The Tortoise's Journey

                                                 


  There was a  tortoise but no hare. It had to reach the first of the many finishing lines that others had crossed long time back. There were too many stops, diversions and distractions. Nevertheless, the tortoise resumed it's journey. For that's what it was essentially. A journey and not a race.

    And so has been my foray into the blog world. Why am I getting so reflective about this today ? With this post I reach the first milestone. Not sailing into it exactly but managing to crawl to the hundredth post. Like the last athlete who stumbles in long after the winners have started their victory lap. But then again this is not a race.

   For all my blogger friends, thank you for hearing me out through my reminisces, coherent or incoherent stringing together of ideas, little stories and travel tales, which I've loved sharing with you. Each time I have tapped the 'publish' button, it's been hard to keep away from the monitor pretending that 'visits' don't really bother me. When the first comment appears, all that 'cool' attitude evaporates and a gleeful child, little short of jumping and clapping hands, takes it's place.

   My hundredth post combined with the festive warmth of aromatic plum cakes, christmas trees, tiny jingling bells at the kirana shop,  the lure of the christmassy malls, the warm pretty woollens; the hastily put together little bonfires at the corner of the road to soak in the heat, is a thank you note for all the little things in life. In this journey, the first step is all that is needed to reach the many milestones. That is what I gathered from the wise old tortoise. And along the way I have discovered new windows, sights, thoughts, different worlds within this big wide world, realising there is so much yet to be done.

  But for starters, the hundredth post will do. And with the New Year quietly making it's way round the corner, there is more to look forward to, personally.

     

It Starts With A Smile

If worded sermons were enough, all the world would have been a better place to live. If reading about values and then following them to the T was the most natural progression, then there would be no strife on this earth.

A child  never learns from what you tell them but only from how you act or react in real time situations. Sadly we live in times of distrust, arrogance and indifference. But I learnt that a simple smile with no strings attached can lift your spirit and create positive vibes.

In our recent trip to Germany, we were seated in front of an old German couple on the train. They had no reason to acknowledge our presence. But seeing that my tired younger daughter was sitting away from us they made space so she could sit with her mother. They smiled at us. The old gentleman tried to talk to us and we realised that we had no common language to communicate. He tried hard in German and we did our best in English. Then we all gave it up and just smiled at each other. The journey that would have otherwise been spent admiring the landscape, turned meaningful. We gradually learnt that they had grandchildren about my daughters' age through sign language. The lady showed me their pictures that she carried around in her bag. 

Long after they got off, the feel good warmth remained. My daughter said," Ma, it started with a smile."

Yes, so it did. I learnt that we may not be able to bring in great changes in a day. But we could make our environment healthy with just a smile. This could lead to tolerance, respect and acceptance of diversity. And from here, all the other values can be extended and emphasised. It leads to willingness to help each other, to follow civilized way of day to day living like waiting for your turn,  and not being rude. 

I do hope my daughters also learnt what I did from the old couple on the train. 

I am sharing what 'I Saw and I Learnt' at BlogAdda.com in association with DoRight.in.

No Repetition!

"Excess of anything is bad for health", was my parents' favourite refrain in the growing years. So, if I was glued to the TV for long hours; reading incessantly at various angles on the bed or the sofa; gossiping over the phone as my father paced across the room with furrowed brows as a sign of his disapproval; or crammed in potato wafers everyday, they threw down this line at me to take hint and curb the excesses.

And they couldn't have been further from the truth. Everything has its charm for a certain time. In the 80s, we lapped up serials like "Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi", "Hum Log", "Kathasagar", "Buniyaad" and waited patiently for the "Chitrahaar"s. They still manage to evoke fond memories. There was a time when newsreaders were stars in their own right. The list is endless.Compare that with today and it is very likely that you will find only the inane and a never ending thirst for something new every minute with 24x7 media and the social media. The result would be a sore thumb from channel flicking. 

So if I had a chance to repeat a day over and over , I'ld rather say "No ,Thank you". In the repetitions would creep in complacency and a false ego. There wouldn't be anymore frontiers to discover. Every day brings with it new hopes and opportunities to find new horizons. If I fall on a particular day, at least I'ld have got up with a new lesson learnt. And that would be far more enriching than watching a repeat telecast of a glorious day. 

