Life is easy kya karein

In laws were against the match. Mother in law gave him a lot of grief.More so because her elder son had married a german. I took him to Dhanbad after telling my parents. They liked him. Mom expected a zango disco type husband whom I d choose . SO her concern was he is too simple for you. Dad gave him a 10. My Grandmother, who is no more, also met him and liked him. We had a get together for all my cousins at home. Then of course the in laws trauma started and continued right up to the wedding. After a year and half at Raheja, I was offered the position of Director of Sales at le Meridien. It was a new hotel in Mumbai and with a great salary and perks. I had heard that the bosses were bad but the money and position was too good to pass up. One and half years of roller coster ride had begun. Work was great but the politics was greater. No rules no discipline. just run on whims and fancies of a few. Learnt a lot. Was pregnant when they asked me to go in a very nice manner. I had served my

Actually story mein spice daalne ke chakkar mein , Main spouse ke baare mein likhna bhool gayee thi. So Jaideep is this quiet suave guy who just talks work with me. Never strayed beyond that. When i was about to change my job, the fear that he is a client I work for went away. I used to seek his advice for the kind of job etc. I was going alone to Bangkok on my first holiday abroad and he was so encouraging. When I quit my job at the Oberoi finally we became friends. He did his BE electronics from VJTI , Mumbai. Then he went for his MBA to IIM A . One never hears him talk about all that. Thank God one bragger per family is enough. We used to swim together every evening after work and then I d usually walk with him to churchgate before he left for home. Jaideep has one brother in Germany. He is married to a German and they have 3 adorable children. At Raheja, I was the boss and my team members had to visit him for business. It was a bit funny. Now this was the time, both are folks wan

Here I go on my Atma Katha. Since I have just finished reading Indira by Katherine Frank, I know all about autobiographical writing. Life mein juice ho na ho, life story toh mazedaar likhni chahiye. Sophia college - 11and 12th std with science. First time in hostel. I was totally scandalised by everything. Then settled down to become he:). College I changed to Economice, Stats and philosophy. Did very well. Majored in philosophy. Was the university rank holder - 20th got a scholarship. Awards in college for best student.Used to do very well in maths right thru got 100 also. It is because the standard in Maharashtra for SSC or 10th std is very very low. Hostel was good fun, super friends, lots of masti, visit to 1900s and Cellars. Learnt a bit about the birds and the bees. Amazing relatives were a great support too. Moved to Sophia Polytechnic for Travel & Tourism as MA in philosophy would not get me a job. Course was good but did not like the hostel though in the same compound. P

'New post' even the word scares. New relationships scare me. New nuances in old relatiomships are scary too. New clothes- I take long to wear them. New jewellery- I take not so long to wear it. New Gizmos- I never want to start. It is just the "wanna be"in me which keeps me a bit aware or updated. Otherwise I think new news has no use for me. At the same time, I am some one who is constantly talking of giving up the old things, clothes, knick knacks, pictures,sheets, mugs, bags etc. Old wounds are also a part of this de cluttering process. Then how come one word from a friend and a laugh from a family member brings back all the hurt of fifteen twenty years? I was not even present that this existed within me. So much pain of my youth and childhood I am carrying with me and not even aware. In a fraction of a second, the cool calm collected Parul is transported to the scene of tears and betrayal of trust. Right now ,I am angry with myself. Everytime, I think I have heale

Just could not bring myself to write more on money. On marriage, money was double but I experienced lack in my mind. We were earning and saving more, but there was no time to enjoy that wealth. Going to the parlour was also such an effort. It was like there was no time to spend that money. Work, work and more work. These are totally my feelings , I am sure the husband may have a different view on it. Then when I quit working, I was not missing the money but the power the job had with it. Then struggle with power started or may be it was always there. Suddenly I was guilty of eating fruits thinking my Hubby works so hard the whole day and how can I eat without him or spend on myself. Like I said these were thoughts at that point of time. It does not mean, I was spending , buying or eating less. End of the day, we do not remember what we ate, spent, bought etc just how we felt at that point of time. After Devika turned two I got that it is all ours. Till then it was that my child will tu

