Maha GSB Team

Stay Connected!

2011-03-29T01:09:00.000-07:00

In this internet era, we have been staying more connected than ever before. Emails, mobiles and then the social networking have helped us connect beyond physical boundaries. While some preferred to stay connected online only, there were a few who believed in putting this network to a practical reality. However well-connected e-friends may be meeting in the real world is a totally different and much wonderful experience.

Being connected thru the internet, we spread the word and built-up a group to visit a place where internet era has not much taken on, a place where mobile service providers are still far from penetrating. This place is amidst the mountains of New Panvel, called Harigram. It is a place for dignified living for the aged. We spent a day with them, we had a good time but what we are happy about is that they had a good time with us too!

We started the day with some wonderful bhajans. It couldn’t have been a better way to connect with the people there and they joining in proved their agreement. The ajjis there joined us and with Kishor Borkar on the harmonium and Archana Kamath lending her sweet voice, the overall experience was a pleasant and soothing one. While everyone was enjoying the bhajans, another group was busy cleaning up the space from non-biodegradable litter. The team-effort came out of nowhere and it displayed the strength of unity, of what we can do when we come together in real life. Overall, everyone contributed their bit from the heart and that is what made the day so special. Lunch at usual, was a delicacy…thanks to Hedge maam. And post lunch, when ajji-ajoobas at Shantikunj had some rest, we busied ourselves with some in-house entertainment. Post tea, we had sessions by physiotherapists Archana Rege and Kishor Borkar who guided the ajji-ajoobas on simple ways to keep away joint pains. And after some exercise, it is time for games…and that we had by Poorva Borkar and Manisha. A memorable day dedicated to a social cause. There was no internet, no social networking, no mobile range, but we still connected…with the ajji-ajoobas there and with all who became our friends there. While mobiles and internet does help us keep connected, getting connected through ideas, thoughts and minds is equally important. While closing this article, I would like to mention thanks to NKGSB Mumbai manch and to all those who made this event such a wonderful success. We promise to stay connected and put-up more such events in the near future. Did you miss the connection? Makes sure you get connected. For details on how, please email us as mahagsb@googlegroups.com or feel free to call Ashutosh (9820992403).

2010-07-25T15:19:00.000-07:00

Mesmerizing, mind boggling, mystifying…there are so many words that can be combined to define the trek, but there is no one word. It was an experience way out of dreams or more precisely Out-of-the-box trek.
Torrential rains, slippery rocks, untamed waters, sliding soil, steep treks…all against ten determined souls defying stamina and fear, stretched “impossible” to “I-m-possible”. Of the ten who trekked, there we seven daring ladies and three guys. There were no professional trekkers and the max experience was of hiking mountains on a known path with professional trekkers at lead. And here we were dealing with a nil experience on an unknown path.

To top it, we decided to take a shorter route and it was rather finding the route. As Nikita says, “The trek was complete package of expedition including rock climbing, mountaineering, jungle safari and waterfall crossing” or as Akshay says, “This trek was full of adventure-cum-treking-cum hiking-cum-rock climbing and mainly Lost and Found game. This was my first trek and I got good experience.” When the first trek of the season (and the first trek in life for most of us) is this complete package, then the memories are lifetimers.

The only thing that we missed was clicking snaps, which could not happen due to the continuous heavy rains. And we take that positively…looking at our efforts, “the Rain God too showered his blessings on us, throughout our journey”. For us, every moment of that trek will be memorable. All that we did like crossing a waterfalls holding hands and trust of a friend on the other side, walking along a one-person path half of which was down a land-slide, crossing a free-flowing downstream with the help of a fallen tree, watching awestruck as Komal’s bag rolled down the slope, seeing the trail end at a waterfalls and realizing that the we had just crossed a path which we would not be able to trace back. While we have the memories to share and talk about, there are not many photographs to show…so those who missed a lucky enough to not know what they missed. We have some shots describing the “blissful scenic beauty” to share, but that cannot give the experience of the thrill and adventure that we had.

This blog cannot be completed without due thanks to all the 10 who made it to the trek and made the trek so memorable. This special note is not just for attending the trek, but for the standing united in tough times, for the positive attitude and undying spirit, especially to ladies (for standing tough) and to all those first-timers (as the route was difficult for even seasoned trekkers).
For once we had lost and we learnt that losing is not necessarily a bad thing. We lost the route, we lost our lunch, we lost our booking. We gained a new strength, capacity to deal face challenge in return of the route we lost. We gained hospitality (and extra time at Matheran) against the lunch that we lost. And the lost bookings saved the day as there were a large number of drop-outs. It’s truly said, “Whatever happens, happens for good”

The more we learn, the more we know how less we know. The more we trekked, the more we realized that had we known more, the chances of us trekking would be lesser. Had we known that the route was so difficult (adventurous), we probably would not have ventured out on that route (and now that we know, it is very unlikely that we would do it again). Finally for those who missed it…better luck next time, but wait, will there be a next time?
Well, yes, there will be…might not be on the same route; may be on different route. And then too, there would be a few who would miss…but sadly would not know what they missed.
If you have missed this and you want to ensure that you don't miss the next one, stay in touch. For details on how, please email us as mahagsb@googlegroups.com or feel free to call Ashutosh (9820992403).

Golden Moments - Revisited

2010-05-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

Remember those days when we used to sit besides our grand-parents and they would tell us the wonderful stories of their childhood...of the pranks they played and the fun they had. Those moments still bring on a smile. We were lucky this Saturday to re-live those moments when the aaji's & ajoba's shared some of their childhood memories with us. It was very touching to see the joy on one of the ajoba's face when he was telling us how he hit a woman with his cricket ball when he was a teenager.
In those days of our childhood, we loved cutting magazines and creating cards using all those bits. We called it craft. As we grew, we moved to electronic gadgets, emails and e-cards. Today we got a chance to get back to those days, bring back the creativity in card and paper. Though we were a bit rusty at the start, but as we caught the colors...imagination flew. Starting from cutting pictures from magazines to some finger-paintings we went on to create quite a few "un-imaginable" cards. (We had never imagined that we could do this) Saturday afternoon which otherwise would have been a lazy one was spent on this activity. And efforts bore fruits when we saw the smile after we gifted them the cards.
This was our second visit to Shantikunj and like we did last time, we were inclined to make their time a memorable one. The response was low initially, but as they started singing...we joined in and then it was a "mehfil" of songs and bhajans. No ipods, no decks, no network coverage...it was so very wonderful that we had moved to those good old days when there we no computer games and one of the favourite games was passing-the-parcel. We passed parcel around and they enjoyed it.
For them, we tried to help them enjoy their Golden moments and in the process, we too, recollected those Golden moments that we had experienced in our childhood days. The visit also brought back those moments that we had with them in November (during our first visit). It does give a sense of satisfaction when you make someone of their age smile. Returning home with a "blessed" feeling... it truly was "Golden moments-revisited!"
Twice we have been here and both times we have collected some lifetime-cherishable moments. We are back home and we are again waiting for the next time to visit the place, waiting again to "visit the Golden Moments!"

If you feel you have lost a Golden oppurutnity, we will re-create it again. So do let us know your thoughts and how you would like to contribute to Maha GSB. Please email us as mahagsb@googlegroups.com or feel free to call Ashutosh (9820992403).

Coffee and more with Maha GSB

2010-01-17T11:45:00.000-08:00

After a really long time, we had our traditional "meet". Not that we had not met in between, but after the Wadala performance, Khandala outing till the latest Lohagad trek, we have been meeting more often than not. But the traditional way in which we friends first met had not happened for a long time. Hence this time it was decided we would go back to the basics and have the very simple Aswad meet.

The last time we had met was on Dec 13. It was slightly more than a month and we were all looking forward to meet-up again. Though some of us keep meeting each other, the get-together of the whole group is yet another experience which none of us want to miss. Those who haven't joined us yet keep wondering what is it that drives us travel from all corners from Mumbai to meet-up just for a couple of hours??

Just as a cup of garam chai on a chilly morning or glass of nimbu-paani after a heavy work-out or mug of black coffee after a nap can do wonders…similarly even a couple of hours with the Maha GSB friends de-stresses us from all the day-to-day hectic schedules. Probably it is our monthly dose, which we cannot miss.

Though we had planned for the traditional Aswad meet, the number was more than Aswad to manage and hence the destination was shifted to CCD. But we are as we are and we are never bound to change. On the way, there was a gola-wala and we had to have our stop there. After a few golas and some PJs (not AJs) we proceeded to CCD and even they found it difficult to accomdate us. And then as it always happens, either the time runs faster or we don't realize how it goes by…and what we feel has just started is already past a couple of hours. By then the stress is relieved and memories built-up. We wonder why do we have to leave…and I guess it is so that we can meet-up again.

फोटो धुवायला टाकले आहेत! Will upload pics shortly.
We have been enjoying this for quite sometime and would continue to do so…If you feel you have missed out, then please email us as mahagsb@googlegroups.com or feel free to call Ashutosh (9820992403).

...आणी गड जिंकला!

