Sex, lies, and godmen!

So, first we had the Visa god and thanks to TBG we found out the real purpose the place served.
Next, in line misusing God's name to mint money is Ichchadhari Sant Swami Bhimanand Ji Maharaj Chitrakoot Wale! (Gosh! u believe that name??!!)


God and sex sure sells the most and if both get together under some garb - boy! that's double whammy!!
So, the godman in question has been caught by Delhi Police for carrying out a prostitution racket for the last 10 years. (Prostitution?? Yes! Yes!) The Swami serviced very high profile shareef citizens of Dilli inside a temple he had built! (Inside the temple?? Yes! Yes!).  His network is believed to consist of dozens of girls...including models, college going girls, and air hostesses. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Godman-nabbed-with-six-women-sex-racket-busted/articleshow/5622097.cms)


On the other hand the Swami was a revered godman and had many many followers. The police say they had a tip about him for the last many years, but because he was a godman and had high profile clients and contacts it was very difficult to nab him. And then the fear of backlash from his followers. Very well done cops, you finally got the spine to act!

Religion is the opium of the masses and this is the reason that people like this swami and many others misuse God's name and mint money. They establish a clean reputation for themselves and carry on all sorts of business and earn money by hook or crook. The veil of god is too clean and pure for common people to even doubt what goes on behind.  


It is sad and very unfortunate that God's name is used the most by people who have to hide things, carry on illegal activities, crime, or create divisions in society. Look at terrorists, godmen like this swami, politicians - all are masters at misusing God's name for their own good and misguiding people.




If you are interested, these are some more links i found about godmen:

Lot of speculation about Sri Satya Sai Baba and sexual abuse. BBC does a piece on this. The internet is full of stories on this.

Godman arrested for trampling on infants to cure them. The image in there is very disturbing.

The famous Chandraswami 

Swami Amrita Chaitanya held for rape, making pornography, and duping a woman of 50 lacs.

Godman held for keeping 3 young sex slaves

 

Godman Srikumar arrested on rape charge

Srikumar also held for posessing tiger skin!

Godman Ahsok Jadeja arrested for 1800crore fraud! 

Godman Tararchand held for rape 

Mohammed Maodood Ahmed Khan who calls himself god is arrested for duping people of lakhs

 

A report - http://ibnlive.in.com/news/godmen-turn-conmen-taxman-red/39860-3.html

A report - http://app1.chinadaily.com.cn/star/2002/0926/fe20-1.html 

Baba Piara Singh who claimed to be an incarnation of God

Of sundar kanyas and old haggard men

Overheard in office - a group of guys chatting over coffee:
Guy 1: Yaar, what cream do you use?
Guy 2: Koi nahi, any moisturizer.
Guy 3: I steal some from my wife. She uses ponds mosturiser and raat mein anti ageing cream lagati hai
Guy 1: Abey! wo ladkiyon ki cream hai.
Guy 3: Who cares! Nobody makes anything for us poor men!
Guy 2: Haan yaar, ki farak painda hai...humko bhi to young dikhna hai.


(I was almost bursting by this time...trying really hard not to make it obvious. I walked away trying to hide my amusement.)


In the night I was telling T about this and he said - you know, come to think of it...those guys were correct. Nobody thinks about us 'bechara' men. Anti ageing creams are all targeted for women, the fairness creams are again being sold to women. All the masks and peels in the stores are all for women. And then declared - Maria im using all your stuff from now on. And i was like - What the heck!! And was staring at him - ye bhi shuru!! Allah hi reham, maula hi reham :)

And he was correct...going by the ads on TV - Oil of Olay is targeted for women who can't ever stop talking about the deadly 7 signs...as if without that cream we would be the ugliest walking talking ducks around and people would die of heart attacks seeing us. Ponds age miracle talks about how the husband falls in love with his wife coz she is using the damn cream (huh! only if love was so easy). Fair and lovely makes the girl a beauty queen and a winner (damn these fairness creams)! The industry hasn't even speared the soap - Dove - scores of women how good it is and how feminine it makes them feel using Dove!! (Whaaatt!! Huh!!! feminine? Guys, this one is seriously  not for you..don't even try)


Actually, if you have observed when you enter a store - lets say Westside or Shoppers Stop. What do you see first? 9 out of 10 times, its gonna be women clothing and accessories, make up, perfumes, and jewelery. Its like the grand store is just for us :) and the men's section is tucked away in some dark small corner or on the 1st floor of the store.Its like an after thought..and they have fewer trial rooms too :) (Guys, yes im poking fun at you!). Similary, beauty salons - the bigger ones do cater to men...but again in a much more limited way. Guys you are still away from the more fancy treatments,  facials, and manicures. We rule here too!


