Life is easy kya karein

I am back to my pet peeve.  Why do we have this language based division of states and community based politics? Shiv Sena's mouthpiece Saamna has written really nasty editorial about Gujaratis using Mumbai like a prostitute. Well, it is more gross than what it sounds here. To think that the man who writes the editorial thinks like this and is not yet arrested for his inflammatory remarks? This is the Maharashtra's obsession with caste based politics. You know when a Maharashtrian meets you, the first question is "What is your surname?" The second question is "Kuthla gaaon" or which is your village? I have been listening to these two questions from the time I have got married and acquired a Marathi Surname. I am in half a mind to tell all these people that my surname is Das, Gupta or Dasgupta. May be the second question will not follow. All people in my Yoga class have asked me these questions, in the train, bus journeys or even in supermarkets this is asked...

We had been to Tirupati for Darshan. We were  fortunate to get Udayastanam darshan. We  could sit in the temple for forty minutes for the Morning Puja. Udayastanam means from Suryoday to Suryaast i.e. from sunrise to sunset. This Darshan does not find mention in the official website. At Tirumala, everything is pretty systematic and computerised. Darshans can be booked online. If I try to book for Udaystanam now, my chance in the queue will come after 40 years or so, they say. Lovely weather in Tirumala in early April. Spring had just set in. The flowers were blooming on most trees. The hill top is so clean and so green in spite of the construction of guesthouses and marriage halls for the pilgrims. Its an auspicious place to have a wedding. I thought it was a beautiful place to get married. I have been thrice earlier and I can definitely say that the place has not deteriorated. They have improved it over the years. Thank God and all those people who are working well. Saturday...

The new green leaves have come on most trees. An occasional koel sings in the mornings. Mumbai still has lot of old buildings left alone by the land sharks. I noticed them during my train ride in the Central line of Mumbai. Each building had some beautiful old trees. Buildings witness to generation and trees witness to so many emotions. So difficult for the trees and the brick walls to be there and not react. They continue to treat everyone with benign kindness. The Pawar party office at Taikalwadi near Manmala Mandir is on the pavement. They first made an illegal office with Grills and a roof. Then they  started keeping plants in the adjacent area of the pavement. Later the plants got a fencing. Now there is a huge brick wall. I noticed and felt angry and bad. I do not have the zest to call BMC and find out the relevant office and complain. I also fear these political types in spite of living amongst them. I met a vegetable vendor or a bhaji waala carrying 40-50kg of vegeta...

Yesterday on my way to back from the supermarket, a lady asked for help to get down from the pavement to the road. I held her hand and she climbed down. She did not look very old or unwell. She had to walk towards a bylane and did not have to cross the road. I walked ahead. When I turned back, I saw her struggling to reach the bylane as the vehicles were taking a turn at that point. I went back and helped her to walk till the end of vehicular traffic lane. She started crying and said sorry for troubling me. She said her husband was unwell, her daughter in law does not talk to her, their flat is under redevelopment so she is staying in a tiny house,she is walking to her daughter in law's house and her husband is not there. She referred to her husband as her 'Mr.' All this said in two minutes. I told her to believe in God and keep praying to him. I turned back and our child wanted to know the reason for the old lady's tears. The lady was just overwhelmed by a stranger...

There is a parking lot for Garbage trucks which is called Yaan Griha. Every morning when I walk back from Yoga, the whole cross section of five roads is surrounded by the garbage trucks. They are parked in a circle around the traffic island, a circle of orange and green. I think the cab is orange in colour where the driver and the garbage collector sit. The attendance of these employees of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation or BMC, takes place at 8am. They are in a bright orange uniform of shirt and pants. The gloves which some garbage collectors wear is green in colour. Every morning the cleaners are cleaning the cab of the truck. The area where they sit i.e. the front go the truck is sparkling. The windshield is shining in the sun after a good rub with water and newspaper. There is a new napkin placed on the driver's back rest. Some cabs light incense sticks or Agarbattis. Some cabs have put a small garland of fresh flowers on the God's idol. Most  vehicles in India have a s...

  In the past I have spent all my Holis at our building party. This included breakfast, lunch, playing with colours, games of Housie, Antakshari between men and women, musical chairs and kho kho. Consciously, we told our children not to waste water. The hose pipe used by the gardener, was used to wet all of us playing  Holi. Some people came down only to eat the lovely hot food.Some took food up to their families. It was one day we all experienced lots of love towards each other. The earlier night for Holika dahan, there was lot of attitude amongst the crowd. The Marwaris wanted to pray their way n came down in their wedding finery. The Maharashtrians came in their 'ghar ka kapda' or house clothes. The Sindhis were well dressed. Some Jains boycotted this Puja as they did not believe in all this. Some came for the Puja but did not approve of the timing or waiting for the oldest member of the building to light the Holika. Various inter social dynamics were at play. Some days we...

I waited for three whole weeks before writing this post. At one point I did start writing and then wanted to hold my horses. In my heart, I was hoping for a miracle. I was hoping and praying that Randeep Hooda gets his due in the film Highway. He is brilliant in the film. Why doesn't anyone acknowledge that? Being born n brought up in Dhanbad, we saw people like him all the time. The shirt n sweater colours and the muffler were so normal and the colour combinations were so from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Everything about him is so authentic in the film. His dialogue delivery and accent is perfect to the T. I was amazed at the talent house he is. This is not taking away the good work done by Alia Bhatt. That's where the gene pool matters as everyone in the industry is praising her. For me, the surprise is Randeep's portrayal of Mahavir. This is the first film I have seen of  both the actors, Randeep n Aalia. I just remember a bit of him as Sushmita Sen's boyfriend and dri...