If Sergei Bubka was happy the first time around he broke the record for pole vaulting and contended himself watching it repeatedly , he would have never pushed himself to his limits and realised his true potential. 

Note This is a post for Blogadda's WOW initiative.

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

Top Spin

As the weekend approaches, with much trepidation I await a bombshell to drop, wondering which ''avataar'' is it going to take. Have you ever seen a top spin? I never knew, I would relate to it or empathise with it in my mid-life, having never fancied it much in my childhood. The last three weeks I have felt like a top spinning and spinning, until something comes along and drives me into a tizzy again.

    And then I chance upon this  phrase, "...an excuse for not working today". They asked for one! I could give them a list! First it was my daughters who wanted to participate in a Bihu function at Talkatora Stadium. This translated into diligently ferrying them across the city for the rehearsals. If only it was so simple. Simultaneously the older girl had her dance class Annual Day coming up. So ferrying trips had to be rescheduled and the timings tweaked to accommodate both the rehearsals. Then came a bombshell that she was to represent school for an inter-school Debate competition. She looked at me with hopeful eyes that I write the script and coach her. Well I succumbed to that saucer- wide, doleful look. God knows why I agreed or even looked into those eyes! So there I was managing time.  Discussions with the speaker (my daughter) while negotiating the evening Delhi traffic, writing draft after draft, figuring the best way to put the thoughts across while waiting for their rehearsals to end. And just when I thought we were finally slowing down, came the viral infection that is doing the rounds in Delhi. So now we were doing the rounds of ORS at intervals, throwing-up sessions, home-made remedies and the lot. There were three patients in the house. Two below 12 years of age, my girls, and the third bordering on thirty years of age, my brother.  

   Insanity was threatening to raise it's sly head. And then there was a breather. We got two respites in the name of Ram Navami and Mahavir Jayanti. Thank God for our secularism endorsing Constitution!!! I leaned on these holidays like a tired woman resting on milestones in her journey ahead. The difference being that I was going round in circles trying to catch my own tail...err...metaphorically. 

   As I type this post, my maid drops in to announce that she is taking the Sunday off ! So do I need any more excuses for not working today!!! I pledge that I shall not budge from my side of the bed and not look into any eyes, husband's included.

Note:- This post was written for Blogadda's WOW initiative. 

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

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"Magic is in the Monsoon!"

  Most will agree with me when I say, there is something Magical about Monsoon. Well if you must look at it with rose-tinted glasses- all the dust is washed away bringing respite from the treacherous heat, the fresh new greenery etc etc...  Before the onset of Monsoon, there are speculations  everywhere, " Will It?...Won't It?" Just like the Shakespearean Prince who couldn't decide with his " To Be Or Not To Be..." , the Rain Gods keep everyone here very much on their toes.  Right from the hapless farmer who searches the sky with shaded gaze, to the Government in the Parliament who searches for some semblance of support and civilized gesture from their counterparts, just incase it does not meet  "average of  average rainfall".( I am still trying to figure out that googly)

                                                          Courtesy Google Image


  With bated breath  all eyes and ears are then trained on the poor Met Department whose calculations and predictions most often show the opposite result. Quite like the mother who declares at her host's place,"My Chunnu never touches anything ..." And the next thing you know is a crashing sound of a valuable curio in pieces. And the Sonu in question with a poker face says, " I was just looking "...Leaving the mother red faced and the host seething. And so the smart Met Department, drills its excuses before hand, till even the rickshaw puller has terms like El Nino spewing to justify his extra charge.And then to appease the Rain God, there are donkeys being married off to trees and solemnising beleagured frogs matrimony...poor creatures wondering what the fanfare is about as they would have mated in any case. Ah...but there IS Magic!

                                                  Courtesy Google Image

  After all the West has looked upon India as the land of charmers and Magic! And it exists to this day! How else can anyone explain the traffic lights blinking off the moment the drizzle starts? Or the solid roads melting into gushing streams, leaving the vehicles stuck and the pedestrians fumbling for solid ground ? Hah! And we consider ourselves an evolved civilization! Even the fossilised skeletons of  Harappa and Mohanjodaro of Indus Valley fame, must be kicking themselves into a raucous clanging laughter!
  
