The Fake LV Phenomenon

I'm a Bombay girl who grew up around Juhu. Before you start stereotyping me and judging me, I should tell you that this post is essentially to stereotype and judge other women. So you can go right ahead :D

I was at Istanbul airport for a stop over a few weeks ago. Traveling alone, I had nothing to do but stare at everyone who passed me buy. I habitually check women out, so that was how i was passing time. What was glaringly obvious (so much so that I can't even say that i observed the trend or even noticed it) was that EVERY third woman was carrying a Louis Vuitton bag. Now either the whole world has gotten loaded without me noticing while i was worrying about recession, or thanks to the People's Republic of China, we have a slew of fakes. I'm betting on the latter.
On returning home and generally finding the time to facebook stalk my classmates from once-upon-an-era, I noticed that it wasn't just Istanbul. It was all of Bombay too.
Because i had nothing to do for several days but to stare into empty space, i theorized about WHY you would want to carry an LV, original or otherwise. especially since those bags are seriously over priced. I mean, buy yourself a bunch of pretty bags off ASOS. Why just one bag with that HIDEOUS monogram?

I'm going to proceed to make a list of the various kinds of women who would carry one. Fake or otherwise.

1) The Job Profile-r
These are the socialites and actresses and those under media glare who are just expected to flaunt these brands. Some of them get it right. Most of them get it wrong. But they're essentially showing that they'll invest in fashion because it's an important element to their job profile.

2) The Ladies Who Lunch
These are the women who pretend to be friends to meet occasionally at expensive restaurants only to eat miniscule meals just so they can show off how rich their husbands are and how they're buying their wives extremely expensive things to save their marriages. An LV is essential for survival in this scenario. However, one isn't enough. There need to be multiple. The smart ones buy smart knock offs.

3) The College Crowd
I'd say it was the Gossip Girl effect. But if it were then the bags would be better than ugly LVs. However, it's cool to be rich. And owning an LV makes you look rich. This is the category where fakes are most prevalent. I'm sure these women think it ups their fashion quotient but to True Seers, it's a massive FAIL.

4) The Marriage Market
Rich boys look for rich girls. Rich girls carry LVs. Period. Suitcases Also.

5) The Vanity Watchers
This is essentially a subset of the college crowd. These women don't really have a social life. Don't even attend parties or social gatherings with loaded people to attract rich men or anything. But they need to buy one. To please their vanity. Pointless. No, really.

6) The Helplessly Unaware
Then of course there are aunties who don't even know it's the LV monogram and buy the cheap knock offs off the street without intending to project any image at all.

The problem with this phenomenon is that it's making the world ugly. I'd say it's just a reflection of how fashionably unaware Indians generally are. It's a vicious cycle. The purpose is to always show it off and it's the only one easily recognizable. Make it stop. Make it STOP. 

The Delhi Bombay Debate

You don't really know a city by just seeing the tourist attractions.
Going by that principle I stuck to never saying anything when the Delhi Bombay debate kept raging in college.
But I knew by all that was said, that Delhi was a city I had to know a little bit about.
Finding an excuse, I found myself in New Delhi in a quest to "Discover Delhi".
SUPER FAIL.
I mean, its cool and all that ad it definitely has the most amazing roads I've seen ANYWHERE in India, but really after living in bombay for 19 and a half years of my life, so far I've found Delhi considerably girl-unfriendly.
Khan market, CP, Dilli Haat, Chandni Chowk, Akshardha- wherever you go, its just can't compare with how Bombay makes you feel.
The chauvinistic, judgmental eyes that follow you around, the curfews the girls have here plus how unsafe you feel on the metro is unbearable for someone like yours truly who doesn't have a problem getting around her city alone at 10 pm.
Police officers are leching and you see barely any women smoking because no one wants to invite unrequited attention.
You feel an odd curtailment of your independence in Delhi.
It's a boy's city. Its a man's world here.
There's no question here of being able to get chocolate milkshake and pav bhaji at 2.30 am at the seaside (Or the yucky yamuna here) in Delhi. Bas, its just not that kind of place.
And I just keep seeing human rights and women's rights violations everywhere.

But Delhi, too, has things I loved.
Khan Market, the shoes i've seen around the place, the BEAUTIFUL people (all largely dumb), the wide streets and the beautiful buildings.
The life at Chandni Chowk and the "feel" of Hindi.
The stately power and awe you feel walking down the road from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate.
Stunning really.

But once a Bambaiyya, always a Bambaiyya.
And after giving it a real chance, Delhi failed.


Like it did at the Commonwealth games. =P

But I have 3 more days.
Maybe Delhi will surprise me with more than a hint of awesomeness...

