wanderer

Joy of Receiving

2011-12-20T16:20:00.000+05:30

My 3 year old son gets a new toy nearly every week. Occasions range from birthdays, visits of grand parents, visit to native, relatives visiting us, festivals , happiness spells....reasons are many as many toys in the house now. We generally give in to his demands for new toys because we love to see the twinkle in his eyes as he gets his new car and many times to hide our guilt of not able to spend good amount of time with him. I think i could have easily accumulated 1 kg of gold for my would be daughter in law with the amount we have spent on the toys. So every week a new toy comes and older ones get pushed under sofa , chairs and all the unseen places gathering dust and reducing the available space in 1000 sq ft home . Yesterday i decided to give away few old toys of my son to kids of construction workers working in our apartment. I chose toys which were in good shape but not played with and of course keeping in mind not to give away toys which had a fond memory attached. I went to the construction site where little girls of age 6-7 were taking care of their younger siblings , i saw little babies comforting themselves on the mattress of sand and few others playing with gravel and tools their parents left behind. They looked happy and content with whatever life had given them , their joy became contagious as i handed over old toys to each one of them. The twinkle i saw in their eyes was similar to my son's on receiving a new toy. I didn't wanted to intrude in their happiness and so i left hurriedly after giving the toys. Their childish shouts of joy made me look behind again and again and i really felt as if they have given me something - I felt the joy of receiving something intangible.

Growing your own food

2011-12-05T15:18:00.000+05:30

I think growing your own food is one of the easiest and most rewarding ways you can contribute to mother earth.

It helps you become healthy by consuming no pesticide , chemical stimulants.
It Makes your body fitter and mind calmer.
It adds beauty to your small balcony or terrace.
It saves money and gives a direction of life if pursued more seriously.

On a higher note it helps you connect to earth , from which one has come and to which one will get mixed with one day.

On a lighter note , it makes your kid know vegetables by names before the age of 2 and prompt them to eat them too.

Brinjal produce- 5th dec 2011

Real Treasure

2011-09-21T12:31:00.001+05:30

What makes me feel good,
Is the sound of the violin crafted from wood
The pitter patter of noisy rain
Tingling in my fingers, because of running sand grains

I admire the first shoots of germinating seed
How beautiful it seems when a chick opens it's mouth for feed
The little kids humming their nursery rhymes
Trance like feeling when I hear the wind chimes.

I wonder at the play of seasons
Celebrating trivial wins for a reason
Falling asleep while reading a book
Relishing food which my mother cook

Passing of train through country side
Feeling the air hugging me on a bicycle ride
Giving shape to wet clay
Looking at a kid engrossed in his play

No money can buy these little treasures
My heart knows these are without measures!!!

Voyage A Pondycherry

2011-07-19T11:23:00.000+05:30

Pondicherry aka Puducherry is a culmination of two worlds. 2km stretch from sea till mainland takes you back to spirituality, coastal life and French connection – the land beyond this stretch is very similar to any other city in India with crowd, traffic, buildings and congestion.

We took a night sleeper bus from Bangalore and reached Pondicherry early around 7am, checked into a business hotel – Anandham. The south indian breakfast in the hotel was complimentary, may be this feature made it more tastier. Room rent in Anandham ranges between 1400 to 2000 Rs depending upon season and your bargaining power. The hotel has no view as rooms are without any windows.

Places to visit in pondy are Aurobindo Ashram on the street named Rue De La Marine. ( Rue in French means Street ). Kids below 3 are not allowed into premises; I took my kid into a school opposite to ashram and spent good time pondering at aquariums. Ashram is a very serene place and you can actually hear a pin dropping on the floor. Benevolent use of flowers to decorate Samadhi and incense sticks makes the atmosphere pretty meditative. One can buy books published by ashram at sabda and memoirs in the form of incense sticks, essential oils, soaps and potpourri from auroshikha.