   The other day a news in the Times Of India caught my eye..."Mahipalpur hunts For Rs 2 crore Missing Road". If any of you has seen Mahipalpur, it is not some God forsaken area on the fringes of Delhi. It is right next to the IGI Airport, a busy area with alleys snaking in and out. And the last I know the residents of Mahipalpur are still looking for it...They will probably find it in some dusty old file forgotten under some Babu's table ( probably dropped there when ..er.. something heavier passed hands under that hallowed table ). However I'ld like them to take a lesson from the Naga Blog who led a movement that laughed all the way to the concerned peoples' attention. People's imagination ran amok when the roads disappeared. They planted paddy with signposts put up "Drive slowly, Men sowing the road", went fishing , went Titanicing..with John Lennon's song becoming an anthem of sorts, How many roads must man walk...Friends you just have to read the full account of this Magic taking place in Nagaland here. It turned out to be delightful as I was browsing through the emagazine The Thumb Print.

   Well! The Monsoon this year still heartily pours down showing up with thunderous laugh all the holes , pot holes and the loop holes...However, the farmer is a happy man till the next Monsoon cycle.So is the aam admi who toils day in and day out looking for a restful sleep at night without having to battle the power cuts. The Opposition has one issue less to stage a  walk- out on and the Government is breathing easy and tasking the spin doctors to concentrate on  the other scams. The Met Department is the happiest of the lot, going off to a deep slumber until next time. So you see, there IS Magic in the Monsoon...






Some More Posts:

Making Homes Out Of Nothing At All      A Morning Walk...And A Lesson
  



Thank you to :

The Thumb Print  http://thethumbprintmag.com/Archives/september2012/index.php

The Times Of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Mahipalpur-Road

Naga Blog  http://www.nagablog.com/

Classics in shady light!!!

Imagine Mr Rochester with his pants down or good old Holmes pawing Dr Watson with the famous "Its elementary, my dear Watson"!!!


                      
 Well  the Clandestine Classics( Jane Eyre and other classics to get Fifty Shades of Grey erotic treatment)are soon on their way to throwing  shady  light on some of the 19th century literary classics. Now the question is, would I be interested in catching Darcy and Elizabeth making out...Its like asking myself, do I want to see Meena Kumari in the same light as Mallika Sherawat, a Greta Garbo as a Madonna with their over- the- top explicitness?!

Look around you. Is there any dearth of erotic material whether virtual, real or media publicised? Erotic literature is not new, case in hand - Kamasutra, Lolita that top the list. Then there are the sex scams and scandals to titillate and feed the depraved. In a world of such abundance, why is it necessary to drag in and slush around the charm of another world, of another era?

There is an aching sweetness in the glances  and words unsaid, that makes you want to sigh...Picture Mr Rochester and Jane Eyre sitting under the bough in their quiet exchange of words..the beauty of it!!!

In this age of in-your-face blatancy , cashing in on whatever- have- you and piggy-riding to the bank, I suppose, this is letting an "opportunity" go waste.

Personally, I have nothing against eroticism. It has its own place in the vast literary world.Just as a sexed up Jane Austen heroine would be incongruous, so also a Meena Kumari would not work in today's context. It would be like the sorry state of N D Tiwari caught with his pants down( errr... his dhoti down, not that he was a saint in his heydays probably).

I have two problems here -
1. Be original.
2. Tomorrow when I ask my children to explore the beauty of the classics, they may chance upon these "revitalized" versions. Not that I want them to lead cloistered lives...but they will never be exposed to the beauty of subtlety, the sublime...They will never know how the world existed "once upon a time..."

Defiled and Humiliated!!!

