Mumbai slice --- Am i disturbing you? PART1

MY son wont stay with those dhink-ching dhink-ching people. Mom pronounced her verdict. What is she talking about ? My stay in Mumbai of course. I was back to square one. Nowhere to go and dwindling opportunities.

Nov 12 2003 10 AM . I dont have a house yet. yikes! Now a girl, incidently a neighbour, whose face I had seen only thrice in my entire 2 years of stay in that flat (not that I was missing something) comes my place tells my mom she knows someone who stays 2 in a two BHK and wants a roomie. A glimmer of hope ? no way ... She continues... n says to me... You will really enjoy it. One of them is an assistant Director to Vikram bhat, Other one is a choreographer .... SATYANAASH, did you have to yapp now !!! Mommie dear goes berserk ... of course, waits for the helpful soul to leave. Then gives her decision, putting my wildly jumping heart back into the ribcage ... firmly. Another golden opportunity of enjoyment goes begging.

Ab kya karen ? A freak stroke of luck ... a friend of mine (Teju) calls. She says ... her friend ... who is in THAT company I am going to, knows someone who are looking for a roomie (confusing ain't it? Thats what was going through my head at that time). I asked who are they ? She says ... "I dont know that baba, I dont even know if it is a room or a PG". That was the time reality hit me ... like a football hitting a sleeping goalie, THUMP thud. Would it be senior people? brrr.. going home would feel like going to the teachers room in school. So will I be staying with one of those single tooth baldies. "Nah! wont be that bad" I consoled myself. Max, I would stay with a guy who was say about 5 years elder to me n someone who would not talk to me cuz I was the scum of the universe he had brought into the room and life would go on, not that I was dying to talk to those extra brainy people. Teju's friend was a GEM, I now had phone numbers and address of 5 people who wanted roomies. God Bless Teju and her friend.
Now for the tough part ... calling the guys ... Roomies anyone?

"Hello Sir, I have recently been placed in TCS and I am looking for a room, I got to know from a friend that you have place for a new roomie, could you please consider me joining you." does that feel similar to those credit card calls ? well you had to be so polite ... after all I was looking for a room ... in Mumbai.

NO NO NO NO ... I not have space ... someone commed and take yesterday, said a heavy oriya-bengali accented voice. Dude better buy that Rapidex English learning course, you need it, i thought, n i hung up saying thank you.

Mumbai Slice ... Part 1 - Standing alone.

Kripaya dhyaan den, Borivili ki dheemi local aaj platform kramank doh ke bajay platform kramaank theen se rawana hogi.


>yawn< Churchgate station 8:00 AM, 20 Oct 2003 Need to go to Andheri ..... I was standing there like boy being pushed into his classroom on the first day of his school life. This day was no different for me. My very first day in BBBBBBBBBBBBBOMBBBBBBBBAY well, Mumbai. Butterflies in my stomach, some of which I never knew existed,started their navratri garbha. People around me moving like a 1940s Dandi-march video. 2 people pushing and shoving into a train door enough for 5 people to simultaneously walk-in comfortably. Shoe wallas tapping their shoe boxes in rhythm adding to the clamour were the hawkers selling the world for a paltry sum of 10 Rs. A chugging local every mintue and the best of all the seat reservers


Mumbai, for me, a city of filth, a big gutter with gushing black thick liquid, sorry! ahem, the Mithi river, smelly groves, mosquitoes, and the smell of rotting hmmm ... cant categorize this smell sweat, shhhh*t, industry waste>yiltchk<. The stench, strong enough to kill all the butterflies within me let alone my stomach.

I was slowly coming to terms with getting into one of the Biggie Software cos of India. This was my first day. Reporting 10:30, in one its plush n' lush campuses for the joining formalities. Rest of the morning went in savouring the pleasurable sights smells (esp in the morning on both sides of the tracks) and sounds of this humongo-polis. They gimme a joining date of 15 Nov 2003. My slice of life called Mumbai Slice starts on the Day prior the 14th.

I have no more nails left.

Its been quite a caotic time for me over the last few days. Filled with anticipation. I have only one request to the world. Agar Na Kehna hai .... toh boldo na. Why the frickin suspense. Then the other one ... a scary proposition. I dont like it. but then I will not go with it if I dont like it. Looks like I will remain in this state forever. I know people should bide their time. But then, they should say so. I dont know I am as confused as ever. This should change.

fundamentals lost in the babel

What is going on ? The markets have fallen almost 5000 Points over the last month. And now this: Ambani has announced a bonus. Firstly, he is not infusing capital into his company, Nor is he generating more wealth, he is just doling out freebies to the people who have bought into REPL. Inturn what will happen? NOTHING. Price of the scrip will fall, which means the net amount (value) of the share will remain same. Will it help in the long run? Probably, but the basic thing is, you are increasing supply into already rich (which supply) market, there is dwindling demand. If this move is not an artificial way of increasing the price of his share, what is ?
REPL was a classic case of much ado about nothing. We have paid for a company which exists on paper.
By the way whose stake is he going to dilute? His own or will it be REL? If its his own, why? secondly why isnt the Record date announced ? if REL's stake is reduced, even REL's balance sheet will be going for a toss.

My tiny brain fails to comprehend any of this.