Promenade – similar to marine drive of Mumbai is a nice place to hang out , wished people would have respected the beach more and used dust bins rather than littering. La café restaurant on the beach is a nice place to sip cold coffee and gaze at the aggressive sea lashing out its power on boulders lined across the beach. Some scenes of hindi movie Jism were shot at La café.

There are many options to stay at pondy ranging from Rs.100 to Rs. 3000 per person. We stayed at Park – Guest house facility from auronbindo ashram. These guys are choosy in giving the rooms, a holidaying couple may not get a room – there intention is to accommodate only visitors to ashram. Gh has got a good garden, meditation – reading room and a make shift canteen. One can hire cycle for Rs.35 per day and go across the city. Odd canteen time makes it difficult for having regular food especially if you are with kids. Restaurants are plenty and there is no problem to find any kind of food.

We went to Auroville the other day , but couldn’t get into the meditation dome as it requires prior approval. Auroville is a international community living area , where residents are from different countries – its around 15 km from main city. One must carry umbrella , juices and time if one wants to enjoy the place. The bakery at Auroville serves yummy food relished specially by foreigners who visit them. One can buy little upmarket products at boutiques inside auroville.

We then headed to Mahabalipuram , but I think its better to travel to Mblrm from Chennai rather than from pondy. Bargain a lot for any product you purchase here.

Highs about the trip : Solace, French Architecture , Evening Stroll on promenade , noisy Sea, Dolphins swimming near the coast ( carry binoculors)

.
Lows : High Temperature , Auto fare – Rs 40 as minimum fare.

Work from Home - Please Mom

2011-05-12T12:48:00.000+05:30

Busy mom writes on post it

Oh son, you get up so late

I have to rush hard to punch my card at the office gate

Help yourself with Kellogg’s carton kept in the kitchen

Don’t forget to drink your milk like neighbor’s kitten

The bath water in the tub is warm for you

Sorry, I was running late to polish your shoe

Money is on table to help your lunch tummy

I should be with you for Dinner – Your Mummy

Son Writes back

In my dreams I see you with me

So I hate to get up early in the hours I call wee

I am still too short to reach out to cartons in the kitchen

I wont drink milk – as I am a cub not a kitten

No problem, if you didn’t polish my shoe

My school is closed as many kids have got flu

Money is still there on the wooden table

I felt little weak so had crocin after reading the Label

Mom, I am waiting for you – being all alone

Cant you join some office – which lets you Work From Home. 

Handbuilt Planter

2011-05-10T15:12:00.000+05:30

Terracota hand built pot

Took around 300 gm of clay and moulded it into a useful planter. important to make a hole at the base while the clay is leather hard.

At my own pace

2011-05-04T12:17:00.000+05:30

I laze and relax,

I wonder and ponder

my mind thought ......

about the things that my brain couldn't sought

and my heart assured me

that my soul is free ...its not caught.

I tasted the sea and the droplets of rain

I felt the satin and tattered clothes covering the pain

Felt the heat of concrete high rise mansions

And swayed to sleep under the thatched roof built of passion

Some complained of having plenty

Some rejoiced when their plates were not empty

I pitied the happiness

and the thing which made me laugh was the sadness

I am neither cheerful nor poignant ,

Neither hollow nor expectant,

They label me a loser, incapable of winning the race

Isn't it ? In the end.... winners and losers will mix with the ether leaving no trace

Till then I let my body laze and relax.........

Let my soul wonder and ponder.........

faces on pots

2011-04-11T14:03:00.000+05:30

Made small pots on wheel of not more than 5cms in height and gave expressions on them using hand building technique. The more i practice , more i improve. These might not be the best pieces of art, but i find them cute and inspirational.

just wanna be alone

2011-02-01T10:36:00.000+05:30

Sometimes in life, i just want to be alone

Neither be happy nor have anything to moan

Don’t want to think over the past or about the approaching time

Just want to ponder on creator’s creations …this wind, ether & sun shine

Tragic end of life - but life continues

2010-05-29T12:39:00.003+05:30

last saturday we woke up to mangalore air crash and this saturday it was gyaneshwari train accident caused by the Naxal- maoist ( calling themselves saviour of people).

