tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2254644454454531372024-02-21T21:47:04.572+05:30kalyani cha kattaa ‘katta’ in marathi slang would mean ‘a place where people meet impromptu, sit, talk, share, idle away their time n grow up’. it continues to exist in almost every corner of Bombay. each neighborhood, college, school or even a lone building has its very own 'katta' where rich, poor, high class, low class, cease to matter n all come together. local in nature, it has a life of its own, a mood of it own, always occupied, always alive.crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-1394579612742593302011-12-01T03:06:00.007+05:302011-12-02T01:36:01.585+05:30welcome back, december!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">dear december, </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">you have been waited for </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">long and how!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">all fingers are being crossed</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">right now.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">fresh dreams are being dreamt</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">old ones are being re-moulded</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">or a few have been discarded </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">surprises are being registered </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">sighs are being heaved</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">smiles are being plastered</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">all over my fat face!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">clarity of both vision </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">and purpose</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">has been seeked </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">and well, 'almost' reached</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">will be oh so glad </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">and grateful </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">my darling december</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">if the joy and peace </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">i so desire </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">and deserve now</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">will not be </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">denied or ditched! </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">heaps of love and warm hugs,</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">~ your fav. child welcoming you with open arms :o)</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/tqgAAqCqiBI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-13497774869970787612011-10-13T03:22:00.005+05:302015-03-12T11:25:44.375+05:30चहा च्या आगळ्या वेगळ्या छटा<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
चहा जणू काही माझा जीव कि प्राण. सकाळी उठल्या उठल्या सगळ्यात आधी हातात हवा तो चहाचा कप. नसला तर जीव अगदी कासावीस होऊन जातो. भले माझी सकाळी उठण्याची वेळ ६, ७, ८, ९, १० असो कि दुपारचे दीड-दोन असो. चहा शिवाय चैन पडणे अशक्यच. कधी कुणी <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"What's your poison?"</span></span> असा प्रश्न चुकून जरी विचारला तर माझे उत्तर हमखास चहा असे असायचे. गैरसमज नको. मला चहा प्यायल्यावर चढत वगैरे नाही ;-) किंवा त्याची चटक हि नाही. दिवसाला २ कप हि पुरेसे असतात. </div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
स्वयंपाक घरात सगळ्यात पहिली गोष्ट करायला शिकले तो सुद्धा चहाच. चहाची तर्हा निराळीच. चव हि. आणि सगळ्यांची बनवण्याची व आस्वाद घेण्याची पद्धत हि. साहित्य, कृती, प्रकार, प्रमाण, ठिकाण, लाभ आणि त्याचे रसिक ह्या सगळ्यातच अगणित विविधता. लिहायला बसले तर अख्खा "ब्लोग" च चहा वर समर्पित करावा लागेल :D आणि खर सांगू तर ते काम करायला माझी हरकत हि नाही. वेळ नाहीये हीच एक खंत. </div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
आज हि आजीने केलेल्या मसालेदार चहाची (आणि लज्जतदार जेवणाची) आठवण येते. मन अगदी प्रसन्न होते आणि मग लगेचच भरून हि येते :-)</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
काही महिन्यांपूर्वी संध्याकाळी मी कसला तरी विचार करत बसले होते. आणि हा फोटो सहज म्हणून काढला. आणि नेहमी प्रमाणे त्यावर "<a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/15901335427613806798">उगीच कोणीतरी</a>" ने मजेशीर कविता रचली. तुम्हाला हि तितकीच रुचकर वाटेल हि आशा :-)</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlXe6ip5Bp8ijpX0jhz5GoIFdljy_IcIi3_vKpqLj17YFK4XkDr8foDBSULpd0hN6w9-ekeKhytsaDj1Ce0LSsoAJjq6Dmcv1sClnQXM_UwRng89l2Aw-L7VSgpspNPK7tBnsWkC7Vgs/s1600/DSC07405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlXe6ip5Bp8ijpX0jhz5GoIFdljy_IcIi3_vKpqLj17YFK4XkDr8foDBSULpd0hN6w9-ekeKhytsaDj1Ce0LSsoAJjq6Dmcv1sClnQXM_UwRng89l2Aw-L7VSgpspNPK7tBnsWkC7Vgs/s1600/DSC07405.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
आयुष्याच्या रंगमंचावर<br />
कितीतरी पडदे , कितीतरी रंग ...<br />
काही चहा<br />
सलमान खान च्या हालचालीसारखे<br />
गडबडीने उकळत राहतात,<br />
काही चहा ,<br />
देवगण च्या रागासारखे<br />
