the dirty work of its clients; hence hire people trained in certain skill sets and/or send them abroad to work in their client locations. But labeling them as resources or bodies, commoditizing human beings under the context of making profits for an organization, a non-living entity, is as belittling as it gets.

Any organization prides itself on its professional ethics. But dehumanizing their employees by tagging them as resources/bodies?  Will never sit right with me. What could the alternatives be? .Net Skilled professionals? I don’t know, it could be anything but resources. As for body shopping, just ban the abominable term. It sounds like something a cannibalistic clan would go about doing on a Saturday evening.

Relationships and Choice Blindness

Choice Blindness is a highly prominent psychology study that tries to explain how and why people make their choices. When we make choices, we try our best to defend by providing a vivid assortment of reasons. But do we actually know why we choose what we choose, or are we just blind to our preferences?

Peter Johansson, a renowned psychologist conducted an experiment in this regard. The results suggest that Choice Blindness falls under a much broader phenomenon, known Introspective Illusion. Most of us think that we know why we like a certain something, or why we feel the way we do. But the truth is, we are unaware of the origins of our own mental state, more often than not. And when we are pressed hard for an explanation for our choices/preferences, we just make things up. Or should I say, our brain makes things up for us.

Now, let’s look at the one thing which, according to me, is the most important part of our lives. Relationships. The friends we make and the special one we find for ourselves; once, twice, thrice, that depends on the individual. Think of that one closest friend of yours, or your better half. Now, try to think of why he/she is your best friend or how he did/she turn out to be your better half. You might come up with answers like they are interesting, share common interests, share common enemies, both of you like the same pizza, he/she is the most attractive person you know etc. Now, think this. Is it really true that of all the people you have met or come across, they are the only ones who share common interests with you, or are indeed the most Interesting people you have met? Are they indeed the most attractive person you know , or the person you think best fits your interests? Think a bit more, and you will almost certainly come up with a NO.

Why does this happen? How is that you choose that one person as your best friend or your better half, when you can be pretty sure that they actually aren't the best fit, and the reasons you gave are bullshit? Well, you can’t really blame yourself. It’s your brain that’s doing the dirty work for you, Choice Blindness to be more precise. You are oblivious to the choices you make, and when asked about the reasons, you try to justify yourselves with the random gibberish. That is the beauty of relationships, and that is how the best of relationships are forged.

However, Choice Blindness doesn't always happen. There are times when we should be seeking rationale before making our choices. For example, while going to buy a TV we can’t switch ourselves off and let the brain take the decision on its own. That has the potential to lead to a disastrous purchase decision. But when it comes to relationships, I believe seeking rationale or trying to justify it is often the cause of it breaking down. The more reason and/or justification we try to put forth for our friendship/relationship, it just means that the bond is weak and you would actually be better off without it.

And this, following from my previous blog, is why one should never seek for love or look to “make” friends. Because once you do that, you would actually be having preconceived notions and expectations on how the other person should be, and that will quite certainly, never lead to a happy, successful relationship. Yes, It is very much easier said than done, But as I have said earlier, just go with the flow. Your brain will do the rest ;)          

Love!! or Some such Thing!!

I don't believe in the idea of dating or courting. Two reasons – 1) I don't think they are the best ways of finding love, or rather Love isn't something that can be “found” 2) I don't think I am skilled enough to find a date for myself.

Let me put out a disclaimer right at the beginning. You may very well consider this blog as the author's attempt to console himself for reason No. 2, by trying to justify reason No. 1. But go ahead and give it a read anyway. You might find a couple of things that might make a wee bit of sense to everyone.

Love often starts when the guy/girl fancies a girl/guy and goes out of his/her way to impress her/him. And right here, It starts going all wrong for me. I mean if one has to “Impress” someone else to get their attention, Isn't it more of attraction than love?

Yes, your argument is absolutely valid if you say attraction is the ignition to the menagerie that is Love. People start to know each other better in the attraction stage, and from thereon it may or may not grow into love. If it does, good for them. If it doesn't, there might be a mini depression period. But eventually, they grow out of the attraction stage and try courting someone else they find “attractive”. Fair enough, but somehow It just doesn't ring the right bells in my brain.

There has been quite a lot written about love, articles, poems, verses and what not. Pablo Neruda, Oscar Wilde, Emily Dickson and likes have written everything there is possibly there to be written about love. I'll never be even an iota of a percentage as erudite as them, but here is my humble attempt to answer the “What is Love?” question.

Love doesn't start with a chase or “attraction”. Love begins with friendship. Love is not when you get attracted to someone of the opposite sex and feel the need to know more about them. Love is when you are attracted to them because you know enough about them. Love is not picking up your phone, texting/calling your better half 5 times a day. Love is most certainly not getting “upset” or “angry” because they didn’t reply to your text/call as they were busy. Love is trusting them enough, to understand they are busy, and that they will have a multitude of stories to tell when they do get back to you.

Love is not about going out of the way and “proving” you to be the best for them. Love is about being the best for them. I mean if you really have to prove something to a person, It can never be love. Love is not when you feel the need to get intimate or physical at every other instance. Love is when you get the orgasmic pleasure just by having long conversations with them. Love is not when you wish to hang out in theatres, malls and such "cool" places with your better half, on a date. Love is when a cup of coffee, a table and a random, meandering conversation is all you need to make a perfect date.

Having things in common isn’t a predecessor to love. Finding things in common with someone, that you never thought possible, might be one. Love is not about making them feel special. Love is when their mere presence is "special". Love doesn’t strike with innumerable phone calls/messages or the latest in thing, Whatsapp. Love is when you don’t yet know, that you are in Love.

So, never chase or be chased. It might lead you to finding a partner for life, but Love? Not quite so. Meet people. Make friends. Friends like you for who you are, you needn’t “impress” them to grab their attention. Just go with the flow. Who knows, 6 months/2 years/ 5 years or maybe even 10 years down the line, you might find your Love. A friendship that grows into love has to be the strongest and the most everlasting of bonds.

The Delectable Tale that is The Lunchbox

Dear Mr.Ritesh Batra, Where were you all this while?