This morning a friend shared her relationship with money over the phone. I was surprised at the many layers and dimensions to it. I want to explore this for myself too. So first time I have my topic and I have to write on it or about it. Usually I go the other way round. I write first and give a suitable title later. Money is not something I talked much about. Born into a rich family, my Dad being a self made man. I always had money for all that I wanted or needed. There were no lack of money conversations in the house. In school, I did not talk money with this fear that I wont be accepted if I talk too much about what I do or where we go or what we buy. At home sunday dinners were always to the best restaurant in town. I remember a school friend asking" Tum Log har sunday skylark mein khaana khaate ho?" Skylark being the best hotel in town. I didnt know whether to say yes or no. The friendship was important and I did not want to offend her in any way or rather what I thought

I am just not open to people telling me what to do. I always think I am so right. I am not too sure about being open to any kind of criticism. The fear is that criticism is bad. If someone criticises you, then you are not good enough. The fear came from school days. Every word the teacher uttered was the ultimate and if it was harsh, then it was etched in the memory for ever. I would be completely de moralised for days, of course I didnt know what it meant at that time. There was so much fear that I can feel goose bumps even now. In school the early years, I craved for acknowledgement from my teachers. It never came. I am sure I would not have forgotten it if it had come. Later around fifth sixth standard, I became very good in studies. Like from a rank of 32 to 27 to 8 to 5 is how I moved up.So I was a bit acknowledged but it was always reluctant praise. Like this girl is not so good in studies, may be her marks are a fluke. Being the eldest in the family of six children, the pressur

My first real birthday party happenned when I was 23 i think. we celebrated earlier when i was 7/8 . Dad had got a fairy land cake for me from Calcutta and a car for my brother Parin. I was in a royal blue silk frock, all scrubbed and cleaned for the event. Lot of children and relatives invited and room full of people.later all the black and white memories. So this birthday at 23 was funny. we had moved into a palace like house called Ganeshalay. It was truly amazing. We had not given a house warming party for some time. I had moved back home after 7 years in mumbai. all So we combined it but called it my birthday party. I was thrilled to bits. Super excited. House was clean and shining. Terrace was washed and lit up. All lights lit up. Caterers arrived. I dressed in a saree. People started flocking in on time or rather early. They wanted to come early and spend time with my Gran before the party began. I got two tables full of gifts. Super exciting. One guy my whole building adored

What if just for today I want to be myself? What if just for for a day I dont want meet my family and friends? What if just for today I dont want to drop my kids for class ? What if just for today I want to ignore all I know? What if just for today I dont want to remove clthes from the drying line? What if just for today I want things to bother me but not do a thing about it? What if just for today I want to party alone? What if just for today I am not a part of anyone s life? What if just for today I live for myself? What if just for today I get all that I desire? What if just for today I dont want to welcome guests in my house? What if just for today I dont want to answer a call on my cell which starts with Are you out? What if just for today I dont want to return calls or smss? What if just for today I dont want to plan meals in the house? What if just for today I dont want to be called Aunty in the building? What if just for today I have no identity? What if just for today I am n

People s love stories are so different. Each one has so many dimensions to it. I can listen to love stories for hours.I have only one criteria, The love stories just have to have a happy ending. I feel if you loved and did not get that person then your love was not truthful enough or strong . I cant understand all this societal pressure nonsense. We make the society and our mind makes those things we call society pressures. out here, i get to know so many things from the locals. The maids have a wealth of information on the rural love life. If you stay away from in laws in the village , then you have to pay money to the village panchayat. If you marry a guy from a different sub caste, then your parents have to pay money to the panchayat. The only joy is that they only ask for money and there are no so called honour killings. Some of them just enjoy love stories with a tragic end. Like i loved her and lost her. Or my parents/ his parents wont listen. Or i realised how much i loved her