So what we learnt today - Women are the ones who need to be the gori sundaris and the men can sit on that couch and stink and fart while watching TV ;-D
 

OK, I received this in mail...it is education and important. Open it up and read it. 

And guys, don't loose heart, this one product is especially for you...take it away..all yours :)

Kitna badal gaya insaan!

Video of the day...food for thought!
Just found this browsing you tube today...some visuals may be disturbing and some images towards the middle seem misplaced/not in the best spirit. Somebody could have done a better job by being more careful in selecting the pics and campaigning for world peace.

But you get the big picture and the message.

The 'ex' syndrome

So, yet again its the big day world over - Valentine's day. Hearts are popping out from anywhere and everywhere. Turn the TV or radio on and you have mushy movies and songs playing. Go to a restaurant and they have a special V day spread. Go to a cafe, and they have special V Day coffee and muffins...Gaaahhhh..pink pigs are flying out from everywhere and being single is almost a crime!

Ok, so we all are surrounded and hounded by the V day posters and the red hearts. So, im not gonna talk about this at all! V day brings me to another topic...yea not V day specific...but for some reason it comes to mind!

Whats with people wanting to be friends with their ex(s). I’ve never really understood this. Whats the logic behind this? Ok, so you broke up with your boy/girlfriend and moved on in life...got yourself another arm candy/ wife/hubby and then you still think of keeping in touch with your ex, befriend them on social networking sites, see their pics,  exchange messages, calls, and meetup.

What do the spouses think of this? Is it something they don't mind or digest with great difficulty or does it wreck them up completely. How many spouses..if any, actually accept this relationship? What would be the thought behind comfortably accepting it..I would like to meet one such person..who has absolutely no problem with their partner being pals with their ex.

Knowing that your man/girl was into a relationship with this person would it be wise or even practical for the spouse to be in touch regularly? Also would it not remind constantly of the good and bad times you have shared with that person. Would that not affect your relationship with your current partner? Wouldn’t it be easier for you to start relying on your ex more easily or falling back on them? Is it like  convenient way to carry on the relationship without any expectations, strings..and the comfort of knowing that the person is still around, while you have another new person.

I know none of my girlfriends would fall for this crap if their husbands had to offer this option. There would be absolute chaos and married lives would turn upside down. Come to think of it, he/she was your boy/girlfriend, you shared a mental, emotion, and physical relationship with him/her and now you share that relationship with your current partner and you think that your current one can accept the old one happily in her /his life?

 
I am firm believer that your past and present should not be mixed up. What is past is gone and a new life is what you have today. So do not complicate. I have seen some relationships gone sour becasue people tried putting both of them together in one collage. 


Call me judgmental, narrow minded, old fashioned, etc if you may...but its something I cannot understand too well...just my opinion.

Else, there will be no Sher Khan

You leave your 2 month old baby at home and go to work

And you are shot and killed...never to return home to your baby, your family, your world

Your 2 month old baby...keeps waiting- hungry, lonely, scared, and vulnerable...

Watch this clip and have a heart. A life is a life...human or animal...just the same.

Save our tigers...1411 left and probably going down fast. 

Lets get together and save our Sher Khans, else our children will never know who Sher Khan was or never see or hear the roaring shers!

Click here and here to see what you can do.
Click here to read what i wrote about Sher Khan on my other blog.

Tips for a DIY holiday

I've had enough with travel companies cooking itineraries for me, offering me packages, and planning my trip. So, this time when we decided on Egypt, I decided to do it all by myself...and it's been the best trip ever...in all ways...we had the *mostest* fun and the logistics and finances were better than the best.

So, these are my tips, if you are planning a holiday on your own.

1. Planning - Research, research, and research. You are gonna thank yourself for this. Once you decide on your destination, find about these things:

• Places to visit/see - Make a list of the must see and must dos. Check costs - entrance tickets of places, costs of excursions you may want to take with local agencies there. Decide on the number of days this would take you.
• Travel - Mode of transport available (cabs, metros, buses). Are there cabs available on call or you can hail them on the streets. Are there tourist buses? Do they have a specific point to point service?
• Where you would like to stay...right in the center of the city or a little away. It makes sense to stay near to locations you would like to spend time at. But, keep in mind that city center/downtown accommodation would be more expensive then  hotels a little bit away.
• Find out the good places to eat/party/shop. 