I think of those merry people who would have planned their journeys many days in advance, would have packed best of their clothes, would have loaded batteries into their camera's to click beautiful moments of their life - but death was waiting for them which jolted their bodies miserably to take out their soul.

After such a tragedy , the blame game starts .Government sets up panel to enquire about the incident , terror groups rejoice and plan to make the next move more deadlier. For both of them its the number of dead that matters. The pain and loss is for those who remain behind - reliving those horrific moments throughout their life, waiting for kids who would never return home again - wishing to have been with the partner on that unfortunate journey .......

For many people like me who are lucky to be reading newspaper about such incidents - life will continue, we too will move on and plan to go on a vacation .........till we don't become a victim of such an accident ( one never knows)

to my little baby

2008-09-19T14:08:00.003+05:30

To my love, To my child .
I feel you within me though your moves are quite mild.

I picture you in my thoughts and wonder how you would look
which book will be read to you and what for you i shoud cook

Will you be like me or like your papa
what will you call me - mummy or mamaa

What do i call you , i wonder if you will like the name
Will you be naughty or easy to tame

However you will be , i will keep you in my arms
my love and care will always keep you healthy and warm

Come my little angel , your mother is waiting for you
guess this is the feeling with you too , my baby boo

Go Go Fly

2008-04-23T09:45:00.003+05:30

All children like animals , at least most of them .In the locality we stayed earlier had lot of kids of our age. Every other day some or the other would find a injured bird , orphaned kitten or sick squirrel . Each kid had a proper role to serve- some were assigned job for taking care of the needy animal ,bully boys were watch guards , some were supposed to provide for temporary residence and then little girls were responsible for food supply. Usually the animal used to get well and sneak out of captivity . Whenever it happened there was a grief all around . There would be frantic searches in bushes , dug up holes and in houses of suspects. Failure in search would eventually take form of blame game , fights and imaginary stories . For few days every one would carry the loss of guest animal in their heart only to be replaced by shout for new discovery " Ae mil gaya mil gaya ...kabutar hain , pankh tuta hua hai " .

Me and sister would never get a chance to keep any animal home as it was the privilege of senior kids. We both wished to have our 100% ownership pet , whom we wont share with anybody and then the day arrived soon. Papa bought us caged parrot , two in a small cage.

We were very happy as parrots were novel and we enjoyed envied eyes of others. Parrots were given every thing possible to eat, there cage would always smell of guava, chillies mixed with their dumping. We watched their behaviour very closely and their well being mattered most during those days. My sister tried a lot to make parrots repeat few words , but they never talked . After a month or so they still were scared of us and beat their wings vigorously whenever we neared them which made us sad.

One evening i still remember a flock of free parrots flew by making lot of noise and our birds in cage became very restless and gave out of shrill screams. My sister looked at me and i just said " may be there was their mother in the group which flew by " . Something changed from then onwards , we both wanted to free our birds and wished they could find their home again. Next morning before leaving for school , we gave a sumptuous breakfast to our parrots and opened the cage. There they went towards the open sky , their green wings happily slapping the morning air. They circled thrice around our home and my younger sister started clapping overjoyedly and shouted - Go Go Fly .

Our hearts were more happy when we gifted freedom to our caged guest than on they day papa had got them for us. Two more times our parents got us caged birds , but stopped when they realised that their daughters love freedom to caged security.