Love is when children come back from school due to fake cyclone warning. Love is smiling the whole day without sharing the reason with anyone. Love is smiling without a reason. Love is missing someone. Love is writing an ambigous blog. Love is getting subtle and charming. Love is wondering who you are writing for. Love is doing full vasooli of the internet. Love is not dialling a number when you are dying to. Love is not talking when actually that is the only thing you want. Love is inviting and he refusing. Love is him asking you to wait. Love is being impatient. Love is when you want to share all your college fantasies and stop as it is not appropriate. Love is being in appropriate for a change. Love is checking out all guys you had hots for on FB. Love is when your friends warn you not to be naughty. Love is watching the day break. Love is when he says when he saw you first you were in a cream saree with green border . Love is not knowing which school or college he went to. Love is

Navratri had a different flavour in Dhanbad and very different in Jharia. Dhanbad was very very hep for me when I was small.There was a banjara family living in a big hut near Jalaram mandir. My mama house was overlooking their house. They would listen to music lodly and they fought very loudly with sticks and all. Their women were in ghagra cholis with thick silver payals. My fascination for payals and thick silver ones comes from there. The second brother was Dhiru Bhai. He was tall dark lean with a thin moustache in a very rustic way very Mills and Boon kind of a guy. He had intense eyes. One month before navratri, he would teach boys Dandiya. They boys would range from 7-20 years who would want to participate. The practise happenned in Nandvana Wadi and no one was allowed to witness the practise. Nandvana wadi was a wedding venue with a very big rectangular chowk. The show waould happen on ashtmi or Dusshera and was the most waited dance for the whole town. All boys were dressed in

Yoga class walk is very interesting. There is a restaurant, beer bar, ac repair shops,paper shop, tailors, idli dosa atta shop, car battery repair shop, . I love the smell of all these shops. I love the smell of petrol, fresh paper and the cooling liquid in batteries. I can eat all of it. The class celebrates navratri next friday. They said id you go to shivaji park you see half of India. They speak in Marathi. I am translating all that I understood. At Shivaji Park, there is Durga Puja like West bengal, there is Ramayan play going on with the bhajan and dohai. The male characters play Sita, Kaikeyi, Kaushalya and Mandodari. Then the gymkhana has garba so thats Gujarat for you. She wanted to know if students know what happens in Maharashtra. Two ladies stood up and shared. The girls got together sang songs in the evening drew an elephant and played games around it, danced and made prasad. The songs were all of how a child bride goes to her mom s house and all in laws try to get her bac

Loss of words is not what happens to me generally. I am happy because I am happy. No causes and no reasons. Just me and it is all about me. Yoga class having a navratri function collection per person is twenty five rupees. After paying so much in school every now and then for this and that, this amount is a pleasant surprise. The teacher showed shirshasana. Too much! Life is easy and Life is so good.

Sometimes I want to write the blog to bash someone and sometimes to criticise people. I am generally not so thrilled when people dont respect you and your privacy. This is an encroachment of a different type. Cannot be qualified as harassment but is bothering nonetheless. I have my circle of friends of both sexes, married unmarried, divorced, married again or going to be married. One thing all of us have is respect for each other. There is no crossing boundaries, no innuendos sexual or otherwise. There is mutual love and respect. There is also respect for that person s husband/ wife/ family. No one passes comments which could be misconstrued. Each spouse is ok with all friendships because they are so above board. It does not mean we do not share our lives with each other or talk out our problems with each other. No one is artificial or pretending to be someone else at any point of time. I am grateful to all my friends and really thankful to all their families.In all this the sanctity o

I have joined a yoga class. It is funny but all the things that i resisted earlier is what i love now. Two things made me do Yoga. One is a friend I truly admire, adore , idolise. She said she gave the churma ladduprasad from our Ganpati to her yoga teacher. She learns yoga! Wow , then I surely must join. Second is Madonna, she practises yoga and is fab at fifty. Actually the Holly wood actresses, models who practise yoga seem very inspiring to me. Toh aisa hai ki ,Yoga yahan se hai aur mujhe wahan hota hai uske kaaran yoga karna hai. Me and my craze for all things imported. This class is in a quiet hall which is just a hall with a compound. There is nothing else and the hall is used for yoga only. In Mumbai all things places are so multi purpose that I find this rather unique. There are a couple of huts inside the compound. Bambai hai toh encroachment toh hona hi hai.The ladies in the hut keep stitching godris out of old clothes and drying them on the wet ground. The men of that hou