The Lunchbox makes one ask this question. The movie is alluring, yet poignant. Remorseful, yet fulfilling. When you leave the movie theatre and head back home, The Lunchbox gives you a bittersweet feeling.

A bit on the premise of the movie. The Lunchbox is about two lonesome individuals; Saajan Fernandes, a widower approaching his retirement and stuck in an extremely mundane, desolate life and Ila, a housewife & caring mother, neglected by her husband due to his extra-marital affair. The story is centered on the dabbawalas delivering Ila’s dabba, meant for her husband, to a wrong address, i.e. to Saajan. When she realizes that the meal she had prepared for her loving husband was eaten by someone else, she writes a small note along with the dabba the next day. Saajan writes back and the irresistibly sweet tale of the budding friendship/love of two strangers commences. They exchange notes daily sharing with each other their lives, loneliness, dreams and memories of their dear ones. Go watch the movie and don’t wait for me to let out the entire story.

Performances. We all know the genius that Irfan Khan is. In one of his best performances till date, Irfan as Saajan makes a really complex character come to life with ease. His expressions, melancholy in his eyes and his body language as a loner, right upto the slight changes in his mannerisms when he opens up to Ila and falls in love with her. Phenomenal. In one of his letters to Ila, he writes “We forget things when there is no one to tell them to”. He emancipates this, through his performance.

Nimrat Kaur as Ila, is exceptionally good. Her performance as a house wife framed by neglect, stuck within the realms of her house is near perfect. She embodies the spirit of lacs of housewives who don’t often get to experience the kind of world many of us take for granted. The couple of scenes where she interacts with her mother (played by Lilette Dubey), her subtle expressions are a treat to watch.

Nawazuddin Siddique as Shaikh gives a charming performance. Shaikh is the cheery, optimistic guy poised to take over from Saajan at work. His attempts at bonding with Saajan, in spite of the latter’s reluctance, are endearing & funny to watch. He does absolutely no harm to his claims as one of the finest actors in the country at present.  There is also Auntyji, who lives right above Ila’s house and keeps giving her tips on cooking. She is the one who gives Ila the idea to send Saajan a letter to start with. I wish I could  thank Auntyji for that, but the movie doesn't give a face to her voice.

The real hero of the movie is debutant director, Ritesh Batra and his magnificent script. In an age of whatsapp, SMSes and Social Media, he scripts a charming love story relying on hand written letters hidden in lunchboxes. His story gives one an essence of the loneliness that harbors inside an individual, in the hustle-bustle of metros and how their lives go on with the hope, that someday things will get better. His treatment of the characters shows his understanding of the complexity of human emotions. One can’t wait to see what he has in store for us next.

I’ll give The Lunchbox a 5 on 5. It is one of the best love stories ever told in Indian cinema. It teaches you about love in the most subtle of ways. Go watch it, they don’t make them like this anymore.

A Guide on How NOT to Use your Social Media!

Last week, a 20 year old young lad from Coimbatore committed suicide because he wasn't able to see Vijay's movie, Thalaiva, on the day of the release. Usually, the death of a person is reason to mourn. But this time, It was more of disgust. Three reasons -

• Why would someone kill themselves over someone who they have no emotional bond with?
• Why would someone kill themselves over something which will constitute just 3 hours of their life?
• Why would someone kill themselves at all?

What was the reason behind the young man taking such a drastic decision over a movie? Was he proving himself to be a “true fan”? Or was he just an idiot?

Nowadays, celebrity fandom is at an unimaginable high . The more one thinks of it, Social Media is the dominant reason for this. How? Let's try to think this out.

The humankind mimics, by nature. We humans subconsciously mimic when we are in a conversation with an individual, especially if they share similar interests. This is done to empathize with the speaker or the social circle or the community at large. What is to be noted is that an individual mimics through social interaction. In today's era, where social media is mightier than a pen or sword, the interaction is significantly more. People follow one another on twitter, actively argue on fan pages on Facebook and more often than not, push oneself over the edge.

10 years ago, when Social Media was in its embryonic stage and Internet was still in making its transition from from Dial-Up to Broadband, social interaction was restricted to one's actual social circle. No, not the Google + circles. People used to discuss on any topic within their circle, and the possibility of the discussion spreading across other similar groups, or going viral, was extremely remote.

Fast forward 10 years, Social Media plays the cruel parasite which has the power to not just spread any discussion to numerous social circles, but to twist, mutate and shape shift in ways the reciever wants to concieve. Chinese whisper on the web, if you may. Celebrities more often than not play the role of an Epiparasite. And we humans, play the hosts to the parasitic ambitions of Social Media. The idea is very similar to that of Meme Theory.

Everytime, a new major movie is up for release we see the twitterati explode with millions of tweets on how the movie is either going to be orgasmically good or it's going to be an insult to the intelligence of the masses. It is perfectly fine for someone to express their opinion on Social Media. But being the parasitic hosts we are, we feed these ideas onto other similar hosts (read retweets, shares, likes etc). Once the parasitic infection reaches a given level where it becomes “cool”, mimicking springs into action. People who may not even be remotely interested in being a part of the menagerie to begin with are sucked into it.

Just as this blog was being written, Sachin Tendulkar tweeted something about his support of the MARD initiative. Fair enough. The disheartening part of all this is the tweets by his so called fans. Tweets like “God is back to twitter”, “I joined twitter only to check Sachin's tweets”, “OMG, Sachin is here. My day has been made” etc were a dime a dozen. The last I checked, there was just 1 tweet supporting the Initiative as compared to 10 random, meaningless tweets? Needless to say, it is quite unnecessary.

The weeks leading upto Chennai Express's release,it was a pain looking at my TL and FB wall. It was either fans going gaga over SRK's brilliance or how it will be the worst movie in the history of the planet. Similar was the case before the release (Or Non-Release) of Thalaiva. There was this one section of Vijay “fans” bickering about how they will watch the movie FDFS and watch it n number of times. When the news of its non-release spread, there were innumerable tweets/posts about how people won't watch any other movie till its release.