कडक लाल टक लाउन<br />
आतल्या आत धुमसत असतात<br />
तर काही चहा<br />
कुणा काजोल वर चालणार्या सिनेमा सारखे<br />
कुणा एका साहेबी चहा पत्ती मध्ये मुरत राहतात ...<br />
काही चहा<br />
इरफान खान सारखे<br />
इंग्रजी किटली तूनच बाहेर कपात पडतात;<br />
आणि<br />
काही काही चहा तर<br />
आल, पुदिना मसाल्याचे दागिने घालून,<br />
एका मुलीच्या अभ्यासा साठी,<br />
एका आईच्या मनातूनच बाहेर पडतात ...<br />
पडदा उघडतो, वाफा काचा झाकावतात,<br />
सगळे नट नट्या, जांभया देत घरी निघतात<br />
उरते फक्त<br />
एक अभ्यासू मुलगी, एक आई ,<br />
आणि प्रेमाने वाफाळलेला चहा ...<br />
- सुरंगा दाते </div>
crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-10332758743814197762011-10-10T04:58:00.023+05:302011-10-10T21:24:24.146+05:30hospitable hospital<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">amusing it is but unlike most humans, i quite look forward to hospital visits. maybe it has to do with the fact that i was reminded repeatedly since childhood by all and sundry that i was born in a kitchen (of my favourite grandparents' home) and not on a random hospital bed! it fascinated me to no end (esp. if you connect this fact with my eternal love for food). and i have always felt special and quaint and unique and exclusive, etc, etc since then. you get the drift... </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">yes, there is a particular hospital i am quite fond of visiting. though the reasons for the visits in the past were not all that pleasant (except the very 1st one ever when the little sister decided to bless the 3 of us with her much welcome presence in our super adventurous lives! :)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">i can actually recall <i>almost</i> all my visits to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhabha_Atomic_Research_Center">BARC</a> hospital in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anushakti_Nagar">Anushaktinagar</a>, Bombay till date from the time i was </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">issued </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the CHSS card in my name. essential part of my memories associated with the wonder years (almost 2 decades) spent in this huge township.</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVKItmenm4jzpYmU9VGGRlZkGVK0zfOLVWDpB4CJlq_D1rwZgZ6Weu7RSDNJl8lmBpoKS25EZJlINvRNCEZxREZIwRxCuWrfNszV9n6iEQ6zgkP6HxGAQ0C9A5WzAda1GGKTMFmde2X8/s1600/hospital_barc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVKItmenm4jzpYmU9VGGRlZkGVK0zfOLVWDpB4CJlq_D1rwZgZ6Weu7RSDNJl8lmBpoKS25EZJlINvRNCEZxREZIwRxCuWrfNszV9n6iEQ6zgkP6HxGAQ0C9A5WzAda1GGKTMFmde2X8/s320/hospital_barc.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><i>(via google / barc.ernet.in)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">never dared to ask any soul (not even my own sister!) till date if they are fond of this hospital as much as i am. that would be akin to going ahead and asking for a stamp of approval on my state of craziness. but i genuinely feel that whoever designed this well-maintained architecture and landscape did so with a lot of heart. yes, it has all that other public / government hospitals do. nothing fancy about it nor does it exactly match up to all the high-end facilities one sees, reads or hears of in private hospitals. yet i never felt depressed or suffocated whenever i was in the vicinity or inside the premises. ample </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">space, </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">lot of green cover and a number of birds chirping all around to soothe the soul. it is that serene and idyllic a location. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the sprawling lawns of the hospital allowed </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the residents </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">to enjoy their quite evenings back then</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">. it even gave shelter to the students who wanted to study in its calming ambience.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">visited it again early morning last week after almost 3 long years. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the reason was not pleasant again. <i>aai</i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> had to be hospitalized for a minor surgery. there was a slight nervousness </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">of course </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">and excitement as always. i was in the colony after a long gap too. took my own sweet time to reach the ward she was admitted in. various floors and departments inside were decorated for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vijayadashami">dussera</a> puja and festivities next day. dussera is considered big in BARC overall esp. the working class. admiring the all-too-familiar spaces (and also a few faces) on our way. once we reached her floor, what was not all that familiar was her face and a few other things about her. i was seeing her after almost a month. and what