Being in Mumbai for Ganpati Visarjan is a completely wow experience. One must be here at this time of the year atleast once in your lifetime. The traffic is most well managed today better than when the President is visiting. All is happy colourful and Bappa is ready to take his voyage into the sea. devika was crying at Visarjan on watching immersions. I told her even Ganpati wants to go back to his parents Shiva Parvati after ten days of festivity so he leaves. She seemed pretty satisfied.Though the fear of loud drums, lots of people and crackers is there. Jaideep and me love it completely. Some societies give free water and biscuits to people who are going for immersion. The vada pav walas do max business. The politicians put up stages, hoardings and help desks everywhere. All big Murtis after Lal Baghcha Raja in Parel come to Shivaji Park for visarjan. Near my house is a small bridge/ flyover above the railway tracks. This bridge ends into a turnabout. The main road leads to the sea

Ganpati is beautiful. We are all celebrating here. This is the festival which keeps Mumbai from collapsing and helps it stand up in face of all adversities. People visitng is a joy especially when there is great support provided by family and friends and household help. Good food. Beautiful orchids for Ganpati. Now they beautify my house and a few friends too. Purple the colour of transformation too. Ganpati Murti was bought from our traditional murti wala inspite of checking another place. With our Murti walla you cannot choose idols. This is the fifth year we have been taking the idol from him. He gets only one for you and you take that. Our idol came to his shop on saturday evening. We take the one made with Shaadu or mud. No more POP idols for us. Though the First year of our ganpati , we had POP idol and thermocol decorations. My brother made me aware of using eco friendly stuff. The food snacks all was home made this time courtesy Mom s cook who came from Dhanbad for our Ganpati.

Ganpati is here. Hi all. Sorry for the long leave of absence from writing. Mumbai is most beautiful during this time. So festive so united. Dadar market was buzzing on sunday afternoon and no one was wearing masks.Why does the press make such a big issue of things. Life is going on and pretty well for Mumbai. I have become such a Mumbaikar. Everything about this city pleases me and i have an innate fear of Delhi. I realised i had become very self righteous. Totally judgemental about people and the way they lead their lives. house has been cleaned and washed.In this process I Have also cleaned the closets of my mind. I welcome the new me and the new world which I can see now. I always tell Jaideep that the sun changes when ganpati is approaching. The same light is back from navratri to Diwali morning. Come Padwa and then the sun s direction changes. Support for Ganpati has come from all my loved ones.Thank God for wonderful family and friends. I am eternally grateful. All friends family

Just found an old diary in my clutter cleaning and found this written on 2.1.05 As I sat down to write the mind went blank . All thoughts which were floating incessantly now ceased to exist. Maybe nothingness is a good place to start from. I had a blank canvass and I can create. What more could I ask for. The winter sun was warm on my back. The Sunday newspapers strewn all around me. The Christmas decorations now looked a bit faded. This was the new year and with it came new resolutions. The time to review the past had gone. I had to have a new beginning. The Tsunami clippings kept flashing in front of my eyes. Langkawi- where we went on our honeymoon. Negombo in Sri Lanka where the sea was so close and oh so charming. We had it cause the airline decided to give us a free stopoer. Goa in the rains, the hotel construction site where I had my brand new job.I loved the smell of the soi,l brick, mortar mixed with the sea and the November rains. The evenings were spent staring at the rain

I go to a small hole in the wall kind of a shop for all my alteration work. Two tailors sit on their sewing machines opposite each other in a small shop. They dont do any ladies alterations as they stitch men s clothes. All the vegetable vendors, delivery boys, office peons, sales boys from small shops, my roadside chai wala etc are his clients. He said if he does ladies clothes alteration then he will loose his business.So I pass off all my jeans as men s. Earlier I used to give clothes to which ever tailor was free. One day the other guy said we have a family and things to do for family. Clothes can wait. So I have stopped giving clothes to him. I now give clothes to the nice man who is prompt in his work and polite too. Today my alteration tailor is sad. He had lost his Mom four days back.He lived with his parents. He is more than forty five years old and the world sure has not pampered him. He has not been married ever. Has not found a match.His Mom wanted him to be happily married