2010-01-17T10:25:00.000-08:00

Saturday early morning, Pune climate, chilly weather…an apt time to pull-up an extra blanket. It requires an extra-ordinary enthusiasm to step-out of the bed, pull-up your socks and go trekking. One of the source of motivation that is required to put-in these efforts, comes from the group you are in. And that is exactly what the Pune group displayed on January 16.
At times, we do feel that the number makes a difference, but when it's Maha GSB we make-up for the missing numbers. How?? Simply by enjoying so much that those who miss, realize what they missed! While the team strength was on the lower side, but not the strength of the team. Determined to make every event a successful one, we are ready to scale any heights and trekking Sinhgad wasn't a challenge (to the enthusiasm). First it was (wind)-cheating the cold and then beating the heat while scaling the heights. And by the time we reached the top, a lot many calories were burnt and energies drained. Or as we say in Marathi "खरच फाटली!"
Of course, when we meet "food" has to be there. And after so much of calorie burning, it definitely deserves a treat. When you are in Rome, be a Roman…when you are on Sinhagad, have पिठलं भाकरी and ठेचा. We do capture the food we eat so as to share the temptations, but I guess too many calories were burnt…hence the plates just have the left overs.
In all, another weekend morning exploited, another set of memories added, a different experience worth sharing and looking forward to meet-up again! We decided, we planned, we executed…आणी गड जिंकला!
Feeling like you have missed something?? If you don't want to miss it again, please email us as mahagsb@googlegroups.com or feel free to call Vaibhav (for Pune meets - 9860355206).

A fishy meet

2009-12-23T14:42:00.000-08:00

We have always been people with amazing skills and one skill that is common to all of us is the knowledge of putting the tongue to good use. And hence whenever there is an occasion for us to meet, eating and chatting are the primary things that you can look for.
Talking about food, fish is the favourites of all times (with due respect to those who are exceptions to this clause). Everyone met at the destination, Rahul (Aundh) by about 7:30 PM and as always it took a matter of minutes for the newbies to be our long lost friends. What happens after that is something which every meet has experienced. It really becomes difficult to identify the newbies in the group.

Patra fish and Prawns had spiced up the taste-buds and then there was a need to cool them down. So the next destination on the same evening was naturally Naturals for ice-creams (with the tender coconut flavour?) Oh! by-the-way, let the fish talk and Naturals not make you feel this meet has happened in Mumbai...it's a Pune meet!

The experience of being present there is faar more than the blog can explain. AmBo would be coming up with a poem on this...so keep watching this blog for more details!

Feeling like you have missed something?? If you don't want to miss it again, please email us as mahagsb@googlegroups.com or feel free to call Vaibhav (for Pune meets - 9860355206).

Conquering a Sunday!

2009-12-13T13:21:00.000-08:00

Sunday mornings are lazy and there are no 2 ways about it. Rather the complete day is lazy. It's "the" day for relaxing, getting up late, lying on the sofa playing couch potato and watching the idiot box till hunger beckons lunch. Post a heavy lunch and an afternoon nap, it's evening tea, a movie may be and the day ends. Contrastingly, if someone offers a Sunday wherein the wake-up alarm rings at 4:00 AM to be ready in an hour and then walk uphill for about 3 hrs basking in the sun...what would you choice be??
We accepted the offer. And when we have a team that gels so well, that neither disturbing the sleep nor the hot climate can deter our determination to go trekking together. And with the nature's beauty calling, it was a bonus offer!
It was destination Lohagad...one of the majestic forts on the Sahyadri range and a perfect trek for first-timers (Most of us were first-timers) Though one of the simplest of the treks, the sun blaring heat and the long uphill trail together were a tough ask. It is at such points where the group matters, the bonding between the group matters. And this group gels as strongly as the structure of the fort.
Encouraging, cheering and clicking pics all the way, the whole group enjoyed trekking together. To add, we enjoyed the simplest of zunka-bhakar for lunch, followed by kokum sharbat. It was a completely different experience in all. A Sunday was exploited against the usual protocol of a "lazy" Sunday...A Sunday was conquered!
Feeling like you have missed something?? If you don't want to miss it again, please email us as mahagsb@googlegroups.com or feel free to call Ashutosh (9820992403).

Children's day with grand-parents

2009-11-16T11:00:00.000-08:00

Most of us have had a great time with our grand-parents. They have always been special for us. In line with these memories, we thought of spending time with some grand-parents who are away from their children and make the "Children's day" a great day for them. However, Oldage homes are not happening places and at most times, you would get negative vibes from the people staying there. They are also very low on EQ (Emotional Quotient) and even a simple conversation could drive them to bad memories of the past. Understanding this, we knew we had a tough task ahead.

It was a challenge and we had to prepare ourselves. We spent about 2 weeks on creating the plan, discussing it and working out options. We planned for an ice-breaking session on the first day, followed by a stage show in the evening. We had interactive games, the second day morning and a gifting ceremony to close the event. We wished to create memories that they could cherish for a long time. Little did we dream that the event would give us such a memorable experience. And while we had a wonderful time with the people there, we also had our share of "masti" with a night-walk, then terrace chatting, the making of "khottos", morning walk to emu farm...and not to forget cramping 15 in 2 cars (9 in Honda City and 6 in Suzuki Estilo)
The experience was very nice and very fantastic...not just for me or a few other, but for all. We collected feedback from the people there as well as the Maha GSB team and the response was equally positive! The people there like stage show that we did as well as the interactive games that we had. One of them mentioned, "You people have brought a ray of light in the lives of the aged by interacting with them so ably" The fact that they likes the event was seen by their participation as well.
Some joined us in the performance while the rest participated in the interactive games. They sang, played tabla and even danced with us! The enthusiasm was bubbling...they were as eager to play with as much as we were to get involved with them.

We had planned to gift decorated "Matki (pot) Candles" and while we were painting, a couple of ammas joined us in the decoration work.
While some of the team members were busy with the interactive session, some worked on filling the matkis with wax and the rest cleared up non-biodegradable stuff from the premises.
The interaction was so smooth with the inmates, that we never felt that we were there for the first time. Hegde maam, the incharge there said "It was really nice to see the inmates happy" while Bhat maam has invited us to visit more often. And the feedback from the Maha GSB team is no different. All the feedback mention that the visit was a pleasant and wish to visit the place as many times as possible. We, the Maha GSB team are all set and waiting to cater to another social cause!
If you feel you can contribute to Maha GSB and are not sure how you can, please email us as mahagsb@googlegroups.com or feel free to call Ashutosh (9820992403).

Sunday morning exploited

2009-10-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

"Another Sunday morning exploited!" That probably would be an apt statement...especially for a place like Pune. Generally, we face a very lazy Sunday morning...and we really hate it if we have to get up on a Sunday morning, be ready by 9:30 AM and leave home by 10:00. But Oct 25 was different. It was the day of reviving the Pune group of Saraswats.

The plans had started almost a month back and the response was not so heartening...till the Sunday morning. Marz-O-Rin, the ground zero for the meet, is generally a quiet place on Sunday morning with a very few people (read couples) coming in to have some soft talk or some people coming to have some pastries and little gupshup. All of them witness some nice chaos...something they would not have dreamt would happen!

We started pouring in and the first floor section that remains closed till 12:00 noon, was opened at 11:00. When 28 of us started occupying various seats, moving tables around...I guess the owner did not have much of a choice. It took around 5-10 mins for us to settle down and that was enough for us know each other...and when we know each other, there is no stopping. Chatting started as though we were long lost friends meeting each other. While the newly joined members shared the first impression, the rest shared their view of Maha GSB.

After snacks, pastries and a lot of chatting, it was time to lunch. George was the destination and biryani was the choice. Bhushit sponsored this quoting his birthday, so we replied with a cake!

And by the time we knew, it was time for the Mumbai team to say "Meet you soon!" (and to say that we took about half an hour)

We exploited another Sunday morning...and again, it was worth it. Those who were there would not mind rushing up on another Sunday for the same cause. But for those who missed, check the pics, join us once...and we will ensure you'll never be able to resist joining again!

नवरातीची नवमी गाजवली!

2009-09-28T14:10:00.001-07:00

The Wadala Ganeshotsav performance had it's side-effects...positively good for us. We were invited to perform at the Girgaum Saraswat Samaj on the Navami of Navratri, the day before Dasara! It was big for all of us not just because we were invited, but more still as some of the high profiles of the Saraswat society were visiting the Devi and were to attend our show as well.

And as is said, when crisis happens, there are no limits and for us, having just one weekend before the show had added in. But luck favours the brave and God helps those who help themselves. Here it was Durga devi who helped us to wave off the crisis and give a show to a packed audience. The show was so packed that we had to squeeze our way to the stage.

Due to lack of time, we had almost a repeat of the performance at Wadala...and there were some new additions. We demonstrated how Maha GSB was formed with grit and determination of all the members. Towards the end of the show, we had a group dance that "shook" the stage in a literal sense.

In short

Show असा झाला की सगळ्यांच मन जिंकलं,
विजयादशमीचा विजय मिळवला!
Performance असा धमाकेदार झाला,
नवमीलाच दसर्याच सोनं मिळवला!

The show had a wonderful response. Along with the applause, we also received queries on "how to join" and "what's the next program?" with a willingness to join the group.
Do you have queries?? Want to know more about Maha GSB??...email us at: mahagsb@googlegroups.com or call Ashutosh (9820992403) for more details.

आती क्या खंडाळा!