i saw is only giving me sleepless nights since wednesday. the ever-smiling-gentle-forgiving-comforting-encouraging-content face etched in my heart and being </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">forever </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">suddenly seemed to have aged by a decade or two on the </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">outside and </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">within. i managed to compose myself somehow and went about my duties along with my sister in tow. we waited with her till she was served a very healthy, balanced lunch by the wonderful angels working there as <a href="http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-definition/ayah">ayahs</a>. and only after we </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">were asked by the nurse not to crowd her room and </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">were sure that the father is around for some more time, we went down to the hospital canteen to have a quick lunch ourselves. would you believe me if i say that </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">even the </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">canteen hit me with much nostalgia? it is a small but quite spacious independent structure in a quaint corner of the spread-out hospital premises serving some decent food at VFM (value-for-money) prices for the hospital employees and general visitors. this canteen along with 2-3 other canteens in the township used to be one of our backup plans when <i>aai</i> wasn't around </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">at home or we were too bored/lazy to cook</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">. we quickly finished the meal along with a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myna">myna</a> giving us interesting company with her curious stares and survey of all the tables and its occupants. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">on our way back to her room, we happened to pass the hospital kitchen/pantry on the same floor and witness the ayahs preparing for the dussera puja with rangolis, marigold flower decorations, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prasad">prasad</a> and some of them playing a much subdued symbolic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garba">garba</a> inside the pantry on a makeshift floor. i couldn't help but stand, smile and be a part of that warm moment, their bonhomie. most of them are low on 'high-brow education' or 'sophisticated trainings' of any kind but quite high on 'humanity' and 'compassion'. am glad and grateful to them and the nurses and doc on duty for taking good care of my <i>aai</i> for 3 days. i even remember telling my sister that day on our way home just how wonderful a feeling it would be to cook (i love to cook!) in that huge spacious kitchen for all the patients in the hospital or atleast on that floor. someday! someday! (yes, i get such crazy ideas at any given time on any given day in my life. no matter how low or depressed i am :)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>aai</i> is home now and will be admitted again next week since the surgery did not take place. and the two of us are worried sick for her failing health. it's like she has given up on life, hope or any faith in her future or purpose for living. leaving us feeling much frustrated, guilty, terribly sad, angry, helpless and lonely! i hope we are able to work around a solution for the situation sooner than later. and actually manage to give that noble soul the happiness and peace of mind she so deserves at this stage in her life. do pray. meanwhile, i draw strength from this lady (and the hummingbird). <a href="http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/w.php?id=59">Wangari Maathai</a> was and will always remain our hero. may her soul rest in peace.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/IGMW6YWjMxw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">and i also continue to miss and remain overly nostalgic about our beloved Anushaktinagar and everything it stands for us :)</span></span></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-29910177142606020332011-09-29T04:13:00.019+05:302011-10-13T12:33:32.258+05:30bienvenue Octobre!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 more days to go! and i feel as if i have </span><span style="font-size: small;"> already </span><span style="font-size: small;">welcomed October 2 weeks ago with a barrage of positive news, people, health and vibes coming my way. touching wood is happening ever since. quite amusing though considering just how much i was dreading September this year for 2 completely different reasons.