Someone stole my thoughts. I think I'll sue him.

Stereotypes are comforting.

So are superstitions.

Being judgmental is okay. Anyone who claims to be not is either Mother Teresa or lying.

Chocolate is the solution to the bluest of the blues.

The Indian Cricket Team is Awesome. Let's Bleed Blue for India.

Communal Violence is sick. I’m saying that in spite of being a Hindu-Gujarati. (Read: Godhra violence)

And the Commonwealth Games are a scam.

Bombay is better than Delhi.
Cosmo and Vogue taught me everything I know.
Fashion Blogs are addictive. Try Purple Peeptoes.

Narendra Modi may be a murderer but he will be a better PM than Rahul Gandhi.

Reality comes in packages of all shapes and sizes. True Story :)


PS- Someone I know forgot to throw out last night's condoms from her pocket. Her grandmother found them and exclaimed, "Already?".

There are somethings money can't buy, for everything else there's MasterCard

There are so many things in the world which are invaluable to you.
Sometimes Most of the time, you just don't notice.
Like, you never knew how MUCH you loved the sound and the smell of the sea till it was taken away from you.
Like memories of those special moments in your life which you want to remember to tell your great grandchildren.
Like the moments you create doing some things, with some people, some times.
Like public transport in Mumbai.
Like Mamma's food.
Like finishing a book but wishing there were more pages.
Like fighting with your sibling.
Like shopping like a maniac and then complaining about how things don't fit in your wardrobe.
Like being able to call some place Home.
Like Hindi and English (and not Tamil and Kannada) music on the radio.
Like the COOOOOOL invention which is the mosquito-killer raquet.
Like tasty Lip Gloss.
Like Air Conditioners.
Like Birthdays.
Like buying something from your own savings/earnings.
  
DISCLAIMER:
A lot of things on my list can be bought. I was just pointing out their awesome-ness.

FYI:
Eunuchs in Bombay now expect Rs. 50 notes in alms.
When i gave one a Rs. 10 note- he/she made a face and said "isme kya aayega. Hmmph"
Jeez!

A little bit of Bombay

It was always official.

Just reiterating.

Bombay is the only place in the world which I can ever call home.

Really, the city is absolutely gorgeous.

I must quote a friend. (excuse the crass language)

"Bombay is like the whore you keep coming back to."

It fucks you, but you need to come back for another one.

So, I'm in the city for a week or two thanks for the random swine flu vacation that we get from Law School and as always Bombay has lots to offer.

Its Ganpati time so there are pandals that have mushroomed ALL OVER THE PLACE.

You keep complaining about them and the traffic they cause, but the festival isn't complete till you have visited at least one of them. Most of the time its Lalbaugcha Raja.

Considering i have to visit a whole lot of friends who have Ganpati at their place, I also have somthing to do. Which is nice.

But you know what's the best part about the festival apart from the fact that its so bloody lively and everyone's so excited all the time.

You get the warm fuzzy feeling. The kind you get when your favourite cousin is coming to spend a few days at home.

And everyone's all excited. Very "Look who's in town!!" type.

But its not raining. Doesn't feel like Bombay in August.

Global Warming/Climate Change (whatever it is) Sucks.

Its been eventful. The city yet again catalyzed a lot of things in my life, cheered me up and has me all geared up for another session at law school. This time a longer one.

I should let you in on a secret- i know you don't think this was the best post ever, but i'm just trying to become regular again

Much love.

It's Cool Plane Story Time!

So,

you know how some of the coolest stories come from incidents that take place in aeroplanes?

up above the world so high, like a birdie in the sky?

Yup..... I have one more of those.

You don't know the first. So , more doesnt apply to you.

IF you MUST know,

i met one of my best friends on a flight to Paris. Like she was the random stranger who was sitting next to me on the plane and talkative that i am, i talked her ears off.

We just exchanged email ids and lo! We ended up being in St. Xavier's College together for two years :).

So we're cool plane buddies and everything. (Do NOT call us lame. I know you want a plane buddy too!)

Ok, that apart.

Let's now tell you the story, im blogging about.

Now you know home for me is Bombay. Hostel for me is Bangalore.

I was home for the long independence day weekend. And it was time to go back to Law School. I was sad i was leaving home but glad i was going back because i had begun to miss the place thoda thoda.

I checked in my baggage with my friends, finished security check and boarded the plane. The plane took off and an hour and half later, it safely landed at Bengaluru Airport.

Ok, the story is definitely not that boring.

So, the funny part.

Once we landed, i inserted my bangalore sim card back into my phone and switched it on only to be BOMBARDED with messages saying,

"Welcome to Bangalore Guys! :)

I spoke to your Moms fifteen minutes after you boarded.