2009-09-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

This call of "आती क्या खंडाळा??" was answered by 21 Maha GSBs from Mumbai and Pune. Half of them had performed at the Wadala Math and knew each other...but the rest of the group barely knew each other and few of them had never met anyone in the group. In such a scenario, it would be fair to say that getting around with each other would take about 4-5 hours and meeting in the evening would just suffice the intro session for the group. But this group was a tad too different...probably it is in-built that any member joining this group just gels in.We reached the venue at about 6:00 PM. There was power failure and darkness was seeping in. That did not deter the enthusiasm in anyways. It took us about an hour to get the momentum going and the fun-time started rolling (not that we did not have fun on the way to Khandala) and the enjoyment and merriment went on more than the clock could count hours...from evening to night to midnight to dawn to early morning...till the time that time took us apart and it was time to head home. And in all this while, we collected memories to cherish for a lifetime.
We joked, we laughed, we sang, we danced, we barbequed, we enjoyed. We never missed a second and yet we never knew how time passed. And when we realized it was time to say "Good-bye", we were left wanting for more. Even after returning, we all are still in the same mood...wanting to be back with each other and have even more fun.I am short of words to describe the experience we had, hence will be updating the blog from the feedback from those who attended the meet shortly. The experience is also shared very poetically by Amit Bokale [AmBo] on our blog Kavya Prabha

Those who were there know what it was and we promise to deliver more of such memories in the time to come. For those who missed out, still have a chance. For details, write to us at mahagsb@googlegroups.com

गणपती बाप्पा...मोर्र्य!!!

2009-08-31T11:36:00.000-07:00

It was a travel from clouds of uncertainity to seventh heaven! It was three months back that we started with the idea of this performance. But right from how to get the stage for performing to who would perform, we spent all weekends working around this and it bore fruits on Aug 30 when the audience resounded with a thundering appaluse and cheers of "once more!!!"

The show had a lovely start with "Gananayaka" by Pradnya followed by a thunderous performance by twins Shweta-Teja. Then Nikhil and Vaidehi proved how a couple can rhyme with each other. This gave the show the needed powerful start...the audience started pouring in. Then was a skit by Ajinkya and Vinayak on a very innovative and delicate theme. They kept the audience involved. Then Sankalpa rocked the audience with "Hi chaal turu turu" and earned a chorus request of "once more". Then it was Chetan and Tanmayee as Dev Anand and Madhubala...and their dance was quite a peppy one. And all this was held together wonderfully by the hosts Sankalpa, Tanmayee, Ashwini and Chirag while Shripad had a guest appearance.

All this happened in an hour's timeframe...leaving the audience asking for more. The GSB Wadala Saravajanik Ganeshotsav samiti also wished for more...and we are planning to comply with a 2 hour performance at the next Ganeshotsav. (We would also be having some thing in between)...till then we all say...

गणपती बाप्पा...मोर्र्य!!!

Misal, masti and more...

2009-06-14T12:48:00.000-07:00

Fun and food...the two words synonymous with the Maha GSB meets. Whether it is the fun factor or the misal at Aswad, we kept our jaws exercising. While our senior member, Praveen da gave us gyaan and Aj usual, AJ was the entertainment factor. This time for a change we met inside Hotel Aswad and then moved out to wait for Chirag. Tanmayee was very punctual and AJ reached to appreciate her punctuality, well in time. Shripad joined in later, followed by Ash-n-Ash.

After some cool time at Aswad, we had to have some colder moments. So we proceeded to the "gola" center. Chirag found the golas too cold, hence we treated us on coffee. That was supposed to be a pre-treat of his birthday. (We wait to see the big treat!) This time for a change, we spent most of the meet time at Baristaa. The most happening thing that happened here was an interview with a Shooter who fires as well as rides bullets! I know, quite some readers would be interested in watching the interview. I shall soon have the link (It is currently under post-production by the cameraman)

And for those interested in the serious happenings...we discussed the performance at Wadala math during Ganeshotsav. And for those who love outings, we are planning one in September (12-13 Sep)

Interested, na...then what are you waiting for?? Get in touch...email to: mahagsb@googlegroups.com or call Ashutosh (9820992403) for more details.

Shree Ganesh of the Second Season

2009-05-17T11:35:00.000-07:00

After a long break, the second season of Maha GSB meets begun at the same venue as the first...the Udyan Ganesh Mandir. The first season had started in May '07 and continued for a about an year and with schedules getting busier, things came to an halt a little after May 08. By then we had completed over 12 meets including a lunch meet and a trek to Matheran. We also had a performance at Wadala GSB Ganeshotsav that was well appreciated. All this along with the fun that we have had is stored in the blogs on this site (check the side-strip) and in the memories of all those who have been there with us.

This season incidentally started in May (today:17-May-09) when quite a few heads came together with the same intention of having pure fun in a group of people whom we never knew were our friends...till the time we met!

Strange it may sound, but if you can ask anyone who has made it to the meet. Any new person joining the meet is a new friend (not even a stranger) for may be a few minutes. As ever, for this meet too, we had a good combination of golden friends and new faces. While Shweta, Ashwini, Ashutosh and Sagar have been synonymous with earlier meets, Tanmayee, Ameya and Chirag were the new additions to the team.

Ganesh Mandir was the meeting point as it is a well-known spot and more than that, it is said to be auspicious to begin with the blessing of Lord Ganesha. After getting together, what followed was the regular routine...food to eat and food to talk! We filled ourselves with light food and heavy laughter, chilly drinks and warm feelings...and before we knew, we had gulped over 2 hours.

So what are we doing this season?? All the fun that we had last season with some more flavours. To start of with, we have a performance planned for this Ganeshotsav at the all favourite Wadala GSB Ganpati on August 30. We already have a couple of songs, Shweta-Teja-Tanmayee for dance performance and a skit lined up. There are a few other performances that are coming in, we are just waiting for the confirmation!

Smiling together for the new season!!!

Did you miss this meet?? Do you wish to contribute or participate in the performance?? Do get in touch...email to: mahagsb@googlegroups.com or call Ashutosh (9820992403)

Warming-up for a new season

2009-03-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

After May 11, last year...we met up this Sunday (March 15). Meeting after 10 months, the fun and thrill part of the meet was still the same. Vaidehi missed due to bad health and a few others due to examinations. It was still a good fun time we had together after such a long time.

As the attendance was not so high (as it was last year)...and that we had expected as we were meeting after so long that most had lost the habit of making it to the meets every month! Moreover as exams are also due in April, many enthusiasts were not able to join in. So we invested the time in planning the future of these meets. The current plan that we have is for the Cultural events of the Wadala GSB Ganeshotsav mandal.

In 2007, we had performed at the Wadala GSB Ganseshotsav Cultural function (check this). We plan the same for 2009. Though Ganeshotsav is still far off, we would need to start working since May, so that we can cumulate an event. It would need to be planned with timings as we would accordingly have to book a slot at the function. So those interested in showcasing their talent, do get in touch with us.

And for those who are just interested in being a part of the group...you too are most welcome. The next meet is scheduled for May 17 as April is full of exams (and April fools). This meet with all the fun, we would also be working on planning for the cultural programme. And those who are really very interested and not affected by exams, can get in touch with us. (Our email id is: mahagsb@googlegroups.com, or you can call Ashutosh @ 9820992403)

(PS: Missed clicking the snaps as we were too busy...will share them after next meet!)

We are 1 year old!

2008-05-12T04:07:00.000-07:00

This meet marks one year completion of the "Maha GSB". It all had started on May 10, 2006. Since then there have been members coming in and enjoying themselves...having a rocking time! The annual meet was not much different, except that with busy schedules and other reasons the strength had gone down considerably.
The strength, however did not affect the enthusiasts anyways. The cheerfullness and fun prevailed as it always does. A better strength, a bigger crowd would definitely have made the evening more eventful... Nevertheless, Sagar and Vaidehi kept things interesting while Shalmali showed that the spirits are still high by attending the meet after coming to back to Mumbai (she had been out-of-town) Praveen Da had a function to attend, still he made his presence felt...It all goes in to show that over the year, the enthusiasm, the fun factor...nothing has gone down!

So what did we do in one year?? It would be too unrealistic to say that it was a sweet and nice year. We did have our share of bitter tastes and failures, but what matters most is that we have still come together as a team. In the past year, we grew in overall numbers, we have 12 successful get-togethers of which one was a lunch-meet, we did a performance at the prestigious Wadala Ganapati, we had a trip to Matheran and more than anything else, we had a wonderful time together, we made new friends...we gave farewell to a few.

What are we planning for the year to come?? Nothing exceptional...we have been getting friends together. In the stressful life, the meets have been like stress-busters to all those who have been there and in the year to come, we aim to do just that. Provide a fun-factor...a quality fun-time. We also are open for friends and their friends to join in. We also would like to evade the bitter tastes that we had in the previous year.

Finally, a thanks to all the members...right from the day we first met and from where all this started...to all those who made it to the meets. Let's keep Maha GSB rocking!

A "Naturals" meet

2008-04-23T07:18:00.000-07:00

In a month filled with marriages and ceremonies, the team still did find sometime to come together for the monthly get-together. The twins Shweta and Teja were the first to arrive, followed by the sweet voiced Shalmali and shooter Ajinkya. The couple Ash-n-Ash joined them later. Meeting outside Aswad, the team moved to the Shivaji Park katta. Jokes and fun followed with hearty laughter...and time passed without any notice.

Chats at Shivaji Park katta have to be followed with some chaat at the ground...and that is what the team exactly did. After some chaat along with chatting, there was a call for ice-creams. Naturally, everyone was interested...so it was "Naturals" ice-cream. By the time, we could finish off the cones, it was time to leave and we had spent almost 2 hours together!