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">so yes, as <a href="http://kalyanichakatta.blogspot.com/2010/10/october-november-december.html">always</a> i look forward to my eternally favourite last quarter of the year with bated breath and much melodrama! ;o)</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">in the next few posts, i will be putting up a few pictures clicked by me along with the poems composed by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/15901335427613806798">Suranga</a> m'am. and no this is not a shameless plug :o) it is just me sharing her amazing talent with you all who loiter around my 'katta'. i find it amazing that the images i capture with a completely different emotion/intention in my mind is given another dimension altogether in her verses. though i do not post any images on my Facebook account anymore, i absolutely miss her 2-minute instant poems (and oh, i must admit here that i do not remember making even Maggi noodles in 2 minutes till date unlike what the brand has been busy claiming all these years!).</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYVUq4Uha-7tRBohOq9rabaozLA2wQQlEiVXiDrl2MvyDmTj6uWbVozuB99YhO6kI9hB72-ELFK6iS5Hp0kdxCaoGrsncRy7ws4TqBm7LzRB0xq2ygxroW7ljHgEs9prHGls6jpYaR1ZM/s1600/DSC08196-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYVUq4Uha-7tRBohOq9rabaozLA2wQQlEiVXiDrl2MvyDmTj6uWbVozuB99YhO6kI9hB72-ELFK6iS5Hp0kdxCaoGrsncRy7ws4TqBm7LzRB0xq2ygxroW7ljHgEs9prHGls6jpYaR1ZM/s400/DSC08196-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>photograph taken by me</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="font-size: small;"><i>Some habits die hard.<br />
<br />
Since childhood, every morning,<br />
post the hurry and flurry<br />
of watering and cleaning,<br />
Madame Tree, freshly bathed,<br />
would look into the Sky mirror,<br />
adjust her leaves just so,<br />
and preen;</i><br />
<i>followed by<br />
a languorous stretching of branches<br />
in a mild movement of air,<br />
designed to cook a snook<br />
at the little bird on the roof,<br />
watching all this avidly.</i><br />
<br />
<i>But one day, when she looked,<br />
the Sky mirror showed,<br />
instead of green,<br />
black clouds,<br />
imperiously rumbling;<br />
and before Madam Tree could figure out,<br />
the bird on the roof smirked, and said,<br />
"The municipality has not cleaned<br />
the storm drains this year...<br />
so sit and enjoy your time<br />
in the floods, while I soar<br />
high,<br />
way up above the clouds,<br />
watching all your fun..."</i></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Suranga Date</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">the original verse in <i>Marathi</i> is posted on her blog <a href="http://kavitalihi.blogspot.com/2011/05/birds-mind-view.html">here</a>. do hop in there!</span></div></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-4009991392882151572011-09-08T01:13:00.001+05:302011-09-08T21:15:31.214+05:30iRelate<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"My life has been one great big joke,<br />
A dance that's walked,<br />
A song that's spoke,<br />
I laugh so hard I almost choke,<br />
When I think about myself."</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
~ <a href="http://mayaangelou.com/">Maya Angelou</a></span></div></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-29093598324618124382011-07-30T04:31:00.017+05:302011-07-31T13:04:21.944+05:30between coffee, kulfi and chai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgENZEu2pJVVZi0vEU7z7GlC_mnaNXrcL00VHY5NsvCbrc0q4ZC2DAik5DxOQuzjMBpas_LuwXCLX2VuHgH-a5b_1LqWlOHyFhRLUG-nB21BLWef505KmWClWJDd85AedpWQVyISu1DLY/s1600/DSC03515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgENZEu2pJVVZi0vEU7z7GlC_mnaNXrcL00VHY5NsvCbrc0q4ZC2DAik5DxOQuzjMBpas_LuwXCLX2VuHgH-a5b_1LqWlOHyFhRLUG-nB21BLWef505KmWClWJDd85AedpWQVyISu1DLY/s320/DSC03515.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right" style="color: #999999;"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>photograph taken by me</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">so i realize today </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">that i have this insane, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">intense, delirious, impulse<br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">to play with it </span></div><span style="font-size: small;">more often than not.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">that just how much </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">i do love fire!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">the only difference </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">this time being</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">it warmed my heart</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">and left me burning </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">with much longing & desire!</span></div></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-73222895873108229522011-07-16T01:33:00.015+05:302011-07-18T22:45:00.966+05:30silent noises...<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">...</span></span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The Nazis were obviously wrong to hate the Jews.</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But their hating the Jews was not without a </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">cause.