Monsoons have arrived in Mumbai. Sealink has opened in Mumbai.I have yet to drives past it but one thing for sure this will ease up the traffic near my house on the main road. Will make reaching suburbs easier for my children s school and classes. My cab driver had already been on it with his family. Said the toll is worth it coz you save two litres petrol and i calculated 26 signals from Bandra east to Worli. We did see the laser show on the sea link and that was beautiful despite the clouded skies. The cabbie was very happy with progress . He said more things like this should happen in Mumbai then people will be calm as no traffic on the roads. He said to send her to USA as she doesn t want the flyover which will further improve the sealink. He said humare paas unki cassette hai aur hum wohi sun lenge. Koi free mein toh gaaya nahin tha usne. He didnt take her name. Cho Chweet na? Rain no rain I expect all maids to come to work. They are the ones whose houses get flooded, gutters outs

I am barely getting a hang of facebook and there is Twitter to master. New technologies, new innovations . What about new us? All companies are doing innovations on their products creating new products, improvising existing products making them more user friendly or more updated. What am I doing for myself? Wohi hi ghisa pita pe naye kapde daalo. No technology, no innovations for our own selves. I want to buy new cell phones when they are launched. Have I ever thought how much I ll love myself if I bring in something new in my life. Some newer version, more user friendly, more open, more loving? Wont people want me more? Wont they feel more comfortable around me and more welcoming within me? Sorry this was about me and not about people . Dont I want to better myself for my loved ones? I know they love me for who I am but can I give them more for their love because I love them? Do I have the drive to be a better mom, better wife, better child or better friend everyday? Do I want to prov

What is life about? What is my purpose in life? How can I be happy always? Give me all the knowledge. I cant stand people who make excuses of time and money. It gets on my nerves. Yet those excuses are so genuine for most people. It is so cool to say I dont have time for some people. I seem to be in a total criticising mode today. Women have two more deadly excuses- my husband and my children. So those are used time and again for all the things we dont want to do. I know certain youngsters who say we are bored and everything is boring. What is the ultimate deal? Hum kya karna chahte hain? Life is passing by and we are living it. How do I inspire people to do something more in their lives. Yes we all live, eat , earn, read, travel, party, shop, work,etc. What else now? Do we want to know our purpose in life? I am not talking of being a Sanyasi and renouncing the material world. I am just talking about looking at Now What? Material needs will be achieved and then we will just double our

Back to life and back to reality...... I remember this song from my college days. I am back from My Beyond Feng Shui workshop in Pune. Pune does that to me- so peaceful, so calm and oh so loving. In the train the guy was playing the flute ankhiyon ke jharokhon se. What a movie and what songs. As a child I cried whenever I watched this film. The music makes me cry still. Films of that genre are made no more. Wonder who wrote the lyrics of this masterpiece.The blind man who was playing the flute and walking with his wife, what did he feel when he heard this song for the first time. You know the wife also smiled in acknowledgement if you put a coin in her hand. One rupee coin that is all I had and all I put. The generosity was in praising them in my writing not by giving them my ten rupee note! On the pavement a guy was getting his shoes polished. As a bonus, the shoe polisher, polished his dirt filled rain soaked hem line of the trousers. Luckily the shoes and trousers were both black

Shivaji Park in the afternoon is really peaceful. The hot blazing sun showing off on its last leg before the onset of monsoons. My favorite temples where Gods are having siesta with the steady drone of traffic. The trees providing what no sunscreen or sunglasses can provide- breeze and shade. As I walk to the temple and then for a cab, I see couples sitting on the low parapet. This is the low seating which runs all around the park. Shivaji Park has two walkways one the broad pavement and the other is the walkway parallel to the footpath. The seating parapet divides the two. Couples are sitting pretty close to other couples.Some young and some not so young. Definitely no one looked like husband and wife to my rose tinted sunglasses. The boyfriends girlfriends were joking , giggling. The intense ones had the woman crying and man wondering now what. One was explaing his life fundas to her and she was besotted. I was wondering will he leave his wife for her. The young ones who had a fight