Like every time, the fun time continued...the merriment continued and as the members start increasing, this would definitely increase. And like always, the fun had food that kept the get-together chat-pata and was topped with some "Naturals" coolness!

The upcoming meet is on May 11 and that is going to be a special meet as it would mark the 1st Anniversary of the Maha GSB team! So be there...

The Premiere

2008-03-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

This meet was 'The Premiere', the first to be hosted by the newly wed couple Ash-n-Ash. The venue this time was a very well contioned open place with lots of light...it was the terrace of Shree Sainath Scty. Though the venue was the non-conventional one, the team was there with the same enthusiasm to wish the couple and to have a good time together.

The twins Teja and Shweta were the first to be there...the rest of them followed. And then followed the same chaos and fun that we have at every meet. The dinner was ready and the team had a finger licking good time.Truly said...when you have a good group to laugh with and good food to enjoy, it really is hard to know how time runs by. And by the time you know, it's time to say good-bye. Well, and it is going to be a time to say "good-bye" to a few in the team...as well as there would be a warm welcome for some others. Sounds interesting?? Be there at the next meet to know more on this!
Till then it's "Good-bye, take care and keep smiling!!!"

Congratulations and Celebrations!

2008-02-11T14:38:00.000-08:00

The 19-member get-together on Sunday, February 10 created another chaos at Aswad after a long time. Aswad supposedly has maintained its tradition and I think we would agree with that as the management has been bearing out outburst with equal patience all time. But what was more important was that "We have maintained our tradition"...we have been rocking since we started and it has been going on and on...

We had a good news coming from Uma. The lady of the foundation team has found her soul-mate and is all set for a grand marriage. And for all you "single and searching", she had one statement to make "Reserved"

And while Uma was sharing the pedha's for her engagement, the singles looked on amused...or were they wondering when their turn would come?? Well...we'll let time answer that question!

And now we have a questions for you. Here are some moments that we captured, let us know your comments on the same. Your comments would be updated on the same blog by Friday. Email your comments to ash.nadkarni@gmail.com

A great group...getting together for a great time...and will continue so for times to come! Please keep yourself logged on to the blog, for things are going to get interesting...

Shades of Black on White

2008-01-15T14:22:00.000-08:00

We promised to come back with more sketches from Ashwini. After a series of cartoon sketches of politicians, Ashwini is back with a series of close-ups...in the shades of Black on white. While the earlier series had brought a smile, this one brings in an amazement on how much life is there in what in just black and white...what wonders can a pencil and paper do.

This collection is a close-up of faces and the facial lines are so neatly done that the sketches look real life. This time however, I would not have a teaser sketch here...the whole collection is for you to admire on "Majhe Chand". Do post in your views and comments, so that Ashwini has her feedback and some more up-coming artists come-up with their collections.

We have a huge artist pool with us and the contributions have started flowing in. Keep watching the blog for more posts. Well, do you want to just keep watching and not get listed in the talent club?? Send in your talents to mahagsb@googlegroups.com and we will tell you what it means to us.

A New Year...same old fun!

2008-01-07T14:18:00.000-08:00

The New Year for us begins greeting each other "Happy New Year" and continues onto a wishing a series of birthdays! We have three birthdays in the first week of January, starting with Prajakta on Jan 01, Yashashree on Jan 02, Trupti on Jan 03 and Vivek & Rahul on Jan 04.

The first meet of 2008 saw 9 faces...Kedar, Mangesh, Sagar, Prajakta, Rahul, Rohan, Vaidehi, Aditi and Ashutosh. Kedar and Mangesh were upto their usual jokes to keep the mood light, Aditi and Prajakta was all laughs while Vaidehi kept messing up with her language, Rahul and Rohan who had joined in recently were more over silent observers and Ashutosh had all excused for his late entry. The get-together was as planned at Udyan Ganesh Mandir, Shivaji Park. However as the 'Mamta din' celebrations were going on, we decided not to disturb the celebrations and moved to a quiter place at Oven Fresh. Prajakta treated us with her birthday cake, so the celebrations continue...

Yashashree, Trupti and Vivek who had their birthdays and were not able to make it to this meet, have promised to give a treat in the next meet. Vivek would also be giving an additional treat for his marriage with Prachi (the marriage was quite a surprize though!) Talking about marriages, Uma too has lined up. Mangesh mentioned that she is already engaged! Well, Uma, we are waiting to hear from you!

In all, the New Year has started with new excitements and the same old fun. There are many treats, cakes and parties to come. So those of you, who feel you would be missing any of the meets...think again!

Chats and Chaats!

2007-12-16T21:34:00.000-08:00

This get-together was honoured by the presence of our Gurukaka. So those who missed the get-together, more than anything missed meeting Gurukaka.

The venue this time was changed to where it all began...the Udyan Ganesh Mandir. Gurukaka, as usual were always before time, waiting for us. Ashutosh and Sagar joined in followed by Kedar and Shruti. Shruti looked like she had gained some weight. Yashashree and Ajinkya joined in shortly. Incidentally Yash had gained some weight as well!

There was a surprise promised for this get-together...it was disclosed. Ashutosh is committing..that is getting engaged. He has found the love of his life. With interuptions and continuous comments from everyone, Ashutosh still managed to tell the love story in complete details. Those who missed the get-together, there is no re-telecast of the love story.

Sankalpa as usual was late and was unable to find his way. Ajinkya went to guide him. Few mins later, Sankalpa joined us...Ajinkya was missing! We proceeded to the chaat counters and were waiting for Ajinkya to join us. He passed by us twice but was so engrossed on his cell that he never noticed us...probably he has found someone too (we are just guessing!) In our get-togethers, chatting is one thing and food is the other...and when it comes to chaat after chat, they are most welcome! While we were relishing on the chaats, Manoj Prabhu joined in. Post the chaats, the chatting was accompanied by walking...we walked to where Manoj had parked his all new Scorpio in which he offered lift to Gurukaka and Yash. Once again...those who missed the get-together, missed seeing that Scorpio is one of those few cars in which Manoj fits in!

Rohan Desai (new entrant) and Rahul were almost the last entries. Almost the last...as Praveen da joined in after them. Then Praveen da gave a surprize the left everyone stunned "Vivek is married!" Probably no get-together would have ended with such a stunning note before. Overall the strength was just 12 members as the rest were either out-of-station or busy attending marriages! Still those who were there had the same fun they have at every get-together...and those who missed, missed more than missed at any other get-together!

FUN-unlimited!

2007-11-19T01:57:00.000-08:00

Very tempting?? If you were at Gypsy Chinese on Sunday noon, you would be relishing the taste not just of this cake, but also of the unlimited fun moments that we had. And those who missed, well…this is just one of the things that you missed.

Kedar was joined by Sagar Danait and Ashutosh. They then booked a seating for 20 (and lucky enough to get the spot). Ajinkya and Sukhada joined in. Gradually the rest started coming in. Sudnya joined in followed by Amit, Smita and her dotty Vishakha, Siddhi Lotlikar, Shruti, Yash, Nanda, Aditi Diwadkar, Manoj Prabhu and by the time we realized the full show was on. The twins, Shweta and Teja had a tour of Dadar before they joined in. Vivek managed not to be too late and Uma was in just before the lunch was served. Prathamesh Kini had a CAT-bite and joined in after we were almost thru with the soups and starters.

Thanks to Sagar and Smita…who placed the orders to everyone’s delight. Ajinkya had a shooting performance and we had a rocking time. Smita had her camcoder and all the action was captured live. The ambience in Gypsy was calm and quiet…that is till we disturbed it. And probably that was unexpected for the staff there…they did seem taken aback by our roars of laughter. By the time, the staff had returned from the shock of how much we can rock, we were thru with our lunch. So they took the opportunity to usher us out. Then there was the need of a much wanted group photo. Looking at us trying very angles, the manager (I think so) felt we were just passing time there and (probably to get us out of there) offered to help us…Nice man!
As usual, we had created a long queue on the waiting list and everyone was relieved when we finally moved on. A paan and some chatting at the Shivaji Park katta…and the get-together concluded with a sweet taste.

Good food, good ambience, good laughs, good PJs and good company…we are the team of Good times together!

Colourful Black & White

2007-11-06T04:12:00.000-08:00

In a life where most of us seek colours, a few prefer to use just shades of black and show how wonders can be created with a two colours - black and white! Ashwini Rege is one such artist who believes in the power of Black & White. This week, we have a few sketches from her collection display.

Of the collection, three are political cartoons that would bring up a smile. There is one with a boy sitting and holding a bat. This one is by far the best that I have seen. The shadow effect created are wonderful and give life to the image. A collection worth seeing. I have expressed my views of the sketches...you too have a look and let us know your views too.

Click on the image for more:

Thanks to Ashwini for sharing your collection of sketches. The collection is far more than what we have here and we are expecting to see the rest of them and more coming in.

We have a huge artist pool with us and the contributions have started flowing in. Keep watching the blog for more posts. Well, do you want to just keep watching and not get listed in the talent club?? Send in your talents to mahagsb@googlegroups.com and we will tell you what it means to us.