The human mind is tweaked in a way that it accepts and processes information that is readily accessible, regardless of its credibility. With a freeflow of not particularly sensible information on Social Media, our minds are subconsciously filled with what we see (Oh, she had this dessert at xyz, it looks so yummy, I wanna eat it too) or what we read (Oh, he is reading the Homer’s Illiad, what a pretentious douche) to what we engage in (Let me spam this page with racial slurs and sit back and enjoy the backlash) . It has come to a point where we fail to distinguish between what to embrace and what to ignore.

Let us not forget that social media is a wonderful tool to stay in touch with people and establish contacts, participate in healthy discussions over controversial matters and receive new perspectives of people whom you might have never even met. All we are saying is that when you post a status asking the 800 friends on your list (quarter of which you don’t know personally) “what should I eat for dinner?”, what makes you think anyone cares. You might argue that people got back to you on that post. Some suggesting what you can eat, others might’ve listed the dishes on their three-course meal and an odd one or two would’ve politely asked you to sod off.

All we are saying here is that use the tools to make something constructive or at least amusing. If you take them and bash them against one another then all you make is noise and that my dear, adds chaos in the cosmos.

PS: Thanks to +Bhavya Sharma for helping me make some sense out of this blog. 

Five Types of People You See At a Mall

Malls. Everybody loves them. The sheer variety of brands and shops in the malls makes it the United Nations of the retail world. Let’s take Chennai’s very own Phoenix as an example. We have the very Indian Big Bazaar right next to the very American Brooks Brothers. The irony of all of this being that, 90% of the people who visit malls do anything but shop.

Does that Include me? It probably does, not that it is a fault of mine. With Phoenix being a couple of hops from my place, I drop in whenever I am bored or there is a power-cut  You can’t expect me to shop every time. So, my favourite activity in malls is observing people and their idiosyncrasies. One gets to see such a vivid assortment of personalities that it seldom gets boring. Based on my observations, these are the 5 kinds of people you will certainly encounter in any mall.

The “I wear Shades, that instantly makes me about 279 times cooler than you” guy – Oh no. I have nothing against people wearing sunglasses. I mean it’s a perfectly sensible fashion statement while you are out there in the sun or on a beach. But wearing sunglasses inside a mall which has a fair blast of Air conditioning and enough provision to prevent sunrays from permeating inside? That is as wannabe as it gets. These guys can often be seen in tight tees, faded jeans, a ‘cool’ chain with some weird pendant dangling around their necks and sneakers on their feet. The strut in their walk is enough for people to mistake them to be the owner of at least one of the shops. The truth is you will seldom see them carrying even a single shopping bag. They are too cool for shopping now, aren't they?.

The “Isn’t this the Lakme Fashion Week?” girl – There is a section of the female sex which believes that one needs to get decked up in the best possible party clothes to visit a mall on a dull Thursday evening. Why? No one will ever know. These girls are often seen in small clusters, walking ever so slowly, blocking the entire corridor and forcing the people behind them to slow down in their endeavors. They can be found in stores like The Body Shop, Chemistry, Enamor, Parcos etc. Unlike the cool dude above, these pretty lasses do tend to shop at times.

The Big Bazaar family – “Papa, I want to buy that black skirt from Zara”. “Beta, you will get the same stuff in Big Bazaar for half the price. Why waste money?”. The family that stays together, shops together. In Big Bazaar. For them, Big Bazaar = Mall. You got to give it to them, for anything you get inside a mall, is also available in Big Bazaar, and at a much lesser price. Big Bazaars are strategically located besides the car park in malls. So, the BB family (No, not Blackberry) parks their car, goes to Big Bazaar, gets their groceries for the month, buys 2 black skirts for Rs.1200 rather than one from Zara at Rs.2000, collects their freebies and shoots back home. Happy Family, Economic Family. Mall gaya bhaad mai Family.

This is what a Mall will look like when people come just to shop. Deserted.

The Food Court gang – “Live to eat” is passé. “Live to eat in Food Courts” is the new mantra. Or At least that's what a certain percentage of people live by. These people come in a raucous gang of at least 4, roam through each and every corridor the mall has to offer, but never get inside any shop. After an hour or so spent wafting, the Food Court beckons them. They spend at least 2 hours here. The money they spend in eating and wasting food in one day will be enough to pay the credit card bills of an average American. Once they are done gorging, they spend an hour more wafting in the corridors to ensure indigestion stays away. A day well spent.

The Photographers – Save the best for the last they say. I say, save the most annoying for the last. Yes, this bunch of people is the most annoying lot that exists in a mall. These people are proof that smartphones or DSLRs and douchebags is a match made in the sacred garden of tomfoolery.  How else does one justify people getting their photos clicked in front of absolutely any form of art, banners of brands, with a can of pepsi, with a pizza in hand and what not? How else is blocking the entire corridor for a good minute just to get the perfect pic clicked rational? How else is getting yourself clicked in a dress which you have absolutely no idea of buying, with a stupid duckface excusable? And finally, how else does a ‘wearing shades and staring into the distance’ pose make sense inside a freaking mall? There should be an exclusive photography zone in each mall to quench the thirst of this bunch. The malls will be a much better place then. 

Bat n Pad - The Online Cricket Store

Cricket. As clichéd as it may sound, It is a religion in India. Whatever be the format, there is an audience for it. Ok, to be truthful, probably Test Cricket is not the preferred format in India, but you do get what I mean. There will be scandals, losses and talks of the Sport being on the decline. But truth be said, Cricket will easily survive and is here to stay.

Being such a huge relevance in the country, It comes as quite a surprise that there is no single store or business, which has its focus solely on cricket. Yes, we do have many multi sports stores which sell cricket merchandise. This is where the idea of Bat n Pad was conceived.

We aim to target a specific audience for our goods but welcome all those love what we have to offer and wish to associate themselves to our brand. Bat n Pad is only limited to clothing retail presently but product diversification is on the cards. We aspire to cater to all your cricketing needs.

We will be launching our operations very shortly. The sales and operations in Chennai will begin first. We will be shipping to places all over India within 30 days. To stay in touch with us, to know more about us check out our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/BatNPad). And when you do it, you may as well like it.