The cab driver started talking as soon as I sat in the cab. Very soft spoken, neatly dressed in kurta pajama, even the beard and hair were neat. He spoke in chaste Hindi with a touch of Urdu. Said all cabs today want a minimumfare of hundred rupees per passenger so wont go if the fare is going to be less. He said all of them ride cabs par fark sirf parvarish ka hai. The cab drivers he knows earn from a lac a month to fifteen thousand a month. He said in twenty five years of working he has learnt a couple of things. One is Gyaan/ education or knowledge and second is tandurasti/ health. He said if you can give these two things to your children , it is a job well done. Yeh do cheezen aap ke bacche se koi nahin chura sakega aur inhi se woh aage badh sakega. He said you may have to give twentyfive years of your life and do hard work , then the child will completely be responsible. He kept saying whether boy or girl is born, maa ko dard utna hi hota hai. So she has to spend time , effort and

Things I still am trying to figure out.......... What happens to a woman when her son marries and she becomes mother in law ? Are maternal instincts only for your own blood? What happens to women when the house help doesn t turn up? Why do I want to hide certain things till they are done? How are people living in single families different from those in joint families? Do they love less? Why do elders keep bragging about their times, their poor health, the lack of facilities in their times? Why do I use the same tactics to discipline my children? Do I believe struggling is the only way to grow in life? Why is it that some people look fresh and clean all the time and I have to struggle? Why are some houses warm and welcoming? Why do some houses make me restless? Is it me or is it the house? Ever since the mobile invasion, how come a call on the landline is never important? The same person calling on the cell phone is exciting? Why do men and women marry when they dont love each other? Wh

Vadas in Venice and Sev puri in Vatican is what people eat on dealer trips. As for me I took a train ride at six thirty am and it was a first for me. People are all dressed to go to work. Bathed hair oiled, gajras in place and lipstick for the more urban ones. Food was being shared at seven am. One lady gave a part of her chapati bhaji to her friend . Standing some people could put full make up that is eye pencil included. There was a slight drizzle in Bandra. Well MET dept will be happy that the rain Gods made their prediction true. Mumbai is really gearing up for the monsoons. The newspapers are the first to start publishing last year s pictures and the havoc the rains created. BMC and MMRDA blame game starts in early May. This time till april they were busy with elections. I took a trip to Alfa and have got three umbrellas for my loved ones. Hannah montana for the youngest and she also chose a Winnie the Pooh rain coat. Elder one stuck to Pink Barbie rain coat. We also have Hannah M

Suddenly news papers are full of articles of new spas opening all over the city. You read about power ladies at a spa brunch or ads with all non surgical face lifts, tummy tucks, back polishing. I also got an sms from some spa saying my teeth will get polished for free and 15% of on all dental corrections. After reading the sms, I ran to the mirror to check if my teeth needed fixing. Why cant we accept our selves the way we are? Why the changing , fixing or should I say the new buzz word transforming? The multitude of spas in the city scares me. Where have they all got this sudden money from and will they survive five years down the line.I also know that even a sev puri waala in Mumbai makes money, so these guys with all the marketing gimmicks are sure to know their job. The Spa doctors are all hot looking chics. In medicine, if you are really bad in studies with poor marks and dont get admission for post graduation in the department of your choice then you are sure to get a seat in de

I still cant figure what does Human Resources department in an organisation does. They are all so sweet before you join the firm and so slimy later on. It is like saare bachat karne ka khaata company ne unko de rakha hai. Like one hotel chain I worked for gave the last year s increments six to seven months late. The funda was to do appraisals in may june after the financial year is long over and low season for hotels has started. What you did last year would be just figures and you would be questioned about what have you done to increase business in low season. After six months any small increment was welcome and that is what you had to be happy with.The best part was the chain would sit on the money of thousands of employees for six whole months. Then the increment rules were different for the local office and the corporate office and also city wise. It was supposed to be standardised but when it came it was not so. If you threatened to quit then you were given a higher increment for

