HONDYA.

HONDYA. No idea how and when this name originated. But none the less quite a concept, name, identity.

Members: Amit Rao, Sujay Nadkarni, Vinayak Bhosle, Sameer Insulkar, Rahul Parab, Pritam Kokate, Sagar Karande, Salil Kulkarni, Upendra Joshi , Vishal Patil, Amit Shinde, Umesh Doiphode, Ajay Chikalpatti, Satish Sawant.

Ajay Chikalpatti – Yaa Ajay – Popularly know as Giant Robo – Can study for 48 hrs straight without a wink.

Amit Shinde – Raya – I don’t have an idea why this crazy dude has been running marathons all over the US. Don’t think he ran even 10 meters back in Mulund.

Pritam Kokate – Koku - I think he still has to come to peace that he is getting older by the day and time has come that he leaves the college dance group and become Nepal Naresh.

Rahul Parab – Makko – Previously Makad – Makad became Makko once he came to the US of A. Still can’t believe the weight he has put on. Makko, dukker khaila kami kar.

Sagar Karande – My mobile, My car – Next to “Yaa Ajay” in studying at length without breaks. Co-Founder member of SASU Inc in 1996.

Salil Kulkarni – Garud – Titration experiment was expected to be over by age 25. Defying all odds Garud is still ON with more zeal every day. One request from all hondya’s: Please inhale less and preserve some Oxygen for the environment.

Sameer Insulkar – Kaalya – Chesti – Accha body hai boss. One of the most risky bikers I have ever been a pillion to.

Satich Sawant - Nagoba - Always ready for parties and crazy stuff.

Sujay Nadkarni – Nadya – Favdya – Has been eating Shikran since 11th standard. Thinks he is Neo Anderson but in reality is Naveen Chandrasen. With so much supply and less demand Naveen needs to come up with something new. Co-Founder member of SASU Inc. in 1996.

Vinayak Bhosle – Can relate anything with Goo and has a generic answer to all the life’s big complicated Q’s: Udya sakali 9 wajta ye and fresh supply ghe. Had loads of fun at his “Vinayak dham” in Panchgani.

Vishal Patil – Waakdya – The only Hondya who has the most possibility for now to make the hondya’s proud. Although I hope he starts walking straight now, especially that he is married now.

Umesh Doiphode – Thunder thighs – Quite a likeable guy. Got to know him through Sameer. Currently freezing in Toronto till June/July’07.

Upendra Joshi – Pendru – Has been studying various academic courses since childhood. BE Comps, Marine Engg, and Now some kind of LLB; don’t know what’s next in store. Has a VERY big business which the hondya’s fail to understand. Has a lot of potential and am sure will prove it soon enough.

Amit Rao – Baby Rao – Ab main apne baare mein kya kahun.

13 Yrs of association, friendship, love, support. How can I sum up these 13 years in a blog? I would probably need to write a series of novels about us if I have to mention everything about us.

I still clearly remember our first “MEGA” trip to Panchgani when we were just about to finish our 11th standard. I guess after that trip we traveled there about once in 8-10 months.

I’m sure even today, for an overnight trip, the first place that would come to everybody’s mind would be Panchgani. Somewhere deep within, I still have the dream of settling there in the old days. Murgiyon ka farm kholunga and Omlette Sandwich ke liye bread bhi main hi banaunga.
I believe only time will tell if I am able to live that dream.

We have probably traveled there by all different available means of transport – Asiad Bus from Bombay to Panchgani, Train to Pune and then bus, Rental car, Rao’s Maruti 800. There was this one time when we traveled with our guitar etc in train. Just listing down few Panchgani memories:

There were times when people would fall sick and all others would swear at them, but still care for them and get food, drinks and medicine for them. Sometimes I used to wonder if it was so that the sick would not die and become a bigger headache J lol. I guess not. It was just pure care and affection between all of us.

The innocent porkat disco parties where everybody would dance in the living room without room lights and one person would use a torch and wave it all over the room to give the “disco room” effect.