College is closed for the next twelve days.

Time to go home :)"

So,

we walk out of the plane, take the bags from baggage claim, walk out of the airport towards departures, buy tickets to go back to Bombay immediately. We had a couple of hours so we grabbed a Kaati Roll. Ate, checked in, security check and came straight back home.

So, we travelled to Bengaluru for the purpose of eating a Kaati Roll? One expensive Kaati Roll that was.

And NO. We were not playing "Flight Flight".

So, this is me. Blogging with a lot of louve for my readers. The kind of louve that comes from a good night's sleep, having nothing to do and getting milk in bed, all at home. Home Sweet Home.

PS- miss me 9834y92837402394985 till i post again.

much love.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

6 Days to Go

It's an odd sort of emotion i'm feeling right now.

I'm not geeky enough to know the right word for it. But i'll try to explain.

You know how sometimes in life you want something really really bad? And you work very hard to achieve it. You tell God, "Dude, I'll do anything, give anything away, just give me this one thing".

And then God gives it to you.

Till it really doesn't sink in, you celebrate your little success in life.

And then suddenly it hits you.

like a 440 volts jhatka.

You realise that you gave away something priceless for something of value to you.

What an irony.

What a sadomasochistic deal with God.

So now,

I got what i want.

I'm going to Bangalore in 6 days. To Law School. With 2 of the best friends I've ever made.(i would have preferred another4 coming along, but you can't have everythign in life you know)

My parents are proud of me and i think i got what i deserved. So why am i complaining?

Bombay is sending me away. Because i didn't value it enough.

The place. The emotion. The energy. The history. The friendships. The tears. The Life.

I'm letting it all go. For greener pastures of the garden city?

no.

i can't.

Dear Bombay,

I have something i never told you but must tell you now.

Remember? Valentine's Day 2008? Sitting on marine drive, I stared at the water crash against the rocks(tripods?), watching the spray kiss the sky. the full, swollen moon lighting up the ripples in the water, making it look like liquid diamonds. it was then that i realised how much i love you. eureka moment and all. That night i just knew, you were The One for me.you, are my beautiful, amazing, ever-changing, spirited, breathtaking city. You are the only place, i've ever felt home, ever called home. And you will always be the only place i want to call home. you gave me everything i wanted. you taught me everything i know. you showed me things, i wouldn't have seen otherwise. With you around, i met the most amazing people, did the most amazing things, forged the most amazing bonds. i stand, at the door of the local train, feeling the wind hit my face, looking at you and i know i want that feeling to last forever.

everytime i fell, you're arms were wide open, waiting to catch me. You straightened me up, dusted me off and told me to keep going. You always kept going. You inspired me to hang on. Because i have you, i always know it's going to be alright. And i never thought, that feeling would be snatched away from me. I never thought I'd give it away with at least half my will intact.

I never thought something could separate me from you.

But circumstances did their bitchy thing. *does filmy naheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee action*

In 6 days, i'll be leaving you. And you will be the one i will miss the most.

i have miles to go before i sleep. But you will always be the route i will choose to take. Because i cannot live without you. I'll be back before you know it. For good. I promise.

I Love You,

Niyati

You know you're a bambaiya when-

Bombay. My first and only true love. sometimes one sided- But BOY! Is it love? or Is it love?!

its my city. where everything is imperfect but you fit in. Hell, everybody fits in.

but only a few city dwellers deserve to be called bambaiyya.

lets lay down the fundamental rules-

1) You call the place Bombay and not Mumbai. Changing the name of this place was criminal on whoever-did-it's part. It continues to be Bombay, VT station and Sahaar Airport. NOT THE NEW NAMES.

2) That yummy thing, which is a puri filled with liquid in it, it's called a Paani Puri. Not a "gol-gappa". And Elco Pani Puri centre, has the best ones in town.

3) You've visited Lalbaugcha Raja. And you know what i'm talking about.

4) If there is anyone who is qualified to be called the God on Earth- Its Tendulkar.

5) Wada Paav is the best way to beat hunger pangs at any time of the day.

6) You must be able to speak Bambaiya. Come on. Even wiki has a page explaining what it is.

7) You've traveled in the local train. ticketless that too :)

8) When you are asked who makes the best tea in town, you know its the guy on the corner of the street. Cutting Chai baby, Cutting Chai.

9) You know Marine Drive and Juhu beach are the best places to hang out in the city.

10) You don't hesitate to punch the person who says delhi is better than Bombay :).

11) You order Bombay Masala when you go to Pizzeria. And its extra special if you're eating it on Marine Drive looking at the Mumbai skyline.

(Ps- I'm officially back and I found my treasure)