2. Getting there - Once you have finalized your dates, get around looking for airfare.  I suggest looking up several websites. Check the airline websites and compare the fare with travel company websites. You may get discounted airfare on sites like yatra.com, makemytrip.com. Booking online maybe cheaper and more hassle free.
For your visa, i recommend that you still take the help of your travel company. They will take their fee and take care of the running aorund to the consulate.

3. Staying there - Look up the hotel sections on websites like - yatra.com, makemytrip.com, thomascook.co.in. You can search by the city and you will be surprised at the cheap tariffs you can get for the best of 5* resorts and hotels. Again, compare the tariff with the hotel website. Specially, if you are traveling abroad...the tariff available for hotels to Indian travel companies are pretty low.
Also, very important - go and read real tourist reviews of the hotels you shortlist on websites like - tripadvisor.com and virtualtourist.com.These are extremely helpful website and give you a very real picture of things to do, tourists traps, where to shop, eat, and stay. You can ask your questions to travelers and get fast replies based on their experience. I swear by these sites.

4. Get your travel insurance. Again, go online, check the premium, and buy a policy...It's that easy. If you want to compare policy quotations/premiums...i found this quite useful - policybazaar.com. I compared the premiums and found what suits me and then went to that insurers website and bought my policy online.

5. Reconfirm - Once you have got your tickets, hotel vouchers, insurance policy...call up the airline and hotel and check/confirm your reservation. Place any special requests you may have with the airline or hotel.

With all these basics covered, you should be packing you bags and be good to go. Also, it would be good if you got yourself a handy map and a travel book, or betters till you can download information from the internet about the places you wanna visit.


Our DIY trip this time was awesome and everything went as planned and very smooth. We took our holiday at our pace and time and did not have to rush through or visit places we did not want to go to. We stayed at the best of places, which the travel company was not offering us in the package deal. We ate, made merry, slept, lazed, danced, shopped...everything we wanted to do! We had lots of fun and got a chance to meet locals and see their life.

And you will be surprised, in terms of finance we saved between 50% - 60% on the total cost that the travel companies gave us for a package tour. We had got package quotes from 4 travel companies and they were all too inflated. Im happy we did it our way and could spend that extra cash on shopping  :)

This makes me wanna plan another trip soon :)

Midnight romance

Me and T trying to sleep...T very tired n sleepy and me chirpy like a bird.

Me: Today in office...blah blah blah

T: Hmmm

Me: At lunch...blah blah blah

       he and she resigned...blah blah blah

       (silence...no reply...i check..dude u awake na?)

T: Hmmm..ya babe

Me: TV shows hav gone nuts man!....blah blah blah

        In the movie...guess who was the killer...blah blah blah

T: Babe lets sleep...need to get to office early tomorrow again

Me: No yaa..pls...suno na..u never listen to me...u never have time for me

T: Will lsiten to it tomorrow...pucca promise...abhi plsss sleepy time

Me: Ok, let you sleep...first sing me a nice romantic song

T: Now? 

Me: What then if not now...ya cmon na...of course now...waitin

T: Meri bhains ko danda kyon maara..wo apne khet mein charti thi

Me: Arrrrghh...u ass...u half witted man...some more expletives...(not for public consumption)

        

(Totally pissed, I huff puff and move my pillow away from him and turn the other way)

[10 minutes of silence follow...i think i heard some slight snoring also]

After some time...my ear is sort of ticklish

T: Chandan sa badan

    Chanchal chitwan

    Dheere se tera wo muskana

    Mujhe dosh na dena jag walon

    Ho jaoon agar mein deewana...

Me: :) :) :)

Good night world :)