Short Story - 1 KALI

2008-04-14T17:10:00.007+05:30

Here is my first short story , will keep posting some more short stories written by me . Hope you enjoy reading. All stories are fictitious any resemblance to event or person is coincidental :-)

Kali – The train singer

In the year 1994, we moved to Bombay from Ghaziabad, as my father’s services got transferred to the city. I was 13 then and took admission in a class eighth of a CBSE school at Dadar. We rented a house in dombivili.
I used to take 7 am train to Dadar every day and start off my hour long journey. Being new in the city as well as being a very reserved child, I hardly spoke to any body in the train and used to doze off holding a syllabus book more so for reason of avoiding any conversations than catching extra forty winks.

“ Pardesi Pardesi Jana nahi “ shrill voice of a girl younger to me by three four years always woke me up , as soon as she used to get into the train at Kalwa holding two small granite pieces and rattling them unmusically. Her hairs were matted tied loosely in a plait and her thin physique wore a ragged salwar kameez hanging clumsily over her feeble shoulders. Face was dark with clipped lower lip, but it was those jovial eyes which got her some sympathy and some coins in the ladies compartment. I never gave her any money and neither had she begged from me in those two years. She always stood close to me after singing two three songs from the hit list but I use to hate her for it due to her body stink. She use to peep into my books, sometimes tried touching my new “squeezy” water bottle and other times used to just look blankly on my polished shoes. I always behaved in a very aloof manner and never gave her more than a single look.

3rd March 1996 was our farewell day in school before board exams. I wore new salwar kameez and applied make up for the very first time. I stuck to the very same routine and started on my last journey to school, more so to bid bye to the ladies compartment, to the stations I crossed and fellow passengers.

“Didi, sahi – ekdum Madhuri Dixit “ were the words of the singing girl, when I gave her a smile for the first time in those years. I spoke to her for the first time and told her about the farewell party, my admission in Bangalore and career plans. She could hardly understand what I was talking about and even I didn’t realize what it will mean to a child who has never held a pen in hand. She only understood it was my last day on 7 am train and I will receive some gifts from my friends as a partying gift. That day she just sang for me in a low voice standing close to me, it was her way of saying bye. As my station was about to approach, she asked me if I could write her name on her palm as a return gift. I hesitantly wrote “kali” on her dirt greased palm and got down at the station.

Years passed, I completed my education in Bangalore and joined a top tier IT Company in Hyderabad. My job made me travel across length and breadth of country and I eagerly waited for an opportunity to visit Mumbai, the city I loved. Opportunity came soon, as I was chosen on a recruitment panel visiting few campuses in the city. I visited the area in which we lived, everything had changed – new malls all across, lesser trees and more cars. There were new residential complexes and with no known face. I took a local train back to my hotel and my mind kept wandering back and forth switching between past and present.
“ Pardesi Pardesi Jana nahi “ the familiar song broke my thoughts .A girl child barely of five was singing and begged for alms, her mother followed soon behind and it was no other than ‘kali’ .

“ Arre didi , ekdum madam ban gaye “ kali spoke as she hurried towards me . She picked up her daughter and showed me her mangalsutra. I smiled at her and after few exchange of words, when we both had nothing to talk she asked her daughter – “kali, madam ke liye gana gao “. I jokingly asked kali “why you kept your daughter’s name as kali, she is more fair than you”, to which she replied “kali hi likne ata hai, aapne sikhaya tha”
I got down at a station and an inner voice spoke to me “ wish I could have taught her more , so that she could have given a different name , a better identity to her daughter “ .

“Didi, Madam Bye Bye “shouted both the kali’s as their compartment passed by me on the platform.