      There should NOT be any Navratras  henceforth in our country! Or any Durga Puja celebrations for that matter! All the temples of female deities should shut down. We are not fit as a people to observe these occasions. Let us do away with double standards. Atleast we will be clear about our position as women in this society as also in the country.
      Stop all this nonsense about "Save The Girl Child", the" Ladli" projects! Why do you even want to save her from female foeticide if you are going to subject her to rape and other such heinous crimes when she grows up (and even when she hasn't grown up)! Why would The Government insist on educating her if she cannot realise her dreams of independence in every sense!
     We still live in an age where women are considered as descendents of Draupadi, an object more than anything else. Forget the men, even the women themselves will be the first ones to cast aspersions on the "character" of the victim and pass scathing snide remarks...
   If you think I am over reacting to minor social aberrations, just open the newspapers in the morning and you will have these news screaming at you. Don't worry these stories will die their natural death after serving their purpose of selling the paper. They will continue for a couple of days more if some powerful people are linked. Do we get to know if the culprits have been punished? Chances are less, since they have "managed" to wriggle free after probably a couple of months behind the bars.
   All is Well or not so well... Media will move onto new stories and we will continue with our cup of tea. We will analyse and debate over them and find numerous reasons for such incidents. Will there be any strict laws and more importantly enforcing of these laws? Oh! But a Bill will have to tabled in the Parliament and debates will be on. these take time, you know!...While all the juggernaut is on , the victims will limp into their haunted futures...

Roots

     I have a potted Bamboo tree. It is no ordinary bamboo tree. It has moved around with us for the last eight years ...from the salubrious climes of Dehradun to harsh winters of Kashmir to the extreme climate of Delhi. I have a special name for it...Roots.
    The journey of Roots starts from Boguan, a small village in Goalpara in Assam. My father-in-law hails from this village. As a youngster, he trudged the muddy paddy lanes to reach the highway, so he could take a bus to Guwahati, for his education. Today his grandchildren go to coveted schools in big cities and metros with much ease.
  Many parents are constantly moving from one place to another due to work related reasons.  So their children make friends and are exposed to a multitude of desirable and undesirable ideas, ethos and culture. They adopt Hindi and English as their first languages as necessities.There are children who refuse to speak in their mother tongue for fear of ridicule or those who claim not to know about their festivals and various festivities..They lip-synch to the latest pop numbers, after much concentrated search on the youtube.Then there are parents themselves, who will not introduce their language and culture to the children since they want to be part of the ' English speaking' swish crowd. This gadget savvy (who know more about your mobile features than you do)and sms lingo spewing generation, are like happy colourful kites fluttering in the blue sky with abandon. You and I know what happens to kites without strings, or the ones that have been cut in competitions...they drift and eventually fall at some unknown place.
   There will always be pot-holes as they were in our time and the generations in the past. But as we move forward in the progress of civilization, challenges will be tougher and many more reasons will emerge to get the children carried away.
   And so I have Roots with me...to remind us, that this is  your humble beginning, which we have to carry forward.When in doubt or in the 'pits', if your roots are strong you can always rise again with new found wisdom and renewed energy. It is a reminder never to lose your identity in the crowd...a forest is most interesting and awe inspiring, when it has different trees with distinct qualities...
     And so I have lugged Roots around with me whether he likes it or not, to help me keep grounded not just my children but also me...

A morning walk...and a lesson...

  Every morning, for most people, is the same and so it was with me till today...No, there was no path breaking news waiting at the doorstep nor was I suddenly elevated from the mere mortal status with an 'Aha..' moment.
  Like everybody else in my vicinity(I mean, the mothers with school going kids), it was the time to breath and be on your own , before the house hold chores beckoned you sternly. I choose to go for a walk at this time to be with my thoughts( and if it shakes up the fats , I am not complaining!).
  Nature has its strange ways of unfolding its beauty. And today I had the privilege of witnessing it.  the morning sun tried to peep out ,but the horizon seemed to be gathering clouds.Birds flew around ...some in flocks, few in solitude. Against the grey clouds I chanced upon a bird, about ten feet from the ground, hovering at a particular spot in the air, flapping its wings and craning its neck this way and that way. The sight was beautiful! And then in one graceful move , it swooped down to earth and disappeared into the shrubs...It must have sighted its prey, and the early bird that it was, it must have managed a catch... Although an everyday affair, I'd only read about these moments of nature. So, naturally you see I felt blessed!
  And as I continued with a smile in my heart, pondering on how I was going to share it with my better half, a full grown peacock decided to fly heavily across the road, just 2 meters ahead of me!! And as I looked around for more, I saw another of this feathered beauty perched right atop a scraggly tree clearly silhouetted against the darkening sky! I mean, we have seen birds and their antics on TV, movies , magazines, zoos and so on but how many of us get to see them naturally, without being scripted?!
   The birds were focused in their actions  and well aware of the roles they had to play...Does anything ever derail them from their tracks?Are they also tempted with distractions, assailed with doubts?
   When I went in the evening around that area, AN32 aircraft, Jet Airways and Indigo were homing into the Delhi airport( I stay very close by).I was mentally ticking off the dinner options for tonight, thinking of the vegetables and dishes my kids would accept or reject. And against the dusky sky and in the rumble of landing aircrafts, I saw yet again a bird, flapping its wings, hovering at a spot and suddenly sweeping down...dinner time...Life is as simple as that