Badlapur - Neral - Matheran - Neral

2007-10-30T01:51:00.000-07:00

In the train to Badlapur, I was telling Rahul about the Maha GSB group and the fun that we have, but he did not have the slightest idea of what was awaiting him at Badlapur. The whole team going to Matheran, was waiting for us. We had a slow dinner before we went to Nanda’s home. Kedar declared that no one would sleep as we need to catch the 6:30 local to Neral…neither was anyone interested in sleeping. After that…till 6:30, what we did for continuous 6 hours can be summarized as pure laughter. We laughed on anything, everything and even nothing…we were just laughing. Ajinkya’s monoact performance was the highlight of those 6 hours.

On Saturday morning, we reached Neral duly at 7:00 am, only to know that the first train to Matheran starts at 8:50. While we were waiting for the train, Shalmali and Nanda managed to take a good nap and Shruti and Shooter had a long walk.

The wait definitely was worth it. The 2 hour journey in the toy train was a wonderful one. We all crammed up into one compartment of the toy train…and Kedar started wondering how would the weight be balanced?
Anyways the toy train moved and our journey to Matheran continued. On the way we discovered some new talents. Though none of the cell phones were catching range, Shalmali managed to give a running commentary to her mom. Rahul was the only one who managed to have a nice sleep thru all jerks and movements of the train. And a very unique talent came from Shruti, the pincher! I know I am going to get a few pinches for this, but on the way to Matheran, Kedar was at the receiving end. Other than talent discoveries, we also had a splendid view of the valley.
We were all first timers at Matheran and knew nothing about it. We had our bookings at the MTDC resort and that is all we knew. Finally when we reached Matheran, we were informed that the MTDC resort (where we had our bookings done) was one station prior to Matheran. So we decided to walk down the tracks and we trekked for about 2 kms.
By the time we reached, we were completely drained out. We managed to have lunch and then we were snoring to glory till the evening. Evening was pleasant and we decided to spend the time near the rooms as we wanted to build-up energy for the next day.

I have never been up so early on a Sunday morning. I and Kedar woke up at 4:00 AM and then we walked to the Panorama point and the Sunrise point. The breeze, the view and the sunrise were just too mesmerizing. Getting up at 4:00 AM had actually paid off. We were waiting for the sunrise from about 5:30. The changing light and the blowing breeze made the wait peaceful. Then the sun peeked out of the mountains like a small kid peeking over a fence. Gradually the brightness began to spread and within a couple of minutes darkness had run away.
Surprise was awaiting us when we returned. Avinash (my cousin from Pune) had joined in with Gaurav. As we were chatting outside the rooms, a monkey approached our room and I casually commented “Don’t worry, shooter is inside”. That very moment, the monkey screamed and took to his heels…shooter was definitely inside! We then trekked to Gorbet point while the girls visited the Panorama point. Returning from Gorbet point, we took the route closed due to landslides…and that was an adventurous trek.We took the 1:40 train back to Neral and the trip to Matheran went into the memory lane. Matheran is a place to see. Cool and mainly unpolluted as no vehicles are allowed. Loose red soil all around, so prefer wearing trekking clothes that don’t soil easily. Taking no credits away from Matheran from making this trek a memorable experience, it was the team that ensured that all enjoyed to the max and made the weekend unforgettable.Thanks to all those who made this a grand success! Those who feel you missed this one need not worry…we are coming with more. If you have any suggestions for the upcoming treks, do keep writing to us at mahagsb@googlegroups.com

Satwik Paarampara!

2007-10-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

They say a pic is worth thousand words...see for yourself! Aswad is where is meet and this is what we have been doing traditionally. That's our "parampara...ekdum Satwik Parampara!" Smita was the youngest heart with us. She helped us in the celebrations with a wonderful cake (and she has helped summarize the get-together as well)
Landed at sharp 5:oo pm at Aaswad as told by Mangesh, who himself reached the venue accompanied by his girlfrend (his sawaari) by about 5.45 pm. Ashutosh(a well organised matured frend) and Ajinkya (the shy guy) were already there before me to greet people...Dheere dheere one found the most lovable, crazy, smiling twins (Teja/Shweta), then Vivvekk (numerology flirty freak) with Uma (the cutest, friendly but anorexic gurl) joining in...Then we had Prajakta, Vaidehi, Sudnya, and the rest pouring in...A gang of boys (3 room mates- Madhav (gela kunikadhe), Gaurish, Anirudh) also came in shyly, introduced themselves as shyly and stayed back just quietly watching all the madness that was going on...Mangya, the dodo came aaramse (after watchng Australia win), but he made up for all the lost time...He's a total cracko who keeps one in splits...Non-veggie stuff that he was playfully wording on everyone was not the kind which would make anyone angry...He was the livewire one must say along with Vivekk and Vaidehi...We created a riot I suppose at Aaswad with our chatter pratter and terrible laughter, but luckily weren't kicked out of the restaurant.

Manoj, Sankalpa and Shalmali the late comers kept hunting for chairs as we were 17 people by then, but managed to somehow push push and sit together on the joined tables. Vivekk couldn't choose on the dishes to be ordered so a li'l bit of help from me and some others made him finally settle for Misal pav, Kothimbir wadi, sabudana vada and cutlets with cold and hot coffee. This resulted into people's tendencies suddenly changing and guys were actually behaving like they were on the shows of Coffee with Karan And Chai with Ashutosh.

Snaps were clicked, old pictures albums were passed on for viewing and the bratty twins gave each one of us a li'l card( handmade by them) as a remembrance...Ashutosh was prompt enough to pass a sheet to each one of us to jot down our tel no's, mail id's etc...
The meet continued with everyone pushing off to Shivaji Park katta for gupshup, from where each one pushed off home as and per their timings. Nanda, Yashashree and Shruti were there at the katta as they had reached a li'l bit late to join us at Aaswad. Aditi joined in even later. All in all, a nice brief meet with total strangers, who turned out to be lovely friends...Keep the community going guys with more and more people joining in everytime...All the best to you and yes, I would always make it a point to be present for your meets whenever possible and be of any help to you people whenever needed!

At the Shivaji Park katta, it was full dhamaal time (wasn't that obvious!) Everyone was in their own world, enjoying with each other...and we had almost lost a track of time. Overall, 21 enthusiastic friends came together...had a blast of a time...and as usual carried home some memories to cherish!
Another memorable moment was the call from US. One of our team members, Anagha, whom we had given a farewell had called up. She is always in touch with us and has been promising to make it to the meets...this time she kept up to her promise and made her presence felt.

We have been going better and bigger. Some of the regular members missed the meet for some reasons and then there are new members joining in. We are now having members who have not been orkuting or not have been members of the orkut community and have still made it to the get-together. That goes a long way to say where we are heading!That's all from this get-together...see you all at the upcoming get-together!

What's so special about us??

2007-10-03T11:22:00.000-07:00

Some say intelligence, some say creativity, some say art; I say all the three...we have a talent and it shows from person to person. Some are good at drawing, some at craft, some at performing arts. We recently had a performance at the GSB Wadala Ganpati and now, by the time we are thru with enjoying the clips...Yashashree is out with a very touching song "Mrugajal". Do read it on our blog dedicated to poems "Kavya Prabha"

Talking about TALENT...here is another OPPURTUNITY! The KSA - Annual cultural event. Kanara Saraswat Association (KSA) is one of the most active and significant institutions amongst saraswats. It is also the custodian of the funds of the konkani sahitya samiti. This institution is based in Talmakiwadi, Tardeo and organises its annual cultural event coinciding with Diwali. This year too the event is being held. The highlight of this years event is a one act play competition to be held on 8th and 9th November 2007. The duration of the play can be between 20 to 30 minutes, and the play can be in either konkani, or marathi ideally.

We are looking at performers to grab this oppurtunity. Those interested in grabbing the oppurtunity, please post comment on this post or send and an email to mahagsb@googlegroups.com

We won!

2007-09-24T23:48:00.000-07:00

A very enthusiastic Maha GSB team reached Wadala Ganpati on Sunday evening hoping to get one chance to perform. And when they got the chance, it was "They came, they performed, they won!!!" They won the hearts of the whole crowd present there.
It was a complete show anchored by Asawari. She did a thorough professional job. The first performance was by Vaidehi. Here is the clipping of Omkara Pradhaana beautifully rendered by Vaidehi

It was then Ajinkya who came up with a short monoact. He enacted a character from the Marathi Play "Sahi re sahi

Then Shalmali sung her heart out...to win the hearts of the crowd.

This was followed by Vaidehi performing a spoof...a real hilarious experience

After a heart-winning performance by the Maha GSB team, the management of the GSB Wadala Ganpati gave a warm thank you note encouraging the budding artists to keep performing

It was a wonderful experience and I am happy I could watch it live. On behalf of the Maha GSB team, I thank all the performers Asawari, Vaidehi, Shalmali and Ajinkya for putting up this wonderful show. Special thanks to all those who worked behind the scenes for the success, Praveen Da for helping throughout in getting the slot, arranging for our rehersals and a lot more, Nagesh Pai for video recording, uploading videos and a lot of support that he provided, Yashashree, Amit and Sankalpa for all the support that they provided. Finally, before I conclude, a big thanks to the GSB Wadala Ganapati Management for giving our budding artists a chance to perform.

Ganpati bappa, MORRYA!!! Mangal moorthy MORRYA!!!