छू मंतर

2008-02-16T15:06:00.008+05:30

वहाँ मत जाओ - वहाँ भूत है । खाना नही खाओ गी तो - राक्षस पकड़ कर ले जाएगा । रात को जो बच्चे नही सोते उन्हें - पुलिस ले जाती हैं। किस किस तरह से सब ने मुझे बुद्धू बनाया , और आज मैं भी बच्चो को इस ही तरह से बेवकूफ बनाती हू । मुझे आज भी याद हैं , जब मैं हर रात एक चिट्टी लिख कर अपने घर की बालकनी मैं रखती थी । मेरा यह विश्वास था की परी आ कर वह चिट्टी ले जायेगी और मुझे जो भी चाहिए वो मेरे लिए रख जाएँगी। २४ दिसम्बर की रात मैं अपनी सारी सोक्क्स और स्तोक्किंग धो कर रस्सी से लटका देती थी । christamas के दिन उसमे एक डेरी मिल्क चोकोलेट , हेयर क्लिप, पेंसिल , शर्प्नेर और एक संता क्लाउस की लिखी चिट्टी पाती थी । उस चिट्टी मैं मुझे संता क्लाउस - एक अच्छी बच्ची बनने के लिए कहता , हर सुब्जेक्ट मैं आए मार्क्स के बारें में जिक्र होता , गणित में ध्यान देने को कहता । में यह सोच हर हेरान हो जाती की किस तरह संता क्लाउस मेरे बारें में इतना कुछ जानता हैं । पर chocolate का स्वाद इस प्रश्न को भुला देता। एक क्रिसमस की सुबह मेरी नींद अचानक खुल गई और मैंने मम्मी को मेरे सिरहाने बेंठ्कर चिट्टी लिखते देखा , तुरंत मैं समझ गई की मम्मी ही संता क्लाउस बन कर हर साल चिट्टी लिख्ती हैं। उस दिन से मैं बड़ी हो गई और जादू , परियों और संता क्लाउस की दुनिया से बाहर चली आयी .

How good it is to be doing nothing at all !! :-)

2008-02-15T10:25:00.011+05:30

How good it is to be doing nothing at all

To sit by the window , to look at tea stall

To sip hot coffee and hear the rain drop

How good it is to be doing nothing at all

To follow red ants to their burrows , to look at the mud bath of sparrows

To wonder at games that clouds play , to mix colours of pink and grey

How good it is to be doing nothing at all

To spend afternoon on park swings , to collect sea shells and hear what sea sings

To believe in fairies with fur wings , to make houses from matches and twigs

How good it is to be doing nothing at all , hope i can be a child all life long

lazy afternoon naps

2008-01-10T14:09:00.000+05:30

Stretch a bit ,feel your tummy full , switch off the TV, snuggle in to the mattress, take a light bed sheet, turn to side and close your eyes for that lazy afternoon nap.

Afternoon naps - the bargained thing for the pay cheque are the best way to relax your body and soul. A hour nap energises the body more than the sleep of 8 hours at night. Look around - all will be doing the same be it a hawker spread over like a log on his hand trolley or street dogs taking few winks in shade . Kids also disappear during this time of the day to return back to streets with more vigour.

Enough - Got to get back to work , Boss calling ! office goers need to wait till the life clock strikes 60 .

Blinded Now

2007-12-25T11:41:00.000+05:30

Some days back , i was just wondering .....that why don't i see any injured bird, cat , dog in the locality . Then i realise - from a long time i have never seen tender roots developing in plant pots , neither i have seen cheap candies and cola filled in plastic packs. I pondered on this thought and knew - why i don't see them any more- i am blinded now.
Now i am more busy to reach office on time - as a kid , i never wore watch and never kept time.
Now i am more health conscious , cheap things and cheap joints are dirty - as a kid, i never kept tab on weight . road side small shops had best offerings in rupees one or two.
I wear good clothes , i have to look good. apperance matters . - in childhood taking care of clothes , hygiene was an outsourced department to Mother. It never mattered that clothes might get dirty while planting seeds in mud pots.

In childhood - we see withering plants needing water , small puppies needing shelter , injured wings of sparrow wanting protection from crow. Now we really don't see such things. We have got into a different world- where at the end of the day our dreams are still loaded with reminders about pending tasks. But look at a kid - he/ she sleeps deeply because he/she has addressed a bigger issue in a day and has been rewarded in return by a joy in heart and tiredness in body for that peaceful sleep.