The Republic of Molossia - A Micronation

I have been reading quite a bit about Micronations off-late and it has been fascinating. The very idea that a few people consider themselves to be above their own nation and consider having their own country is as absurd as it is funny. So, a micronation is an entity/person that claims itself to be an indepentent nation or state, though it is not recognized by the concerned global organizations (Read United Nations). They claim sovereignty over the physical territory they exist upon and even have their own currency, flags and national anthems; all this while not being recognized as a separate nation.

There have been quite a few micronations springing up around the globe, but the one I am going to talk about here is the one which has kindled my interest the most. The Republic of Molossia. This micronation was founded by Kevin Baugh and is spread over a "monstrous" area of 1.3 acres. It consists of 1 house, i.e. Kevin's own house which doubles up as the Government house. It has its own flag and its own Time Zone. And its capital is Espera.

This “country” lies in the state of Nevada. Lying adjacent to the city of Dayton, this country consists of Kevin's house, 0.0001 acres of free land and another tiny property. It is surrounded by Nevada on all sides (quite obvious that). Apart from this piece of land, Molossia also lays claim to Vesperia, which happens to be 49,881 sq miles of land on the planet, Venus and a spot in the Pacific Ocean named Neptune Deep, which lies about 750kms southwest of Mexico. Oh Yes, You are reading it right.

This mirconation also has a fledging tourism industry. They offer you guided tours of the entire property and has micronation themed art installations to attract tourists. You should possess a valid passport though and all these tours are by prior arrangement. In case you are going to Molossia do ensure you dont carry Tobacco and Incandescent light bulbs with you. Don't ask why. Just don't do it. 

This micronation also has a website of its own. You must check it out. Or check out its wiki page to know more about it. Oh yes! did I tell you that Kevin Baugh also happens to be the President of this nation?

The President of the Republic of Molossia

Sports Fiction - The Redemption That wasn't

 Year 2008 – India vs Australia, 5^th ODI, Mumbai. Series Decider

*This match is going down to the wire. 9 required now of the last over. Sachin Tendulkar has played a lone hand for India, yet again. Can he finish things off? It will be Shiv though facing up to Brett Lee, Here we go* rung Ravi Shastri’s voice

Shiv was sweating and nervous. The manic crowd atmosphere wasn't of much help either. *Sachin, Sachin clap clap clap* echoed around the stadium. The pressure was on him to take an all important single and give Sachin, his God the strike. To make matters worse, it was his debut. He was 27 years old. A late debut for an Indian Cricketer, but he had finally made it to the big league. He had given a decent bowling performance picking up 2 wickets for 45 runs. But this was much more than he had bargained for. He had hoped the batsmen would finish the job, but no. Shiv checked on his gloves, adjusted his helmet, took a deep breath, tried to calm his anxiety and took guard.

Brett Lee was charging in. Shiv had seen this on TV before. He was used to sitting with his friends and watching in awe as Lee charged in towards the batsmen. But now, he was facing THE Brett Lee himself. No, there was no way he could do this. He backed off from the delivery at the last instance. *Sachin, Sachin* had now changed to *Booooooooo*. Shiv wasn’t sure what was going on. Sachin walked up to him, kept a hand on his shoulder and said “Don’t worry man, You will be alright. Just put bat on ball, and run. Go for it, Let’s do it for our team”. Shiv nodded meekly.

Sachin walked back to the non-striker’s end. It was only then something struck Shiv. Sachin had just told him it will be alright. SACHIN had told him. Everything had to be alright then. With a new found confidence, Shiv took guard. A charging Brett Lee now looked like a Mozart's piece in motion. It could do no harm. With each of Lee’s steps, Shiv’s confidence bolstered. Lee unleashed one of his lethal bouncers. Shiv closed his eyes, semi-ducked and semi-swayed away from the incoming ball, lifted his bat above his head, shouted “jai mata di” and wafted his bat in the air. And ran. In spite of all his theatrics, the ball had dropped just behind the stumps. He ran, Sachin ran, Lee ran, Wade dropped his keeping gloves and ran, David Warner, from point, ran.

*A Nasty bouncer from Lee, Shiv gets his bat on ball. The ball drops just behind the stumps. This could be a tight run*    

Shiv saw nothing but the non-striker’s end. He had never run this fast. For that instant, he looked like an Indian Olympic hopeful. As soon as he neared the crease, he put in an almighty dive and made it. He felt relieved, kind of elated. Sachin was going to be on strike now. 8 required of 5. Easy that. But the relief was only for a wee bit. The crowd was hushed. There were a few celebratory calls, but they sounded foreign. He checked the stumps at his end, the bails were intact. "Oh Damn, don’t tell me what I think has happened",

*That is a massive blow*

Shiv got up and turned back ever so slowly.

*Shiv, on debut, might have just cost India the match here*

The Australians were mobbing Wade and ruffling his hair.

*Sachin is gone for 97. India in deep trouble. The Australians will think this is in their hatchet. But as they always say, It aint’ over till the fat lady sings*

Yes, That man with Jersey No.10 was walking back to the pavilion. The crowd was stunned. Sachin Tendulkar was run out trying to attempt a non-existent single. Shiv, on debut, had run the Little Master out.  In Mumbai. Sachin’s home ground. He hung his head in shame. Shame was too soft a word. He was standing there at the non-striker’s end feeling like digging a ditch right beside the pitch and burying his face in it. The fat lady had sung for him. 

Year 2018- India vs Australia, Bengaluru. T20 World Cup Final

*The crowd is electric here as the match has come down to the wire. 10 required of the last over for India to lift the T20 trophy. Shiv in his final match, will it be a fairytale ending for him?*

Shiv was standing in the non-striker’s end. This was his final match. He had called it quits. He had quite an accomplished career. His batting had improved drastically since his horrific debut match and had a decent bowling record to go with it. He was India’s long impending answer to the “Who after Kapil Dev” question.