</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But the cause was not real. The cause was imagined.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The cause was FEAR.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">There are all sorts of minorities, blondes for example, but a minority</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">is only thought of as one when it constitutes some kind of threat to </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the majority. A real threat or an imagined one. And therein lies the </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">FEAR. And, if the minority is somehow invisible...</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">...</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the fear is even greater.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And this FEAR is the reason the minority is persecuted.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So, there always is a cause. And the cause is FEAR.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Minorities are just people. People like us.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Fear, after all, is our real enemy.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Fear is taking over our world. </span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Fear is being used as a tool of </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">manipulation in our society. </span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It’s how politicians peddle policy</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">and how Madison Avenue sells us things that we don’t need. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Think about it. </span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Fear that we’re going to be attacked,</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">fear that there are communists lurking around every corner, </span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">fear that some little Caribbean country that doesn’t believe in our way of life poses a threat to us.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Fear that black culture may take over the world.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Fear of Elvis Presley’s hips. </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Well, maybe that one is a real fear.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Fear that our bad breath might ruin our friendships,</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Fear of growing old and being alone.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Fear that we’re useless and that no one cares what we have to say. </span></span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">...</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">watched the film "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1315981/"><i>A Single Man</i></a>" directed by <i>Tom Ford</i> for the second time last week. the above lines from the same film kept rushing back to me 2 days ago.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">heart missed a beat and some more when i heard the news. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">too-familiar-for-comfort feelings of </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">worry, sadness and numbness followed. like they do every time i read on the internet (no, you don't get to read the 'real', 'objective' truth anymore in any of the mainstream national dailies or on the idiot box!) about the atrocities committed all across the nation be it the militancy in Kashmir, farmer suicides in Maharashtra, Gujarat, rape of humans and rich resources in Chhattisgarh, Orissa, the North-east, </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">mass murders of the marginalized sections in the society all across</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">, state capitalism. all this affects me as much as the serial bomb blasts by "the outsiders" (though it is not confirmed yet who did it!) in my own city over the years. in fact much more! i feel more rage and bitterness when "the insiders" - </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the government and us citizens, </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">cannot care for and take care of our own nation as one unit. or tackle corruption, crimes, inequalities, environmental degradation, etc. within.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">religion, patriotism, equality, urbanization, development, globalization, war, terrorism, justice, hatred, revenge, nationalism (hyper!), etc. are big words and have different meanings for different people. i wish the two words "humanity" and "compassion" had the same meaning for all of us.</span></span>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-43004466493296935082011-06-30T01:23:00.013+05:302011-10-13T12:34:31.048+05:30frangipani dreams...