The second one was about working thru the night as a duty manager in charge where else but in a five star hotel. You had to work the full day today and then be the duty manager so work thru the night and next day till three pm. The bosses then kept a very important meeting at five so you could not leave home after 30 hours of work. This was at the managerial level, the staff had to slog more.You also had to report to work the third day on time. So I had to do rounds of the hotel and full rounds are tiring. The hotel was full so one didn t get a room for a couple of hours of sleep. I have slept in the lobby and also in the bar. Had the hostess wake me up at four am to say a room is now ready for you to use. The next day my poor team had had it. I used to be screaming and ranting due to lack of sleep.I just want to say sorry to each one whom I shouted at for no fault of theirs. Some people have no sleep issues . I know friends who work round the clock and are fresh as daisies. Not me fo

Whenever I am unwell, my biggest fears start coming up . No it is not like I ll die and then what. The fears come from the ashes where I had thought I had burnt and buried them. These are the fears I encountered at work. First incident I remember was at my second job. There was a saturday morning meeting which went on endlessly with out a tea break. I used to look foward to going for tea to Caf (ya we called the staff cafetaria that and there were no CCDs and Baristas)at ten thirty. Being in the hostel for years, one craved for food. So I asked for a tea break to my boss and the whole room fell silent. He said I was free to go and the meeting will continue. I ran down to eat and keep down my bouts of nausea. Lo! after lunch all hell broke loose. I was called to the boss s cabin with the second in command. The door was shut. A clear indication of things to come. I was screamed at for my bad perfomance etc. And it was just tea I had asked for. That too in a place where I worked was a sup

What do you do at home when you are awake in the dead of the night while your family sleeps peacefully that is apart from writing your blog? I dont want to move about as the children will wake up. I can see so many things to clean and sort out in the light of the computer screen. I am trying to be as quiet as I can while typing.I just remembered some one said you must write about love. Abhi, that is very easy. I love myself. I love my family. Story over for me. What I do for my family is not enough or rather there is so much more I want to do for them.Oh my God, Love is already in the 'doing' domain.If you love then you have to express it . It can't be only verbal communication.In todays day and age , even verbal communication is missing. So you talk to express love and then that is not enough. If God said I love you my child and didn t provide me with the goodies, I would not believe in love.It is I who work hard to get what I want in life. How come I credit God only for

Where the school was concerned I have a few sharp clear memories. First one is my Granny waiting for me for seven hours in the hot sun. The workers in the school used to give her a cup of tea as nothing was available around the school.She used to sit in the school driveway adjacent to the fields for hours for me without eating or any other comforts. She was very used to fasting and knew of so many religious festivals. She celebrated all by donating something to the poor and the needy and to the brahmin. In her times we had a string of sadhus, priests, saints visiting home. She was always welcoming them and cooking meals for them.She coould cook really well and real fast and in great quantities. She never wore footwear after my grandfather passed away and that was barely three and half years into her marriage. She raised her two children staying with in laws and taking care of all. The amazing thing was she was never scared of any kind of work. She had filaria in her foot but she could

Devika has just joined Shiamak dance class. Went to drop her and saw the teachers. They have amazing relatedness to all the 25 children in the class. They actually remember what the child did in the 45 min class. The instructors are barely 18 or 20 and the way they are with kids is so natural and so un teacher like.What will happen when they become parents I dont know. Right now, they are doing a super job with the children. I only saw happy faces pre and post class. Children love to go to the class and are so happy with dance and music. Why cant I as a parent provide the same atmosphere at home? I am amazed how Shiamak teaches the instructors to be so brilliant with children. I have been going for the class for the last two years. The instructors are all fabulous people and the way they teach is also so clear so technical.You never ever have a twisted ankle or sprain while dancing in the class. All young instructors are under thirty for sure and what passion for people and dance. You

Mount Carmel school was in a place called Dighwadih. On our way to school the bus crossed places like Chaar number, Jealgora, Bhaaga,lakshmaniya more,Katras More. I always wondered how these names originated. I had a friend coming from Chaas nalla. Some were names of coal mines and the area got that name. School was more than 10 km away. On our way we saw some ten temples and a couple of mosques and two three cinema halls.We crossed our fingers when we saw a black car and your finger could be uncrossed only if you saw an ambulance or a red car.The other game was Zing Zing where we said categories of flowers, actors, colours. The day exams got over we used to sing songs in the bus. The school had two buildings primary and secondary and they were seperated by a pond and a boys school in between. The buildings were huge and lot of fields to play in. We also had a chapel, a nunnery , a hostel and a garden. It was not a sand pit but a full playground of sand for young children. Huge stage