We believe that every Maha GSB member has a talent. It could be a performing talent like singing or dancing, or it could be an art of making candles or paintings. Whatever it is, we are eager to showcase your talent. Please send in your contributions (and queries, if you have any) to mahagsb@googlegroups.com

The team is performing

2007-09-20T21:25:00.000-07:00

Probably this is one statement that most captains make when their team wins a match. In this case, however, I am not the captain but the team is sure to win hearts when they perform.

So when and what are they playing??
We are playing a play or rather a small skit at the Wadala Ganpati on the 23rd September. It is a 20 mins act. The Sunday (23 September) is a full packed day of various events. Our performance would be between two events, anytime from 5:00 PM onwards. Be there to see our team perform!

Are you feeling like you missed a chance of being in the performing team??
Don't worry, our performances don't stop there. The Saturday of 29th September, we are trekking to the wonderful fort of Lohagad. We have our team members Janhavi and Mangesh working on this. What time are we leaving, when would we reaching, what all would we be doing...all this are more to come on this post, do keep reading!
Incase the trek sounds interesting to you, you can call Ashutosh Nadkarni (09422518103) and confirm your availability. More details on the trek would be uploaded on the weekend.

For any queries and contributions or to know more about us, you can write to us at mahagsb@googlegroups.com.

Highlighting enthusiasm through-out!

2007-09-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

Every meet has had its own highlights and so does this one. This one could be attributed to us starting the Pune chapter. We had two members who were with us because the Pune chapter was started. One of them was our guest for this meet. This lady does not like Mumbai much and it was just for this day that she was waiting to come to Mumbai. The other member is not a part of the "Maharashtrian GSB" community and she is hardly online...it was through her cousin that she came to know about the get-together.

This was the first time we had the get-together scheduled on a Sunday and the meet time was preponed to 4:30 PM. We missed the presence of Guru kaka here. The first two members reaching Aswad were Amit Prabhu, the man from army and Vaidehi, recommended by her cousin after Pune get-together. They were joined by Yashashree Patkar and the rest of the team flowed in. By 5:00, most of them were there busy talking to each other as though we all were childhood friends.

Every time we test the patience of Hotel Aswad more than the food we taste there. This time we patiently waited outside, till they requested us to move in. For a Sunday afternoon, the place was pretty filled up and this may be the first time that we were walking in a queue like disciplined kids! That was all the discipline that was there.

Once in, we were busy so busy chatting and laughing that we almost had forgotten where we were until the waiter reminded us that he was waiting for our order. Asawari and Shalmali joined in a bit late, but then it did not take them long to be join the laughter club. And it was when Aswari and Nanda sat on a bench together, we feared a loud breaking sound. Thankfully Aswad benches were designed to bear the load.
Of all, Trupti had a delayed laughter. Probably it could be the travelling lag or the Mumbai language...in anyways, even that was entertaining.
Mangesh (he can beat the Laughter Champions) made his entry a bit late and at the right time...when the food was ordered. He had a brief time with us and all the time that he was there, the food that we had ordered was on the plates as everyones mouth was busy laughing. The laughter broke Aswad manager's level of patience and he requested us to lower the volume. It was when Mangesh said "Good bye and God Bless!", we continued eating and the manager heaved the first sigh of relief. The next was when we all moved.
However, as usual we were not letting the meet end here. So we moved to Shivaji Park, where we found talents...Vaidehi Gholkar and Shalmali Palekar as singers. Their singing without any background music was worth listening. We also discussed the script of the skit that we, as a team are planning to perform at the GSB Wadala Ganpati on Sunday, September 23.

The meet is also summarized poetically by Amit Bokale [AmBo]. Do read that too. [Click here]

Quite a few of our regular members were not able to make it to this meet. However it was wonderful to see how the others kept up the enthu and never let a boring moment step in the meet. We were a strength of 16 with 5 new faces (Amit Prabhu, Vaidehi, Yashashree, Sumit, Trupti). This goes to show that the group is increasing and more than that it also says that those who have made it to the meet once, have always been eager to be a part of the meet again.
Have you been a part of the get-together so far?? What do you feel about these get-togethers?? Share your thoughts and experiences. Write to us at mahagsb@googlegroups.com

Making us proud! Vivek Pai and Naresh Kamath

2007-09-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

We are known for our talent, our brains and our will-power to do something. This reflects in the way we work, the way we chase our intentions and the achievements that we do. We have had many achievers and will keep having them.

One of our active members, Vivek Pai, recently opened up his own firm. He is an architect by profession and has a crave to make his own space. With the same intentions, of creating his name in the field of architecture, he has opened his own office at Byculla. Our best wishes are with him. "Looking at you to make us proud, Vivek!"

For us, Naresh Kamat is a new member who has joined the team but for HT (Hindustan Times), he is a well-known personality. He has made his presence felt in the field of journalism by achieving the prestigious Diamond Glamours Patrakar Ratna Award. He received the award at the hands of Minister of State for Urban Development Rajesh Tope and special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam. His article on security hazard of BMC's plan to create a hawking zone at Diamond market, Charni Road was selected. A month after the article was published, traders got the order cancelled.

We believe an achivement is neither big nor small; an achivement is an achievement and we are proud of it! If you are an achiever or know an achiever, do write to us as mahagsb@googlegroups.com and make us feel proud.

Pune Chapter: Meet II

2007-09-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

The second get-together of the Pune Chapter of Maha GSB team happened on Saturday, 25th August at 5:30 PM. It was raining heavily in Pune, the turn-up was low...but the spirits were high...and those who were there, knew what a fun it was! We have the report of this rocking meet that happened in Kamath Hotel, Pune from the Pune Co-ordinator Amit Bokale [AmBo]. Here is what he writes:

Sandhyakaalchi vel. Pahile pahune hazir hote. Nehmi pramane tyaani hi meet miss nahi keli. Tey hote aaple "Paus". Kamat hotel [JM road] var bhetaiche tharle hote. Nilesh yeun mazhya shejari ubha rahila. Adhi ek-mekaanna kadhi na bahitlya mule amhi olakhle nahi. Doghe ek-mekanna pahu laglo ani magh vicharle ki GSB meet saathi aalat ka, ani nantar gappa suru zhaalya.

Dusre pahune hote Surendra. Anolkhi chehare pahun tyaani call karaila surwaat keli. Amhi tyaala jaun vicharle ki to hi GSB meet saathi aala ahe ka, ani asey amhi rickshaat basnyayewdhi loka jamlo.

Ajun ek gruhasta amchya maagey yeun ubhe rahile. Amhi tyanchya kade baghat hoto. Tey hi amhaala bagat hote. Tey phone karnyacha prayatna karit hote konala tari. Amhi mag tyanna approach kela "GSB meet saathi aalat ka?" tar tey confuse zhaala ani nakaratmak uttar dile. Tewdhyat sahebanchi girlfriend aali ani tey aanandaay hotel madhe gele.

Tari amhcya gappa suruch hotya. Tewdhyaat mala call aala. Prashant ne majhya maagey ubharahun call kela hota. Asey amhi carrom doubles khelnya yewdhi loka zhaalo. Vaibhav Nadkarni kaamat adaklyamule toh Kamat madhe yeu shakla nahi. Pan tyaani hi meet miss kele karan pahilya meet la hi to thoda ushiraach aala hota.

Aankhi kon yenaar hyache confirmation navhte, tya mule amhi hotelaat shirlo. Yena-janaara ani hotel samoor thambnara "GSB tar nahi?" hya kade hi sarvanche laksha hote. Nilesh, Surendra and Prashant teeghe moolche Ratnagiri-Chiplun side che aslyaane tyanche kahi common friends kalale. Tya mule jaast javalchi olakh aslya sarkhe vaatu lagle. Gappa suru zhalya. Aadhi cutlets magavnyaat aale ani tya nantar baraach delay ghetla. Waiter la ajun ek mitra yet ahe asey saangun pudhchya coffee chi order baryach ushira denyaat aali.

Surendra kadne GSBs chi history ani kuldaivat che barech concepts clear zhaale. Nilesh tar khaas Jamshedpur hun aala hota. Tyaani tyachya engagement chi khushkhabar hi dili. Pudhya meet la aaplyala 2 pahuney confirm zhaale ahaet. Prashant Hadapsar hun meet saathi aala hota. Orkut access nasunhi tyaane mails varoon toh meet che plans chya updates ghet hota.

Dilkhulaas gappa zhaalya, vaig-vaiglya vishayannvar discussions zhaale, MahaGSB chi stuti hothach hoti, activities kashya vadhavta yeteel ani kay karave hey ki tharavnyaat aale. Ashi hi meet paus asunhi sampanna zhaali. Pudhchya meet chi sagle waat paahat aahot. Lavkarach ajun ek meet ghenyache tharavnyaat yenar ahe.

Have you missed this meet?? Do you want to suggest date and venue for the next get-together?? Then write to us at mahagsb@googlegroups.com

Art of a Woman

2007-08-21T02:06:00.000-07:00

A picture is worth a thousand words and a painting is worth a thousand bucks! One of our budding artists, Reetika has come-up with a series of her paintings.

This is just a beauty of the glimpse of her art. The paintings are more than words can describe. The most eye-catching painting that I found is the one where 2 ladies are shown talking to each other near a well. The background scenery brings live to the painting. Even the expressions are pretty deep and give a real life effect. The paintings are for display on Majhe Chanda [click here].

Thanks to Reetika for sharing such wonderful pics of her paintings. The painting are impressive and we are expecting to see more of these coming in.