The time when we celebrated New Year eve by decorating the living room.

The tandoori chicken dinners with Rahul’s 2 Ltr Mangola bottle – “Chya maila mangola pya re”.

Spending hours outside on the porch trying to keep the tandoor flame alive by blowing air using small pipe, waving card papers, table fan (ekdum best item).

The attempted tandoori chicken that smelled of Kerosene which even the dogs outside refused to eat.

The time when a sucker blocked the toilet downstairs and it had to be removed using plastic covered “hands” – Yuk.

The jumping competitions – where we used to jump from the top of the stairs onto the gaadi (mattress) in the living room.

The chai, bread, omlette, idli, paratha breakfasts at “Bombay Dhaba”, Bhillar Bhosekhind Village and Parsi Iranian Bakery.

The lunches & dinners at Babli’s restaurant where I think we frequented more for babli than for the food itself.

The galli box cricket which we played in the yard.

Filling water in the tank was quite an achievement. Having baths out in the sun.

The innumerable treks to Panchgani market and back.

It was very difficult to convince my dad that I would be able to handle and drive the car all the way up the Ghats. After a little persuasion he did finally give in to my demands. I am still so grateful to him for that. Pali Ganpati pit stop then became an integral part of the journey. I still remember the trip in third year engineering when Rahul was reading his GRE Barons book in the backseat during the entire journey (or maybe for most part of it).

The Kullu Manali camp in May’96 is still fresh, feels like it was yesterday that we came back. All the snaps have some of the funniest expressions by Sujay and Sagar I have ever seen. To top it, these 2 idiots thought (I guess they still think) that the expressions made them look very cute and handsome. SASU Inc was born there. Though all the rest had to bear the brunt of SASU for quite some time, I have no clue what happened about it later on. Also the demand was high but the supply was quite less. I believe, all hondya’s would agree if I would say that the reality was quite different.

Naka. Probably Naka is worth a completely new fresh blog as it has a special place in my heart. But how can it go unmentioned here. Hondya naka was a corner near Rahul & Pritam’s house. The trend probably started around April-May’94, somewhere during the 10th standard vacation time frame and continued till the last hondya left Mulund (just a couple of years back). It was a taboo to go and loiter on such corners then, but slowly was accepted by everyone’s folks. Countless people tried to become permanent members of the Naka, but failed.

Few other eventful memories that I can think of:

Riding in Salil’s blue Maruti 800 in 11th standard. The only Maruti 800 ever manufactured without a key start – always required the push start.

Going to Somaiya College in 12 minutes on Pendru’s bike. Come to think of it now, it was pretty dangerous at 100 Kmph on that bike.

The various parties that we had at Vinayak’s place in Mulund

The party that we had at Koku’s place where we played a car racing game after drinking.

The Karjat waterfalls picnic in the rainy season.

Countless terms that originated at Naka: Cosmos Devta, Kum Kumnic, Koyle ke khaan ka heera, BQ, Goo.

Eating Gaadi ka Chinese food, Vada Pav, Double Roti.

Upendra & Sujay skidding off the bike while in 12th standard – Quite an eventful day.

This blog has already gotten so long and there is hardly anything that I have mentioned.

I guess I will leave the rest to all the hondya’s to think about and feel nostalgic. :)

The War Within.

I’m sure this topic has been touched by many eggheads. My basic motto while writing this article was to present the confused state of mind that I and a lot of people from our generation are in. Everything I have written here is based on my experiences. So I’m sure I would find many who would disagree with my views at some point and I respect your views and am not here to contest those.

Am trying to find the answer and hoping to find it soon. Is staying in India better than being abroad.

I always believed and still firmly believe that one should be exposed to the world outside India to speak/write about this topic. I have read several articles where people lash out at either party without knowing the full picture, which in my view is unfair.

I was offered a job as a Software Developer in a MNC for their development center in Cyprus. Without thinking twice I jumped at the opportunity to leave India. When I decided to take up the job I did not know anything about the company or the place – I was too happy about earning in dollars and being one of the few lucky ones to leave India directly after college for a job. I was in Cyprus for about 4 years, from Oct 2000 to Nov 2004 and then in Nov’2004 I moved to the US. I left Bombay when I was 21. Today, I am 27.