In spite of having a career which included a T20 WC win in 2016, overseas test series victories in South Africa and Australia, and 10 test match tons, It was his debut which flashed in his mind as the match approached the last over. It was 10 required of the last over again. He was donning the role of a senior batsman now. No, he was most certainly not thinking of himself as Sachin Tendulkar. That would have been criminal. Nor was the person batting along with him exactly a debutant. He had 10 matches behind him. But, somehow he felt this was similar. He felt a sense of deja vu.

India had lost that match by 7 runs due to his ineptness, and hence had lost a home ODI series. The situation was quite similar today. India needed 9 runs to get of the last over with just 2 wickets remaining. Shiv was on 32 and couldn't take a single of the last ball of the penultimate over.  Prashant was going to be on strike. He had to ensure that Prashant didn't make the same mistake. The single had to be taken first ball. Period.

The stakes were much higher here. It was the finals of a world tournament. Shiv wanted to make his exit in the grandest style possible. He wanted to hit the winning shot. He was probably being selfish, but for all that he had done for Indian Cricket he felt this was pardonable. On second thoughts, he wasn't really being selfish. Shiv facing 5 balls would win the match for India. Where is the selfish here? But this was about redemption. His debut performance had always been hurting him. He could change everything with this match, or so he felt. His mind was clouded with all these random thoughts.

The stadium was buzzing. The final was in Bengaluru. Not in his hometown. Phew! At least one thing that is not similar. He looked back at who was being given the ball. James Pattinson it was. AH! There goes another similarity. A fast bowler. Why can’t it be Glen Maxwell? Shiv met Prashant in a mid-pitch conference. “I am not gonna tell anything different. Just take a single. First 5 rounds is on me tonight”. Prashant just smiled and nodded. Shiv was confident that Prashant will do a much better job of this than he had done in THAT fateful match. He smiled to himself and went back to the non-striker’s end. Edgy, smiling and somewhat confident.

*So, here we go. Pattinson Charging in. It’s the rookie Prashant on strike. Can he sneak in a single from somewhere*

As Ravi Shastri’s voice was rumbling the television sets at home, the Bengaluru crowd was buzzing with excitement and nervousness.  Shastri with his clichés was right for once. Pattinson was actually charging in. Prashant looked confident, but his heart must have been thumping.

It was a bouncer. Another similarity. Prashant brought out his best hook shot. But it was only as good as getting a top-edge. Shiv bellowed “Ruuuunnnnnnnnnnn”. Prashant ran. Shiv ran. The ball flew. Wade ran. Starc ran from Deep Fine Leg and Steve Smith ran from Mid-Wicket.

*The ball has taken the top edge and this has gone really high. Three people converging. Who is going to take it?*

Shiv knew there would be no problem completing the run, but he wanted Prashant to stay with him till the end. Playing 5 balls with just 1 wicket remaining was going to be risky. Keeping one eye on the ball, Shiv ambled on to the striker’s end.

*Would you believe it? The ball has bisected the three fielders perfectly. Superb placement by Prashant. More importantly, that brings Shiv on strike. India would now feel they have one hand on the trophy already*

Yes. Prashant was safe. Somehow, none of the 3 fielder had managed to grab the ball. The run was completed quite safely in the end. 5 balls, 9 runs, 2 wickets, Shiv on strike. Shastri had got it right again; India now had one hand on the trophy. Or at least that’s what Shiv felt.

….

…..

…….

*Shiv finishes off in style. India retains the T-20 trophy. After a humdinger of a contest, India have got the better of Australia. And it is that man Shiv again. Doing it for his team in his final match*

Shiv had done it. If there was ever a fairy-tale ending, this was it. He had slogged the 4^th ball of the final over, through the mid-wicket region for 4. The match was in the kitty. The trophy was India’s. India was now the No.1 team in the world in all 3 formats. Personally, Shiv had just accomplished a perfect retirement. His career was pretty short by Indian standards. Little less than 10 years. But he had a cricketing resume that anyone would have been proud of. Hitting the winning runs in the finals of a global tournament in his retirement match was now going to be the highlight.

Shiv was letting the moment sink into him .His team-mates had mobbed him and the celebrations were on. Shiv was struck between being emotional and elated. It was a wonderful place to be in. “Not just the first five rounds, the entire party will be on me today”, Shiv thought to himself.

…….

…..

….

"Man, why do I think so much. Shut down your freaking mind. Yes, this match is ours. Just finish it off dammit”, Shiv muttered to himself.

The Australians were taking a bit too much time to get their field right. This was the only trophy that had never adorned their extensive cabinet. They couldn't let this one slip.

Shiv took a few deep breaths. He had done this before. He had won matches for India on his own. But somehow this felt different. One, he had never done it in this kind of a tournament. Secondly, he had put himself in an undue pressure of this being his final match and all the redemption thoughts. 

*The Australians have finally managed to get their fields right. Here we go, Pattinson to Shiv. Where is Shiv gonna make this one land?”, Shastri was in his element that night. This kind of a situation was made for him*

Shiv dug his bat on the pitch. His mind was still cluttered, but he knew what he had to do here.  The fine leg was up, and he was going to scoop this. Regardless of where the ball was pitched, the ball was going up, over and between the keeper and short fine leg.

Pattinson looked menacing as he began his run-up . Prashant was in all readiness to take a cheeky single or convert the single to two. But Shiv had made up his mind; he was not going to run. The ball was going to the boundary. Pattinson in his delivery stride, Shiv made his initial movement and crouched a little. 

The ball was delivered.  145kmph. By the looks of it, It was going to be on a good length, just around the line of off-stump. Shiv made his moves, the bat now resembled a ramp and he was just waiting for the right moment to direct the ball to the boundary. The ball kissed the bat, as Shiv tried to hoick it over the keeper’s head.

*What has Shiv done here? This is disaster for India. The middle stump has gone for a walk*

The ball did not hit the meat of the bat. It did not get the elevation that it needed to. It just followed the path it was destined for and hit the middle stump at the top. The bails flew and the stump cartwheeled.