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">there were days when i used to wake up with these recurring dreams of a quaint little house in a quaint little town with dainty little bushes full of flowers and creepers as a fence. iron gates are so not my style! of course, there was a charming not-so-little garden surrounding the gorgeous little home as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">ah! the garden had it all - every possible tree (with/without fruits but with a whole lot of shade), plants, potted herbs, flowers, butterflies, birds, birdhouses, feeders, bushes, vegetables, fountain, creepers, ferns, honeybees,...it also had one very basic sturdy little swing hanging from a banyan tree!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">and there are 2 images that still remain vivid in my memory:<br />
1. myself on that swing.<br />
2. a courtyard full of <span id="goog_878297361"></span>frangipani<span id="goog_878297362"></span> flowers. and the aroma from the flowers stimulating my entire being. <br />
<br />
sigh...<br />
<br />
in the real world though, my sister and i were quite fortunate enough to have a little patch of land for a garden when we stayed in the BARC quarters. we fulfilled all our over-enthusiastic dreams of gardening by growing every possible thing there with the much-needed help from our father (our love for gardening comes from him!). it was a secret little world we disappeared into after coming back from school every single day. we were deeply attached to that space for a long long time. we carry on living with much fond memories of our 'lessons and little adventures in the garden'. <br />
and now i consider myself lucky again to have a quaint little terrace all for myself. it remains a poor substitute for any garden of course but atleast i get to indulge myself a bit as far as my love for all things green and gardening is concerned :-)). a few months back i happened to pick up the <a href="http://www.flowersofindia.in/botanical.html">frangipani</a> (<i>plumeria pudica</i> or <i>wild plumeria</i>) plant from a local nursery and it hasn't stopped flowering ever since. touchwood. day in and day out, the smiles of the flowers make my days worthwhile! if not a 'courtyard', they sure fill up my terrace and verandah with much happiness :-) </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">here are a few shots only for your eyes!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOAWv6E2Eu0Kw-csxfq2jZs5e0OiAtoVwNdBwI_ChGZIEC_9_TWHdhIXhr0mIcw8D-xx1GXVnxRdPnNBsWlyjQeiPvnbi7zUrtwKAB0_WliF8Odla_pApKHNF9B1_nBgHwxECXI0GgQk/s1600/DSC07977-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOAWv6E2Eu0Kw-csxfq2jZs5e0OiAtoVwNdBwI_ChGZIEC_9_TWHdhIXhr0mIcw8D-xx1GXVnxRdPnNBsWlyjQeiPvnbi7zUrtwKAB0_WliF8Odla_pApKHNF9B1_nBgHwxECXI0GgQk/s400/DSC07977-1.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivI92WzHTXk8_DENaXLZ91N5GyuOTxAaix23bZCHAKBEp8IspqU7wk7czOzWuibf9Aj3F0NCzkpgw2L33G7LUleFNCNDdq4Q5P9M2TTZ2pVY4EKK4Gjo_K5WxQtd-Mdk5P4ytDOAp4TTU/s1600/home+sweet+home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivI92WzHTXk8_DENaXLZ91N5GyuOTxAaix23bZCHAKBEp8IspqU7wk7czOzWuibf9Aj3F0NCzkpgw2L33G7LUleFNCNDdq4Q5P9M2TTZ2pVY4EKK4Gjo_K5WxQtd-Mdk5P4ytDOAp4TTU/s400/home+sweet+home.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>all the photographs taken by me</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"> and besides these flowers, there is someone else who knows just how to make my day - <a href="http://kavitalihi.blogspot.com/">Suranga</a> m'am! she instantly came up with a lovely verse for it after i posted a photograph on FB :-)) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">here are those lines translated by her in english for you ::</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>A hot and sultry May afternoon<br />
at the family homestead in Konkan,<br />
little girl cousins at grandma's,<br />
playing in soft frilled white summer frocks;<br />
the <b>Sagargota</b> stones have been abandoned,<br />
for the liquid gold of the <b>Raiwal</b> mango,<br />
squeezed,slurped and swallowed,<br />
as is,<br />
while the yellow gold drips indulgently<br />
on to the pristine white innocence....<br />
<br />
And while grandma takes a nap,<br />
nearby,<br />
the creaking of the old swing,<br />
the giggles, <br />
and plundering of mangoes continues,<br />
in the mind,<br />
making you smile,<br />
hot and sultry,<br />
this Monday morning in Mumbai...</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Suranga Date<i> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