Indianness

With 15th August just a few days away ,and Abhinav having won The Gold , we Indians are rejoicing in our Indian-ness. Is patriotism all about showcasing and proving our worth in the international arena? Sure, these glorious moments fill us with pride with a vengeance. Especially ,when you get to watch dismal scenes like cash-for-votes, read sordid stories on papers and all else that is wrong in this country. These are the moments in which we redeem ourselves vicariously, in the eyes of the world.

But that is for the world to see.I went to my daughter's school today( she's in play school). I saw several tiny tots rehearsing for their Independence day celebrations. They were trying to synchronise their movements to the beats of " chodo kal ki baatein kalki baat purani", "suno gaur se duniya waalon ..." And ofcourse they had their distractions , relapsing into I-don't-want-to-do-it attitude ,but the entire scenario was very heartening. I found myself reposing faith in this country through them. I am sure, this will be a recurrent scene in most schools till the I-Day .

Lets teach them not just to match steps with songs. Lets teach them that I-Day is also about not littering the roads everyday. Lets teach them to be friends with all, even if you don't understand his language. Show them your pride in your country through all your actions, and not just by buying him a flag at the traffic signal for a day.

Happy Independence Day!!!!!!

No Horn please!!

     I am not very fond of driving. It is a necessity driven chore. I would rather sit and let somebody else do the job. Nevertheless, I am a part of the endless stream of contraptions of all shapes and sizes, that jostle for space on the road.If you thought that driving is symbolic of being in control- you are totally mistaken.

     I can move only if the person ahead of me decides to change gears. I am expected to move the moment the signal turns green .Never mind the fact that I am number ten in the line. The vehicles at the back, honk away to glory till you turn deaf. Was I supposed to fly over the ones in front of me? Or am I enjoying being in the middle of all that noise and having a picnic?I remember a particular incident when we were all stuck in a jam, at Outer Ring Road in Delhi. The car behind me wouldn't stop blaring the horn.I turned back to see a lady at the driver's seat. I signalled her to be patient. But she continued to honk for my attention. Finally I stepped out and gestured at the ones in front of me and asked her ," Udke jaaon kya?" I could see some of the other commuters sniggering and looking her way. That finally did it. But there are lots like her everyday , on the roads- taking away the little sanity you are left with.

    The traffic on the road reminds me vividly of a 'survival circus'. The big buses waiting to devour the smaller vehicles.The mighty big cars asking all others to make space for them.The two wheelers squeezing themselves at all odd angles and finding space out of nothing. The 'chinese checkers' players (I call them) who zig- zag through the lanes ,because they believe that there is a trophy for them if they reach two minutes ahead of the pack.

   The other day, we were out on the road with our two daughters at the back seat. It was evening and so the traffic was heavy yet again. And then I heard it. The car a little behind but adjacent to us, was unmistakeably honking at us. Gearing myself up, to glare at him I turned around. He smiled at me and gesticulated towards the backseat of our car and at the same time looked at my daughter and sucked his thumb. He was trying to tell her not to suck her thumb, which is a habit with her!
Well! people will honk for all reasons whether you like it or not.

its just me!

I am a little nervous, wary and a bit excited. You see this is my first blog! I was always curious about the entire thing. It was while going through my long lost friend ( may I call you that?) PreetiShenoy's blog that really prompted me to take the baby steps. My husband Siddhartha was always egging me on and today I take the plunge.But blogging is just one of the things which I wanted to do. I would like to take off on a trip on my own at my own pace ,without any guilt pangs.It must be a beautiful place under the ocean which I would like to experience...Do a jig right in the middle of the road...live in a tree house a la phantom style and spend some moonlit nights on the beach in the jade hut with my husband....Well the fantasies and wishes can never be reined in. Yes I would definitely tell my girls to give everything a try for you may never know what you are missing in life.