*Shiv let the pressure get to him. You got to question the shot selection here. India are now 9 down. With 9 required of 4 and the main batsman back in the hut, this should now be Australia’s game to lose*

Shiv had screwed it up again. This was everything that he feared. He had messed it up for India yet again, albeit in a completely different way. He stared away at the cartwheeling stump and sensed an elated Pattinson pass him to celebrate with the keeper. The crowd was hushed. The Indian dugout had their heads in their hands, visibly stunned. Shiv began the longest 70m walk he had ever taken/will ever take in his life. Fairy-tale endings are not as frequent as they should be. Shiv finished his career just the way he started it. Redemption was not his solace.

*But as they say, It isn't over till the fat lady sings*

Yes, few things don’t change. India had lost the match by 7 runs.  Australia had lifted the 2018 T20 World Cup.

Konaki Sumo - Japan

This post is a part of the A-Z April Challenge.

From beautiful places to Weird customs. And where better to look than Japan. Sumo is a traditional wrestling form that originated In Japan. Sumo wrestling is considered to be the national sport of Japan, Japan is also the only country where it is practiced professionally.

Give this sport a bit of a tweak, well actually a big one, and we have Konaki Sumo. Konaki or Nazikumo is a 400 year old tradition that still continues in many a Japanese temple. The biggest of these confluences takes place in April in the Sensoji Temple.

Super Baby: Leave me, Krypton needs help.

So, this is how the festival works. Two sumo wrestlers complete in their wrestling attire hold a baby each in their hands and face each other. And they wait. They wait for at least one of the babies to cry. There is a priest who usually tries to scare off the kids by waving and shouting. The wrestler holding the baby which cries first is deemed the loser. The wrestler with the most baby friendly hands and the non-fussiest baby has his hand held high in the end.  

This festival is actually the time for praying for a baby’s health. Based on a Japanese proverb “naku ko wa sodatsu”, i.e. “Crying babies grow faster”, it is believed that the louder a baby cries, the more blessings God shall shower on him or her.  So, the Sumo Wrestler holding the loudest baby might be knocked out of the competition, but the baby is a winner all the way.

Jeita Grotto - Lebanon

This post is a part of the April A-Z Challenge.

Now that we are talking about caves, lets stick to it for sometime. From Iceland to Lebanon. And devoid of Ice. Still quite beautiful.

Located about 18 kms from the capital city of Beirut, Jeita Grotto is an extensive cave system. It is a combination of 2 different cave systems with a combined length of nearly 9 kms. These limestone caves were inhabited in prehistoric times and now attracts tourists. It is a big attraction in Lebanon owing to its stalactite formations and bright colours. This system is home to the biggest stalactite on earth.

There is also a lower cave which can be visited only by boats. The reason being it is an underground river which provides the million lebanese with fresh drinking water.

Jeita Grotto was one of the nominees for the New 7 Natural wonders of the world. It is quite obvious why it got that distinction. Lebanon is apparently not just famous for having the most beautiful girls. There is abundant natural beauty a well.

Ice Cave - Skaftafell, Iceland

This post is a part of the A-Z April Challenge

Caves are always an exciting place to visit. But if the caves are made up of ice, they become doubly exciting. And simply put, Gorgeous.

Ice caves are temporary structures that form usually at the edge of Glaciers. Iceland, as if it didn't have its share of jaw-dropping beauty already, is home to this cave that is located on the base of the Svinafellsjokull Glacier, in Skaftafell. The old ice, which could possibly be centuries old, that comes down the slope of the glacier has matured into Ice that is under high pressure and has virtually no air bubbles.

The lack of air leads to it absorbing almost all visible light, giving it a bluish tinge. The blue ice is visible mostly in the winters when there has been significant rainfall and the surface layer of the glacier has been washed away. The cave has a 22 foot entrance and gradually squeezes down to a mere 4 foot exit. The cave is safe to visit only in the winters as the ice then will be hard. You will hear quite a few creaky sounds anyway. Don't be scared, Its just the glacier moving.

Enough of Science behind it, just enjoy its magnificence. There are a few ice caves around the globe, but this one with its blue ice takes the cake. Iceland has become a part of the Euro-trip now.  

Hell's Door - Turkmenistan

In one of the Tom and Jerry episodes “Heavenly Puss”, Tom is given a certificate of forgiveness and one hour to get it signed from Jerry. If he manages to do so, he will be headed to heaven. Else he would be banished to Hell, where Spike waits eagerly amidst a hot cauldron and lots of glowing coal. You would be lying if you say you did not feel sorry for Tom there. That place looked quite scary even though it was just a cartoon.

We need to be more scared now, for a place very similar to it exists on our planet Earth. Oh Yes, Hell’s door has opened in Turkmenistan. Located in the Kara-Kum desert, in the village of Derweze (Or Darwaza, i.e. door) this place has been burning for about 40 years now and bears the look of a humongous cauldron.

Spike awaits you

So, how did this Door to Hell open up? Turkmenistan has a fair share of oil fields. The Soviet Union scientists discovered substantial oil reserves in this particular site and started with the drilling. The scientists did find the natural gas they were looking for, and hence started storing it. However, Nature decided to troll the humankind and the ground beneath the drilling rig collapsed, opening up a huge crater. Though no lives were lost in this accident, Methane gas was released. This gas had the potential to be an environmental threat as well as a threat for the people in the nearby village.

Fearing the obvious, the Scientists decided to burn the gas off. This was done because extraction of the gas from deep down would have been an expensive and not the most feasible option. It was expected that the gas would burn off in a few days, but it is still burning. The reason could possibly be natural gas from nearby deposits finding its way to this reserve and fueling the fire constantly.

The sight is pretty spectacular during the nights. The glow from the fire and ember can be seen from miles away. Though It is possible to go till the edge of the of The Hell’s door, the heat from the burning carbon is so intense that one can’t stay near it for more than a couple of minutes. 

So, who’s in for a trip to Turkmenistan?          

Great Blue Hole - Belize

This post is a part of the A-Z April Challenge. 

Ill keep this one short. Staying in the Americas but going a bit down south. Belize. Some 70 kms from the city of Belize, lies this beautiful "Great Blue Hole".