We have a huge artist pool with us and the contributions have started flowing in. Keep watching the blog for more posts. Well, you want to just keep watching and not get listed in the talent club?? Send in your talents to mahagsb@googlegroups.com and we will tell you what it means to us.

Extracting the talent!

2007-08-15T08:50:00.000-07:00

All of us have a talent. Some express it and become world famous, some wish for a stage to display while some shy off from sharing their talent, fearing that they would be laughed upon. Those in the first category, who are already sharing their talent can put up their posts here as well. That would encourage the new comers to paricipate. For those who needed a stage, here you are...post in all that you can. And those who are still shying away, all I can say is probably you would be worse than some other contributors!

It need not be a talent that is known. It can be any of your hobbies as well. Seema loves glass painting and candle making. Her art would be displayed on the blog shortly. AmBo has can create poems instantaeously...here is something that he had scribbled for Anagha...
Tujhya pragaticha dongar asach vaadhat rahava
Community varti tujhya posts nehmi chalu asavya
Hya meetchya goad athvani tujhya mani ayushyabhar rahavya
Saglya GSB friends kadun tula all the best Anagha..

So then where is this blog and what goes into it?
This blog is a blog dedicated to your hobbies and is called Majhe Chanda (= My Hobbies) [Link to the blog: http://majhechanda.blogspot.com/] All your hobbies, pics of your hobbies...anything and everything that you can contribute goes on the blog.

Since poem/song writing is one of the most common things, we have a blog dedicated to poems and songs. This blog is called Kavya Prabha for all budding as well as talented writers [Link to the blog: http://kavyaprabha.blogspot.com/] So you can contribute anything that you have written in your childhood to may be written with care for someone.

Probably visiting both these blogs will give you a better idea of whats happening!

Now how do we contribute?
Email your contribution to mahagsb@googlegroups.com. You can even email us any queries that you may be having and we will get back to you.

Happy Hobbying...and keep Posting!

Bye bye Anagha...and come back soon!

2007-08-12T10:40:00.000-07:00

Bye bye Anagha...and come back soon! We want to have another get-together to welcome you.

Since this get-together was to bid Anagha farewell, I'll start with what she has to say,

"No amount of adjectives can describe yesterday's experience. I can't believe I was meeting all my friends for the second time, and it felt as though i have known them since ever. I really do apologize for being late (this shopping is driving me crazy) but "apan saglyanni aswad chi jaaga janu kahi vikatach ghetli hoti", and the singing session with Vivek who really sang well (i mean it :), and not forgetting Riddhesh's contri (it's okay Riddhesh, dooba dooba sounds good whichever way you sing it, hehe kidding), and then of course the lovely moonlight walk upto the restaurant for our dinner. God, Mangesh and Asawari, are SO FUNNY. these days, the moment i see their faces i burst into peels of laughter. And of course the lovely food, and the jokes, and am sure the snaps are gonna be nice (we trust you Vivs ,hehe) Last but not the least, the lovely cards that all my dear friends gifted to me, and the Ganpati idol. It was very thoughtful of Mangya and Kedar to pick up my words that I worship Lord Ganpati, and gift me accordingly on everyone's behalf. I was really touched. Mee US madhe ek chota devghar banavnaar ahe. tyasathi ek chota paat, niranjan, ful-vatee ghetlya ahet, Mangeshacha foto tar ahech, tyasobat ata Ganpati chi moorti pan asel, hence I really liked the gifts. I read everybody's messages on the cards, AmBo ur poem is heart-rendering, very nice indeed! Thank you very much. It was sad that kaki-kaka couldn't turn up. Hope they get well soon, but I will certainly meet them before I leave India. I will surely be in touch with everyone thru orkut (I know you don't trust me, Keds), once I settle there in a few months, cuz I dont wanna miss this fun! Wish I was a part of this community earlier, would have had the chance to contribute towards this community. But anyways, I will try to do some good work there."

Hey Anagha, regarding contributions...you can definitely do online contributions...and AmBo, I need that poem, its going on the blog for sure.

And when Anagha has said such a lot, it leaves less for others to say. So let me highlight some interesting points here...This was Anagha's second meet and she is already missing people. That is the attachment that has been built-up. The gift chosen was the best that Anagha could get. That says about the understanding that we have. And though we had a farewell, we did not let the emotions flow...that talks about the jolliness in the team. We all would miss Anagha...and that is because of the integrity in the team.

Nanda joined us for the first time and she had a rocking time. She says, "ata matra pudhchya meetchi agadi manapasun wat baghate ahe ..... manasokta hasanya sathi!!! It was a greatttttt evening!!!"

Nanda and Shalmali had to leave a bit early, but they regret it...cos they know what they have missed...we too missed you! Nagesh, OKC, Naresh and Pravin Da also had to leave early...nevertheless it was worth the 3 hours spent together.

Sudnya had to leave early in the previous meet, however she made it a point to stay till the end of this meet. She says, "Am never gonna forget the way we all laughed n laughed from starting till the end... just never came to know how time passed... n finally keeping a 'stone on our hearts' we all took each others leave n bid Anaghaa farewell... it ws a reallll fun!!!V ROCK, MAN!!!" The 'stone on our hearts' that Sudnya is referring to, we kept at 11:00 PM...the meet had started at about 6:00 PM. We were together for almost 5 hours and it still took us time to say "bye-bye"

Farewell Anagha...Be back soon! We want to have a get-together to welcome you!

If you are feeling that you have missed something, then make sure you don't miss the next meet. And if you feel, we have missed something, please write to us at mahagsb@googlegroups.com

Contributions start flowing in...

2007-08-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

Moving further from meets, we have started working on contributions. We have one contribution from AmBo [Amit Bokale]. Before this, Pradnya Bhobhe has a poem written on "aaee". Poems have been uploaded on the blog dedicated for poems "Kavyaprabha". We encourage all talented to start posting...we have many readers waiting!

AmBo first scripted the whole Pune get-together as-it-happened...and now he puts the same wonderfully in poetic format...Enjoy!

Baryach diwsaani punyaat meet ghaiche tharle
Ani sagle utsaahi GSBs mathuret jamle

Aapan hya adhi kadhich bhetlo nahi hyachi konala jaaniv navhti
Janu aaplyaat hi janma janmichich maitri hoti

Sagle jamle hote...ani suru zhaali hi mast meet
Aadhi magavnyaat ale garam garam thaalipeet

Mathuretle ek table amhi advun thevle
Ani nantar vel kadhaicha mhanoon chaha magavle

Chakk maharashtrian menu samor baghun konala rahavle nahi
Ani ithey yeun misal taste karanya shivay gatyantar nahi

Truptine magavleli misal hi navhti taaji
Kaaran tyaat tyaaney ghatli hoti parvachich bhaaji

Hey teela samjavnyaat amcha vel chaan gela
Tevdhyaat waiter ne aanoon dila pitalecha tambya ani pela

Vaibhav Parulekar ni good news dili ki to challa ahe MS karaila
Mhanooon tyaaney pics kaadhle saglya athvanee japaila

Vaibhav Nadkarni la yaila jara ushirach zhaala
Pan tyaala amchyabarobar gondhal ghalaila vel nahi lagla

Avinash chi sakalchi zhop jara kamich zhaali hoti
Tey tar hotey aaple manaache ganapati

Kedar ani Ashu chya badbad ani masti suruch hoti
Tyanchyach utsaah ani prayatna mule hi meet successful zhaali hoti

Mala [AmBo la] tar hey doghe kahich bolu det navhte
Ani var...arey tu khhop shaant ka basla ahes mhanat hote

4-5 taas Mathuret kasey gele hey kalalech nahi
Ani toh manager hi amcha utsaah baghun kahi bolla nahi

Agdi moklepanane saglyanchya gappa zhalya
Hasat hasat ek mekanna dilya taalya

Amhaala mahit hote ki baryach jananni hey miss kele
Mahoonach pratyek shanache chitra hey tiple gele

Magh amchi gaadi McDonalds la valali
Tithey suddha vel kasa gela hey kalalech nahi

Baherchya yenaryanchi gardi baghun amhich nighalao
Nahitar pudhcha shanivar ugvey paryant tithech baslo asto

Ashi hi meet nehmich sarvanchya manaat raaheel
Punyachi pahili meet hi Mathura chya naavanich olakhli jayeel

Parat ekda meet ghenyachi ahe sarvanna iccha
Apla group asach vaadhava hich AmBo chi shubheccha.

- AmBo

Contributors are most welcome…please keep mailing to mahagsb@googlegroups.com

मिसळ ताजी आहे

2007-08-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

Generally, I take the onus of writing about the meet. This time Ambo took the initiative on this front and he has put in the description of the first meet of the Pune chapter in assal puneri style…Enjoy the Mastani Misal and the Khamang thalipeeth!!!

Sakaalchi 9-9:30 chi vel…pausani hi aapli hajiri laavli hoti…mast thand gaar vaatavaran…janu ha GSB mitranchya maitrichach gaarva hota…sagle Mathura chya vrindavanaat pochle…mazhya pochnya aadhi Kedar, Ashu, Avinash ani Vaibhav cha chaha paanyacha ek round zhaala hota…Vaibhav saglyaat adhi aala hota…tyaala utsahani yewdhi bhook laagli hoti ki tyaane surwaat keli hoti…punyaatla initiator asla mule tyaane sarva dishes (mumbaiche pahune yenya aadhi) barobar aahet ka nahi test kariache tharavle asel kadachit ;) … Ashu, Kedar ani Avinash ni nantar tyaala saath dili…mast garma garam thaalipeeth.