Bouncing around my head

Too much running through my mind...garbled thoughts

• Im in office and when do i start working? Holiday hangover i guess....
• Are these really ergonomic chairs? I mean my shoulder and neck aches everyday, when i sit on the chair in my cube...nah! i need a change...talk to boss
• Why don't i dream as often when i sleep. Daydreaming is all i do...duh!
• Whats the best pillow in the market? Like the ones which are comfy and good for people like me with spondylitis! From where do the hotels get such comfy beds and pillows...i always wonder...the last hotel had something called 'featherfree' i think...it was awesome!
• What crap she made for dinner today!! Who the hell ever has aalo gobhi for dinner on tuesday night!!
• When will i find a good cook...who can make yummy non veg stuff...and no maharashtrian khana plsss
• OK...stop eating...hogging...stop! stop!!
• Get a doc appointment for T. Drag him for an endoscopy (tough job...he cries like a baby..awww)
• I need to go to Central and ask for my free wrist watch....I had to get it free with the sun glasses i bought from there last week...Yea, I need that free wrist watch
• Fix the car servicing appointment.
• Update status on FB and plough my farm...Farmville is my food
• What time does he get back today?? Call! Call! Call!!
• Call HDFC car insurance guys and ask for my premium refund...You believe it, they sent me a torn cheque 2 weeks back! I sent it back and need a fresh cheque! Call, call, call!
• Call mom...to ask if they all saw the cat's pics i posted! 
• Ned to drink water! yea...i hardly take in 2 glasses in day...
• Rann has released..mayb go and watch it...yea on Wed you buy 1 and get the other ticket free on bookmyshow (for citibank cards)...see a great tip :)
• How will the papyrus painitng look when its framed. Need to get that from the framer on Sat! Remind me!
• Patao T in the evening so he can give me a good shoulder and neck massage! Very very important for my well being...TOP PRIORITY today!!
• Sync my ipod.
• Sync phone
• Dig out some old pics
• Go get a tropicana from the cafeteria.
• Restart gyming...get the gym bag out!
• Shortlist good pension plan for T. HDFC pension plan inching close. Anybody, any reco? (but seriously will v live that long?)

Getting too much now...still running through...

Egypt, my love!

I have visited quite a few places in Europe, South East Asia, America...but what Egypt did nothing did it ever! The beauty, mystery, culture, food of that country haunts me now. If there is a place i would want to be now...it would be on one of the Red Sea beaches...aaaahhhh....blissss

To start with let me do away with some myths...Egypt is an Islamic country but do not get any negative ideas about it. 



The country and people are very very open towards tourists and very welcoming.
Cairo is a very modern city and you can find the best of international chain of hotels, restaurants, night clubs, discos, brands...just about anything you want.
  


The night life is magical and amazing and you can spend the night singing and dancing away...or shopping...the malls, bazaars, and cafes are open till 2am at least. yes, 2 am...clubs are open till about 3 am or even later...The city swings man! it swings!


Liquor is freely available at hotels and restaurants. Heineken is all over and many shops too where you can buy your bottle. The city is safe and you can find cabs at any time in the night and the city is alive!

Let me add a line about their infrastructure. The roads are wide, smooth, clean, and without any bumps...Indian roads...shame shame!! Cairo and Sharm El Sheikh (beachtown on the Red Sea coast) had wireless internet almost everywhere..and let me add its 3G or 3.5G if i read correctly.Its a shame we are still struggling with downloads in kb. Duh!! C'mon India, auction that 3G !!

The Red Sea area is blooming with the best resorts and full of European tourists. Red sea is breathtaking and you want to be there forever. The beaches are awesome, corals and fishes plenty. It is one of the best sites in the world for snorkeling and diving. Its just beautiful.

For clothing, you can wear what you want...there are no restrictions and locals do not say or comment on anything. So, you have bikini clad women all over the place. Well, even some nude sun bathing at our resort!! Yea, men...you may like that!

But apart from that it would be wise to dress modestly if one was visiting the churches or mosques. The Egyptians are extremely nice people and if you respect them and their ways, they do the same and do not object or cause you any problems.

So, once you have removed any misconceptions or negative ideas about the country...enjoy the place, weather, people, history, mystery, food, belly dance...

The Pyramids and the Sphinx, have to be seen to be believed. They are grand, imposing and hauntingly beautiful. To think that they were made 5000yrs ago and still stand tall and awe you....is amazing...I mean you just have to experience them.

There is also an amazing sound and light show at the Pyramids in the night. Do not miss it!

Enjoy a cruise on the Nile in the night. The magical Nile will leave you wanting more. The Marriott and Oberoi do very good cruises. We took the Oberoi and loved it.

As lucky as we could get, in Sharm El Sheikh, we were upgraded for free to a sea facing suite on check in...yea you get lucky sometimes...yayy! And the view from the balconies were to die for. It was like I had died and gone to heaven...

One had to just get a few feet on the water to see the corals...it was a jungle out there...beautiful. We had the most beautiful and colorful fishes swim up to us at the beach and kiss our feet :)

Ok, enough said, writing does not do justice to that experience. I should plan for another trip soon:). Will leave you with a few pictures...soak in...

And and and...what did i get from there - Papyrus painting, Egyptian perfume :) in love with them :) :)