Is it possible that something is so beautiful that you own it but dont want to use it? I feel so about a pink diary gifted to me. The desire to preserve it is stronger than the desire to use it. It has such a beautiful array of colours in the pages that I dont want to taint them. I also know that the year will pass by and the diary will be of no use. It will also loose its charm. Right now , it is the most beautiful thing in my whole world of possessions. I love its colous, the quality of paper and the concept. The love for pretty diaries started when I was working for the Oberoi Hotels. The day started with a morning meeting. Each one of us carried our best diaries to this meeting. The people handling the banks always had the best diaries. One year a colleague had given me a diary of UNICEF. It had pictures of children from all over the world in their natural habitats. Opening the diary in the morning took the stress out of those meetings. Yeah, children s smiles can do that. So my re

Matunga is very beautiful at this time of the year. There are lot of Gulmohar trees in all its bylanes. They do not allow the harsh summer sun to touch your skin. The best part is all the trees have yellow flowers. The pavements looks like a carpet when the breeze has blown and the flowers have fallen on it. Today in my afternoon walk I heard some singing. The music came from the chawl above on its first floor. The stair case is open to the road. One side of the staircase leads to the rooms and the other side is the common toilets. Six or seven christian women were sitting on various steps. They were in different floral faded frocks and gowns. They were singing hymns in konkani.The sun kind of put a halo on them.They were looking so divine and in a trance. When the world was complaining about Mumbai heat and the women at home were catching up with their afternoon soap re runs, I could see God in them. I walked past, a strong wind brought a shower of yellow flowers on me. May be there

There is so much resistance when I have to start writing. Throughout the day I am brimming with ideas and that is only when I am not in front of the comp.Rest of the day , I am so busy with homestead and it is one good excuse. Resistance comes in so many forms.It starts when I have to wake up early. Then I face resistance when I plan the breakfast menu. Resistance is experienced when I wake up my elder one and she wants to sleep some more. Resistance is when I want the younger one to come out of bath and she wants to play some more. Resistance when I tell the maid what is unclean or was left undone the previous day. resistance when I tell the cab guy show me the correct meter table. Resistance when I tell the shopkeeper I ll come for exchange if it doesn t fit.Resistance when I give one priest at the temple some money and dont give the others. Resistance when I go to the school office for some fee related queries. Resistance when I have to go to the parlour,leaving children with husba

Last night I had a dream which I vividly remember for a change. In the dream, I was asked to stand as an independent candidate in the forthcoming elections. I was talking to these unknown faces who were urging me to take this challenge on. Come on guys who will vote for me? I know my immediate family and there is only person above eighteen in that and that is my husband. My building wont vote for me . The business community likes to see if the candidate has done anything to help them grow their business. Sorry Raj, my building wont vote for you and enough shop breaking now. My in laws believe in voting for a big party namely Congress so that there are not too many alliances and the goverment can do their job in peace. There is no party threatening to pull out from the support they provide to the UPA for every decision they make. My parents well they still have to get their name shifted from the electoral rolls of Dhanbad to Mumbai. Toh woh be paanch vote gaye haath se. So family is out

He is dark. She is fair. The quintessential Mills and Boon romance. He is haphazard. She is very organised. He is from a loving family. She is from a loving family which lives apart. He has had past relationships. She has none that mattered. He is lazy. She is prompt. He thinks with his heart. She thinks with her mind. He is messy. She is meticulously clean. He loves a crowd. She is a one to one person. Both are creative. Both are happily married to each other. He is cool. She is hyper active. He wanted to marry for love. She to get out of her parents home. He is diplomatic. She speaks her mind all the time. They are happily married to each other. He met her in an arranged marriage meeting. He liked her. She liked him. He is fair and so is she. He is calm. She is peaceful. He is a good host. She is a loving host. He is always there for friends. She is generous in her love for people. He stands with her. She is a stand for him. They are happily married to each other. He was ageing. She