Tya nantar mi pochlo tithe…gapaa taapa suruch hotey…tewnha Trupti ne call kela..tiney Kamat hotel madhe pahila khanyacha round poorna kela hota…ani magh ti amhala mathuret join zhaali.
Puneri misal ani thaalipeet parat magavnyaat aale…amhaala nahi tari vel kadhaicha hota…tyaat Trupti ne lavkaraat lavkaar teechi misal sampavli…ek-deed taas is what is Trupti's minimum time to finish the dish…Manager amchya jawalach basla hota…yedha vel time paas karnari pora baghun vaitaagla hota…saarkha ubharahun bagat hota hi kiti sampavla ahe khaana…pan aamhi hi durlaksha kareet hoto…nantar chaha maagavnyaat aale…Vaibhav limbu paani chi farmaish keli…pan ti hotel chya waiter ni naakarli…Trupti ne 7-up maagavle…tyaatla waiter ni ek sip maarli asey sagle Trupti la saangu laagle. Misal taaji nahi, hey trupti la patvoon denyaat khoop maja aali.

Parat ekda thalipeet ani chaha cha round zhaala…Avinash chi friend Renu ni join kele…teechya ni Trupti chya gappa aikne sarkhya hotya…

trupti: tu kuthe rahtes?
Renu: xyz [not to be disclosed on net]
trupti: arey mi hi ttithech rahte…xyz madhe kuthe..
renu: Abc
trupti: arey mi hi tithech rahte…

amche hasne ithe suru zhaale.

trupti: kuthli society
renu: efg

amche hasne ithe joraat suru zhaale.

trupti:arey what a co-incidence…mi hi tithech rahte…kuthli bldg…

amche comments: ata hya doghinna kalel ki aapan ekach flat madhe rahto [:D]
pan doghanchi bldg vegli hoti..

Vaibhav Nadkarni ni amhala join kele…tya velela amhi Mathura sodnyacha nirnay ghetla…tya velicha manager chya chehryacha anand veglach hota…thats what you call "chayn ki saans" chayn != jackie chan..saans = shwaas and not mother in law.

Baher padlyavar photo session suru zhaale…vaig veglya angles ni photos kadle…magh pudhcha question: ata kuthe jaiche?? 4-4:30 taas mathura madhe kadlyavar amhi McDonalds la pochlo…tey samorch hote…eka room chya pudhe "closed" cha board laavla hota…pan amchya saathi te open karnyaat ale…bahutek McD cha maalak GSB asava.
Tithe baslo…gappa marlya…chicken burgers khalae…time pass kela…magh gardi vadhayla laagli…ani amhala vicharnyaat aale "ki tumche khaun zhaale ka?" Vaibhav Parulkar ne agdi sopya ashya shabdaat khotey saangiltle ki amcha ek mitra yet ahe ani amhi tyaachi waat baghat aahot…ani amhi ajun 15-20 min tithe baslo. Magh sagle baher padhlo…pausaat discussions zhaale. Trupti ni thodi shopping keli (in record time...15 min!!!) McDee chya baher baslelya mansaabarobar pics kadle…ani tithe amchi official meet sampli. Sagle aaplya chehryavar ek veglach anand ani utsaha gheun ghari nighaale..[aap-aaplya]..ha "aap-aaplya" cha funda ithe nahi saangu shaknaar ;)
Snigdha yenaar asey bolli hoti…tya mule ji mulgi baher disel teech Snighda asel asey vichaar suru zhaale…konihi mulgi hotel madhe enter zhaali ki sagle…Snigdha-Singhda asey haaka maaru laagle…Snigdha la baryach uchkya laaglya asteel… :D

Ashi hi meet ekdam majet poorna zhaali…ani meet sampta sampta pudhcya meetche hi plans suru zhale…

- Amit Bokale
[AmBo]

Those who would like to be a part of the Pune chapter, please post comments here and we will get in touch with you.

Contributors to this blog are most invited…please keep mailing to mahagsb@googlegroups.com

Picking up pace...

2007-07-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

A wonderful get-together with as many as about 20 enthusiastic members. The venue this time was moved to Aswad Hotel, as we are all foodies (and we needed some shelter incase it rained) and more than anything a place to sit and enjoy what we do the best!

Many pics were clicked and the links are posted...thanks Uma and Vaibhav. The pics that I have clicked are all that you see here.

They say a picture depicts what thousand words can say...and we have comments from members who made it to the meet and I can say these comments create the picture of the meet!

The first comment comes from Riddhesh Nadkarni. He writes, "I am happy to write 1st message abt our get together held on 28th July 07. It was an awesome experience, simply joyfull I enjoyed a lot, spl jokes cracked by Kedar, Mangesh, Ashu and Vivek. I truly appreciate everyone for their gsb spirits. One thing that was really appreciating was that everyone was trying to gel up with each other very well. The later half was more fascinating when we all satiated our hunger at Aaswad and then went towards Shivaji park for timepass. Sharing loads of jokes, experiences etc etc was an lucrative part of this meet."

Vivek Pai had a presentation to attend. Yet he managed to make it to the meet and he expresses his heartfelt thanks to all those who made it to the meet, "The meet was really awesome, although I reached late as I had a presentation, but the time I spent there was simply wonderful, right from good old friends Ashu, Kedu, Ajinkya, and Gurudas kaka, to Uma, Mangesh, we all were having a ball of time. I made so many wonderful new friends like Vaibhav, Asawari, Amit[Ambo], Manoj, Anagha.............It was truely like a family get-together, and I'm sure that, now we are not just friends but a family, who is gonna meet regularly, have fun together and also do some good work. My humble thanks to everyone who made it for the meet, you all are really great, sorry to the people who had come early but had to leave, we shall meet next time for sure."

Nagesh-anna joined in late, along with OKC (Sameer Halady) and he too shares the same feelings. He says the meet was fabulous. AmBo (Amit Bhokle) who made it to the meet for the first time (after giving "tang" for a few times) shares the same thoughts.

Sudnya made it to the meet after a hectic day and had to leave early. She says "It was so refreshing to see all GSB's under one roof and having fun...it was a pure pleasure to meet all of them"

The first timers had equal fun too. Nandini who made it to the meet first time wishes that she does not miss the up-coming meets. Well, Nandni, we don't want you to miss it either.

Anagha too does not want to miss the meets either, however she is flying to US on August 20 for about 3 years. She says that "OUR GSB FAMILY ROCKS" and she wishes to stay back just for these meets. Well...Anagha...we are having a farewell for you and we will definitely have meets when you touch India again. Also whatever you miss, our photographers and this blog will bring it live for you...wherever you are.

And it has for all those who have missed. Sumit, Reetika, Anagha Palekar, Nilesh Gholkar Manjula (mayi) Shenoy and Anitha Prabhu who missed the meet regret knowing what they missed.

Overall the meet can be summarized by what Mangesh and AmBo say "Cheers! to the wonderful time together...may such meets keep happening"

And we will ensure that the Maha GSB team keeps growing

We are also planning some social activities. So incase anyone has any suggestions, please do put them in the comments section and we'll definitely work them out as well.

From where it all started...

2007-07-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

On May 12, a few orkutians of Maha GSB (also known as the Maharashtrian GSB) community came together and did what they were best at. It was all initiated about a couple of weeks back, when they thought of giving the e-life some real fun. And when the topic was initiated by Uma, there was an overwhelming response...a response that said in very simple words "Count me in"...and so there they were on May 12, sitting together

Most of them were seeing each other for the first time...and when they chatted for 5 mins it was like they used to sit on the katta every evening and have a cutting chai.

As Gurukaka says, "एकंदरीत मीटची नांदी तर खूप आनंदात , सुखदायी झाली. भेटलेल्या सर्वाना खरच खूप समाधान वाटल्याचे दिसते , हाच जोश , एकी , आपलेपणा कायम ठेवा."

Then Teja adds, "Aye tumha saglyana bhetun khup khup chaan vatle ,ani best part is majority of us were meeting for the first time n still were behaving as if bahut purane friends hai,good haan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!keep it up yaaron.....Eager to meet u all soon!!!!!! "

And as Vivek expressed, "The meet was awesome, hope there will be a lot more meets like these! Thanks for everyone who attended the meet, those who missed it please make it for sure the next time! Was thrilled to make so many new friend especially, Gurudas kaka! You all are so wonderful! Great to have you all as a part of my group!"

Vivek captured the meet with his expertise behind the cam which was apprecitated by everyone. One of the member, Anagha complimenting Vivek mentioned, "could not attend the meet, but the pics are awesme, good work buddy!".

Before we knew 2 hrs flew off as they were 2 mins and it was time to go home. And what was left was a lingering sweet taste like that of AAMRAS...sweet and long lasting. In short "They Came, They Met and They Enjoyed"

I was there when this happened and I am happy that I was there, cos I would not have liked to miss this!

To ensure that the sweetness continues, we are planning on creating the Maha GSB team...for GSBians and beyond!!! Well, that is we are not confining ourselves to be just Maharashtrian GSBians, we are Maha GSBians...all inclusive. The upcoming meet will mark the birth of this team. So if you care to be one of them, do join the team and enjoy the fun. For the rest, all I can say is you are really gonna miss something...that we will ensure!