Life is easy kya karein

The swimming pool has repaired their brand new music system.  Brand new is a very Indian way of saying it is New.Today while I was swimming, I heard a song from Premrog called Ab Hum toh ho gaye Pardesi, Ke tera yahan koi nahin. Awwww, that was so depressing. Actually all these funny songs of the eighties, I get irritated with. No joy in them for me. I shudder to think how it will be to swim to Dum Dum Digha digha, Oh mere sona re, Kranti. Sorry, these are songs which people born in late sixties or early seventies would have heard blaring on loudspeaker in their towns. The swim  coach said if we do not use the speakers, they will get spoilt. I heard a shloka going on at a Ganpati Pandal. I started singing along and was later surprised how I knew it so well.  Shani Mantra was my cousin's mobile ring tone for years. He passed away this year and the Shani Mantra still remains. All reminders which shake our equilibrium. Music has such a strong association with our lives. S...

We start planning our Ganpati at home months in advance. I am planning and me and the help are executing it. The first time it started with joy, love, bhakti/belief. Then it was once h,appy,so let us do it again. The years passed and the confidence grew. I learnt from my earlier Ganpatis. So we improvised each year. Years back, a friend had heard all my apprehensions and asked me what I wanted from the Ganpati. What I wanted the guests to experience? How did I want my family to experience during and post the event? The apprehensions were never about the work involved for the Puja, they were always about the people. People means the ones who are family really. The bro, sis and sis in law are the biggest support system. My parents are the rock solid support who are there through out to be, to advise and to handle should anything need handling. The friends and relatives who visit for the Ganpati have been coming for years. The numbers have increased. We now have children's friends an...

I have 2 wind chimes on the terrace. With the night sea breeze, they clang a lot and wake us up. On some nights, I remember to put them on the red tiled terrace before I sleep.On some nights we sleep thru howling winds and clanging chimes, too sleepy to get out of bed. Last night, I spent a good hour untangling one of the wind chimes. I had to hold the chime straight by the small ring on top. Then look at all threads and metal cylinders to figure who is caught up in what. During the whole process, it kept giving its musical notes. It was so relaxing and happy. I managed to untangle the first two very easily.The beautiful symphony continued as I tried to unravel the mysteries of threads,metal and wood. The husband thought I was angry, so he let go of his telewatching ritual to check what I was up to. I was completely lost in it. Could not get my eyes off the black threads and the silver metal in my hands. Eeeks !I am sounding like fifty shades of grey:)  For me, it w...

I read the first book by E L James called Fifty Shades of Grey. I am not doing a book review because I am not that well read a person nor an authority on English Literature. I have not even studied English as a subject in college. I am not a sex Goddess to qualify to make judgements about the sex in the book. I am so imp[acted by the book where the author calls her conscience as her Inner Goddess that even I have got the audacity to use the word Goddess. The author is one hell of a lucky woman. I am jealous of her fame and the way her book is doing so well. Not the Booker prize material but it is selling like hot cakes. My 5 year old saw the book and said "Mom, it is selling at all traffic signals." Book sellers at traffic signals is a typical Mumbai phenomena. And before I start rambling about Mumbai, let me tell you about the book. We have Cheryl Cole saying Prince Harry could be a Christian Grey. So Grey is the hero and Anastasia Steele is the 21 year old heroine. I sho...