The hole is exactly circular in shape, about 300 meters wide and 124 meters deep. It was formed over years of Quaternary Glaciation when sea levels were much lower. The Great Blue hole is a part of the Belize Barrier Reef system and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is also one of the world's best scuba diving sites.

Though this place is extraordinarily beautiful, I would't necessarily like going here. I should have learnt swimming when I was young.

To know how this was formed, read this. 

Fly Geyser - Nevada, USA

This post is a part of the April A-Z Challenge

There are a few places on Earth which quite literally look Out of the World. They will not feel out of place in a Martian landscape. This next place is one of those.

Fly Geyser, Nevada, USA. Next Stop in the A-Z world tour. This place looks otherworldly. There are 2 things that make it much more unique – It is semi man-made and it lies on private property.

Yes, all this beauty on a private land owned by Todd Jaksick. It is a small geothermal geyser located in Washoe County, Nevada. It is large enough to be seen from the road, but only a few select researchers and photographers have ever been to this place, with permission of course. Owing to its secretive location, it is not a well-known tourist attraction. Which is quite a shame.

Let’s go a bit into its history. There were initially 2 geysers on this property. The first one was created way back in 1916. The owners of the place drilled into the land, looking for water, hoping that it would make the desert area into a farmland. And they were lucky, they did hit water. However, due to some odd stroke of luck the drill hit a geothermal packet of water, resulting in a geyser.

However, this is not the geyser which is spewing away currently. In the 1960s, the hot water somehow got diverted to a place about 100 meters from the original geyser, giving birth to a natural geyser. The first one has gradually subsided, and the younger geyser is still active.

This geyser has now developed into a beautiful multi-coloured hillock surrounded by a slushy pond. The colours are due to minerals, a whole wide range of them, mixing with oxygen in the air. It is surrounded with thermophilic algae, which thrives in such hot environment adding a green and red tinge to the surroundings, accentuating the otherworldly look. The place has developed an ecosystem of its own. With its vivid canvas of colours, many an organism would be willing to hop in there.

Many organizations have attempted to buy this land and open it for the public, but the owners have not budged. The land is bordered by a fence and a locked gate, with spikes adorning it. So, don’t attempt trespassing. There is one alternative though. If you are ever driving your way to the nearby town of Gerlach, look for Bruno’s Restaurant. They can help you reach the owners of this land, who do day tours seasonally for 25-50$ a day.

Bucket-list updated.  

El Colacho - Spain

This post is a part of the A-Z April Challenge

Staying in Spain. Let’s go from Lloret de Mar to Castrillo de Murcia, a 7 hour journey if Google maps is to be trusted. Quite a small, sleepy village which won’t catch the attention of a weary traveler. It has all the traits of being an ignored, lost town in the near future if not for El Colacho.

The world has a fair share of weird and crazy festivals, but none can be jumping over babies dressed in bright clothes weird. El Colacho in Spanish means Baby jumping. And that’s exactly what happens during this festival. A man dressed in weird clothes, that make him look like a Telugu movie Elvis Presley, jumps over babies who were born over the last 12 months.

El Colacho is a traditional Spanish festival that dates well back to 1620. It is celebrated annually to celebrate the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi in the village of Castrillo de Murcia. The brotherhood of Santisimo Sacramento de Minerva (Don’t ask me what that is) organizes a week long celebrations for the people of the village.

The final day, usually a Sunday, is when the El Colacho comes to town. During this event, a person dressed as the devil(Or Colacho), in bright yellow clothes with a bit of red, jumps over babies, who are laid down in mattresses in the street. There is usually a route that traverses the village, and mattresses are laid along it. The act is known as El Saito del Colacho, or just El Colacho for laymen.

Say Hello to Colacho

How exactly did someone give birth to this idea of baby jumping is unknown, but the reasons for it are apparently well defined. It is said to cleanse the babies of the sins committed in their previous birth and also ensures their safe passage through life, guarding them against illness and evil spirits. Brilliant I must say.

The Church considers this act abominable and has asked the Spanish priests to stay away from it. It believes Baptism by water and not jumping over babies by a random person dressed as the “Devil” is what cleanses the “Original Sin”. It has clearly fallen on deaf ears in Castrillo de Murcia.

The festival has been rated as among the most dangerous in the world, for obvious reasons. Personally, I find it more Stupid than dangerous. Spain, you just lost 1 point.  

Disaster Cafe - Spain

This post is a part of the A-Z April Challenge.

How many have experienced earthquakes? What would your first reaction be? Cover your heads and rush to the roads or some open ground. You don’t have that option if you are sitting in one particular hotel in Lloret de Mar, Spain.

Yes, if you find a normal dining experience with your loved ones too mainstream, head to Disaster Café. Where a 7.8 magnitude earthquake will not spoil your meal, but instead enhance the experience. And Of course, you got to pay for it.

From the outside, the Disaster Café looks like just another restaurant and seems like the last place where you would find simulated earthquakes. At the ground level, the Café is essentially an Alien themed restaurant, designed in the form of a spacecraft. On weekends, the kids are treated to Alien shows and loads of other fun activities. Seems pretty normal till now.

For grown ups, this is merely a starter. Customers who are thrill seekers are taken underground in an elevator, where they are welcomed to a cave-like restaurant. The first thing you would notice is the waiters and staff wearing construction hats and safety gear. Secondly, the dishes in which food is served is much heavier than normal. The food as such in the restaurant is allegedly quite good. So, you are happily gorging away and making small talk with your friends. What could possibly go wrong?

And then, disaster strikes. A 7.8 magnitude simulated earthquake shakes up the place pretty good. One can hear people screaming, chairs and tables moving all over the places, the lights flickering and pretty much everything in disarray. One can just wait for the “ordeal” to end. The heavy dishes almost always ensure the food stays put, but one can never be sure with earthquakes. Due to the controlled environment, there has never been any injury in the Disaster Café.

Do ensure that you are not at your best outfits in this restaurant. The café is not responsible for your favourite dress being spoiled by spilt drinks or food. So, that’s one more addition to my bucket-list. Boy, it keeps growing. Sponsors are most welcome. Anyone willing?