Punjabi born , maharashtrian girl married to Bong settled in South .

2007-12-19T14:59:00.002+05:30

Which place you belong to ? ........i don't have a specific answer to this question. My mother side grand parents belonged to Pakistan (undivided India) and my paternal side hailed from Delhi - Rewari belt. My mother completed her eduction in Bangalore , while my father walked away with medical degree from AFMC- Pune. Coming to me ....i always had friends who were Gujarati , marwari, Tamil, malyali's, maharashtrians, catholics , muslim. I think i am an observer than a practitioner of any particular culture.
I find maharashtrians, Tamils , north Indians , bongs have a strong superficial difference . Language , clothing style , customs all differing a lot .....but when you go deeper .....it all stands on similar values and beliefs. Evey state in India has beautifully got acclimatized to its geography , climate and resources creating a distinct identity but keeping the core of Indian culture intact . I wish we all could have seen the same rather than making a linguistic ghetto .

I think so because i had seen and been with people of different parts of country, i am able to respect each culture more than ever and think of myself as Indian first than calling my self Punjabi born , maharashtrian girl married to Bong settled in South.

7.45 am local train to CST - VT

2007-12-19T14:59:00.000+05:30

I was just out of graduation college , six months had passed doing nothing but preparing aimlessly for next phase of life. 2001 was not the year where plain graduates were sort after.
Call centres ..now known more respectfully as BPO were new unknown venture . A graduate would only get a job through a reference , so i too got a job at khar by passing my one page resume through a reference . The salary was low , but i looked forward to experience and way to conduct myself in work environment. Days were long and journey to workplace was longer . Best part of the day was 7.45 am train to CST erstwhile VT. Regular train passengers became companion in joy and sorrow. One needs to be on a same train , from same boarding place to be included within the group .....i qualified this and was in Dombivili group . All ladies were in the age group of 40's and comfortably employed in PSU's, banks and Govt insurance companies. The gossip would range from movies, TV soaps, kids , bosses , husbands , train, neighbours etc. We celebrated haldi - kumkum in train , shared tiffins and goodies generously passed from one another. The day i travelled last on that train , my train- friends gave me a send off. They wished me luck, gave small momentos. A good train friend of mine, carried a camera loaded with film and shot few snaps ( in those days mobile phones were luxury and phone camera was unheard technology ) .
Today i am in Bangalore , have everything to term this life as comfortable . I don't have to rush to board any train, neither i have to keep standing for an hour to reach my office. Journey has got shorter, comfortable ...but ...only more .. lonelier and without companions.

keep wishing

2007-12-06T16:28:00.000+05:30

life is all about wonder years sewn together to complete a picture. As a little girl , i stood up on house hold tables to feel - how it will be to look at world from 5.5 feet. In college , i watched young executives, busily working on their laptops and imagined how it will be to be working . Now that i am working , looking at my mother who is about to retire from services i wish - how good it will be to be not working , to have endless holiday , to sleep as an when needed :-) .
Going back and forth in years , makes you ready for that phase of life. All wishes come real only to give room for new wishes. Life is made up of all those wishes , which god is slowly giving you and just luring you nearer to him . Thats what life is , a well laid game plan.....keep wishing , he will oblige .

2007-09-24T13:54:00.000+05:30

A new message , a phone call from my distant home town.... is all i look forward to each day

When will i go back to my home,..... is the question i ask to the god i pray

unknown faces , unfamiliar pathways .....makes me miss my old good days

The language is not known and no one to call my own .....my laughs have become no more than silent moans

When will i hug my mom and return to my world .........these are the questions and my only words

Let me return to my cocoon , i don't want to be a butterfly ....as i don't want on this land to my body to lie

to the god i pray and to him i say

please show me a hope, show me the path which will take me back home.