I come from a middle class close knit family in Bombay. I had never stayed away from my family for except those summer vacations when I used to be at my grand mom’s place, which in a way was again family. It’s been over 6 years that I have been with my family. Of course I travel to India as frequently as possible. I used to frequent Bombay about once in 8-10 months when I was in Cyprus. But the distance between US and Bombay doesn’t permit me to keep up to that pace. Also 2-3 weeks vacation does not suffice my thirst of family reunion and bonding.

A lot has happened in these 6 years: Our family saw 4 deaths – 1 unexpected, more than 5 marriages, 3-4 new babies, Most of my friend circle in Bombay moved out to US/UK, the list goes on and on.

Whenever I come back to the US from India, I always get a strong urge to go back for good and every time it gets stronger. I guess most of the people get this urge, but since the last 2 times it’s been something different and is getting stronger by the day. I don’t know when and if ever I will go back. There is one part in me which wakes up atleast once a week and wants to go to work, call it a day and go back to India for good. Then, there’s the other part, which somehow comes up with explanations (I don’t know if they can be termed as excuses) asking not to do so.

I don’t know who is correct, but the second chunk seems to be winning as of today. I don’t know if the first part will ever win and if yes, when. I don’t know if I want the first part to win.

I have so many reasons to go back to India: Family (Parents, Bro, In-Laws ), Friends, Food :) , Convenience of life, better career path etc.
And I have equal number of reasons not to go back: Money, Standard of Life, Less tension/stress in day to day life.

The cumulative weight of reasons on each side is nearly the same as of today and so probably I am where I am.

While discussing with a close buddy last evening, he said that probably it’s been a long duration that I have not stayed with my folks and that could be a reason of these urges. My wife’s folks would be here in April for 5-6 months and early next year my folks would be here. I guess time will tell if what he says is true.
If I still have this urge then the other factors mentioned above can be constituted as “quite influential” as well.

Sometimes when I and my wife discuss this issue, we come to a conclusion that we are still pretty young to think about all this. We still have enough time to earn some money and go back to India in maybe 5-7 years. By then, we hopefully would have enough money for the basic setup in India and also we would be there in India when our folks would need us the most.

Many of my friends with whom I have discussed this have the opinion – Yes, I will go back. However few are clear about the timelines. Few are willing to stay here permanently. Few are clear, firm, fierce and passionate about what they want and when they want it. And, these are the few people that I am happy for and jealous at the same time. Happy and jealous for the same reason – they know what they want.

I would love to be a part of this small lucky population. For now, the 5-7 years option seems the most likely one. The time frame at times looks too long – long enough for our decision to sway. But I guess only time will tell.

Blogs and Me !

“Blogs and me!” This was the first thought that went through my mind when someone would suggest that I should/could start writing a blog. But slowly as time passed and I read a variety of blogs, I thought of giving it a shot myself. A big hurdle or mental block was probably that my vocabulary is not as fantastic as others. But, what the hell, here I am.

It did take some time for me to actually put this into practice. I have been reading some blogs and have come across some really good thoughts. There have been times when I wanted to leave my comments on those blogs but did not do because of either lack of knowledge on that topic or sometimes coz my comment length would out-do the actual blog length or at times due to plain laziness.

As of the time while writing this essay, I am yet to complete my profile in here. If I ever fill it out, I think it would be about a month or two atleast before I do it. Will it make my blogs look any more fun or enjoyable to read?

Also I plan to write a blog atleast every month provided I find my topics and have the necessary knowledge and a view to write about it. I would try for more. At the same time I know, this can be a good excuse for me in the future if I am not as punctual as I intend to be.

I do have a couple of topics in mind; one is more on the philosophical side which I think would be my third blog. I believe my next blog would be quite an interesting one and am sure would touch the chord of many. So keep watching this space for more action from me.