Chatillon Car Graveyard - Belgium

This post is a part of the A-Z April Challenge

World War II. The war was nearing its end and the US troops who were stationed in Chatillon, Belgium were given withdrawal orders. The officers were obviously elated to be able to get back home, but there was one dilemma that was kind of troubling them. What to do about their cars?

Lots of the American troops had managed to acquire cars for themselves (How is a different question). Now that they were being sent back, it was going to be tough and expensive for them to ship the cars. Though it was common to have all their goods boarded, there were some 500 cars to be shipped and the logistical costs were too high to be manageable. So, the Officers decided to leave the cars in Belgium. The cars were driven up a hill and parked along the forest, oblivious to the outside world. 

Once in US, the Officers who wanted to ship the cars back home had to do it on their own expenses. Most of them, in fact all of them weren’t willing to part with cash and not a single car was retrieved. Nearly 70 years down the line, the cars are still there. Welcome to the Chatillon Car Graveyard.

Zombie Apocalypse begins with the Cars

Currently, there is just one graveyard which is home to about 100-150 vehicles, some of which are among the oldest car models made while others were added by soldiers in the later years. There used to be 4 graveyards in and around Chatillon with nearly 500 cars, but over time the locals and car collectors have laid it bare.

The spot looks extremely creepy, but appealing at the same time. It is a hit among photographers and explorers. Though the decomposed cars lying together and intertwined with the forest is a grievous reminder of what happened across Belgium and Europe in course of the World War II, it exhibits a surreal beauty which is quite unparalleled. The forest has over the years devoured and gnawed on the cars, while they lie there almost embracing their slow death. Somber, yet an astonishing view.  

The spot would also make a perfect movie set, especially for the paranormal movies. Or it could also be a villain’s abode. Or just to be different, maybe shoot a zombie love duet.

There are a few other similar car cemeteries around the world, including an underwater car graveyard in Legrena, Greece. Must visit one of these sometime. An addition to my bucket-list.  

Check this out for a whole range of creepy pictures of the graveyard. 

Boryeong Mud Festival - South Korea

This is a part of the A-Z April Challenge.

Holi. The festival of colours. A festival that many people dread, especially in South of India. As an ad on TV says “South Indian, No Holi”. I mean who would want to get themselves drenched in multicoloured water and look like an inspiration for psychedelic artists.

There are a bunch of people though who take it a notch higher. Most of them come together in Boryeong, South Korea in July every year. So, what do they play with? Tomatoes? Na, that’s so Spain. Eggs? Nopes, We do that in India. It must be Chocolate then is it? Nopes, too expensive. Alright, blurt it out already.

Welcome to the Boryeong Mud festival. Where you can do anything that’s mud. But, how did one even think of doing something like this? Mud is well, mud. How did a person conceive the idea of having a mud festival where people fling mud at each other and actually have fun doing it?

No, This isn't Takeshi's Castle

Boryeong is a small town in Korea, around 200 Kms from the capital city of Seoul. It’s most prized resource is mud. A good part of 9.9 million square meters of the area here is covered with mud, also known as the Boryeong Mud Flats. But, this is not your average dirty, yucky mud. The mud found here is said to be rich in minerals like Germanium and bentonites, which are supposed to be valuable ingredients for cosmetics and also prevent wrinkles.

Cashing in on this, a South Korean cosmetics company started a range of cosmetics using the mud from the mud flats in 1996. The company was quite small and couldn't afford to spend on advertising and commercials. Hence, the Boryeong Mud Festival was born. The company thought it was a great way to promote their products as their potential customers could experience the benefits of mud firsthand.

The festival started in 1998 and has been an annual attraction since then. The mud is taken from the mud flats to the Daecheon Beach each year in July for the visitors to get dirty in. It is quite famous among tourists, expats and native Koreans alike. It had a footfall of 2.2 million in 2011 and is expected to cross 3 million this year.

For the entirety of the festival, many attractions are erected along the beach area. These include mud pools, mud slides, mud prisons and Mud skiing (Yes, you heard it right). If mud is not your thing, there is live music and lots of competitions running for you. Or you could get acupuncture or treatments done for your skin using that very mud. For people who love to get messy even after the festival, there runs a small market selling the products made out of Boryeong mud. There is also a festival culminating fireworks display which one would not want to miss.

The Boryeong Mud festival this year will run from July 19^th to July 28^th. Book your tickets and indulge yourself. Or does Holi seem so much better all of a sudden?  

Air Guitar World Championships - Finland

This post is a part of the A-Z April Challenge 2013

There are lots of people who would give an arm to be the best Guitarist in the world. But ever considered being the best Air Guitarist in the world?

Justin “Nordic Thunder” Howard of USA considered it. And his dream came true. He won the gold medal in the 2012 edition of the Annual Air Guitar World Championships. Yes, you heard it right. There is a world championship for Air Guitarists.

Every year, Oulu, Finland plays host to hoards of hopefuls who fight it out in front of a sellout crowd to be crowned as the ultimate Air Guitarist. This championship was initiated in 1996 as a part of the Oulu Music Video Festival. Since then participants have thronged Oulu from all over the world, to compete among their compatriots in skills of playing Air Guitar. The rationale behind the event as mentioned in their site is to promote World peace. The ideology is that “wars would end and all the bad things would go away if everyone just played air guitar”.  

There are similar regional competitions held in Austria, USA and UK, the winners for which qualify for the world championships. In January, 2013, India and Kazakhstan joined the Air Guitar World Championships (AGWC) network. Prospective air guitarists from these countries will be looking forward to strut their stuff in Finland.

So, how does this Air Guitar Championships work? Well, it’s quite simple. A song, usually with some heavy guitar work in it plays in the background and the participant has to do the best possible impersonation of the actual guitar using his hands.

There AGWC network has now been active for about 15 years and the Championship is in its 18^th year. The network has 20 countries and expanding. This year’s championship is scheduled for 21^st August. Anyone game for it?

An “Oh It can’t be true” Fact regarding Air Guitar: Our very own Sanjay Dutt is an avid Air Guitarist and won gold medal in a similar competition held in New York some 25 years back.