for the original delightful description and actual poem in <i>marathi</i>, please visit her blog <a href="http://kavitalihi.blogspot.com/2011/05/white-with-gold-summer-colors.html">here</a>. </span></div></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-73396034298474138342011-06-25T23:06:00.028+05:302011-06-29T19:36:00.479+05:30Life! Oh Life...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 things happened last sunday within a span of 12 hours. one human broke my trust. another human reaffirmed it. one is 50+ and the other is only about 5. one i have known for about a year now and the other 'met' me for all of a minute or two. so i choose to talk only about the 5 year old instead because the 50+ year old breaking my trust is not even worth occupying space in my mind or the blog!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">there is something about kids and me. am fond of them is an understatement. i love them! i grew up with them (we all do i know i know!). but i literally grew up with kids around me all the time. my <i>aai</i> attracted kids i guess. so whether it was neighbours, relatives or couples in our residential township looking for someone to babysit their kids for a few hours after school, we were always surrounded by them. i actually feel heartbroken sometimes when a kid fails to warm upto me. i see it as some shortcoming in me if they don't happen to like me. yes am 'weird' i admit :-) i still love and used to look forward to all the bonding with the kids (ESPECIALLY loved the way they came running towards me to be in my arms after i used to come back from school/college/office! :D )</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">(okay thy will not digress from the topic!)</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">since the time i shifted to the new home and started working from home for past 1 year and more, i have become 'more' aware of and begun to appreciate all the sounds around me. esp. those of the lovely birds who visit my door, windows and terrace throughout the day. apart from that, there are tons of other sounds which fall under different categories! one such sound(s) is that of the kids in my residential complex. they play, fight, giggle, joke around, crib, discuss school/studies/friends, cry, sing, dance, brag, shout, scream, chase the dogs, trouble the cats, celebrate and do a lot of <i>masti</i>. their mums yell at them for - not eating food on time, getting hurt, ruining clothes, fighting with neighbours' kids, getting late, studies, etc etc. i am a silent witness to all of this (it's a very middle-class neighbourhood with a strong sense of community bonding unlike people living in tower buildings / closed apartments) and i only realize how much i truly miss it all when i don't 'hear' these sounds once in a while. they keep a wonderful and amusing company to my lonely weekdays. and no i have never met any of these moms and their children till date as they happen to live in the buildings behind my building wing entrance so we never even bump into each other whenever i step out of home. or even if i might have bumped into them in the local markets i wouldn't have really known who is who! :D</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">(okay thy will not digress from the topic!)</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">there is one such mommy and her 2 sons i have grown to be fond of :-) the kids are called 'Sonu' and 'Monu'! am quite confident if she comes in front of me, i'd be able to recognize her the moment she 'speaks' something. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">so on sunday afternoon, i was lazying around reading a book post a sumptuous breakfast and lunch (I live to EAT!). there was a knock at the door and not the usual doorbell ringing through my ears. i opened the main door to find myself peering at two 3-feet high boys through the grill door. they said their cricket ball had landed on my terrace so they had come to take it back and resume their play. i asked them if they are sure about this. they said, "<i>haan didi. hamare saath jo bada ladka khelta hai, usne dekha jab woh cricket ball upar terrace pe ja ke gira</i>!". so i asked them to wait till i go upstairs and check if it's really there. it had actually landed on the terrace hiding right behind the leg of a stool i keep there for some of my planters. i got it downstairs and asked them playfully what do i get in return for giving back the ball to them.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>the elder one</i>: "didi, you get a 'thank-you' from us with a smile!" </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>me</i>: "well, that's not enough!"</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>the elder one</i>: "<i>aapko kya chahiye, didi</i>?"</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>me</i>: "i want a chocolate or toffee in return" </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>the elder one</i>: "okay! i promise"</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">i grinned and while handing back the ball to them asked the elder one his name. pat came the reply, "Sonu and this is my brother Monu"!</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">aaaaaah i wanted to dance and scream and hug the kids so bad that very moment. call me silly, stupid, mad and what-you-wish but that's how madly happy i was that day :D so i just about managed to compose myself and said "Oooooh! Sonu!!!!! soooo glad to meet you!" :D (and this is what i actually wanted to say - i know you and your little brother too well and say 'hi' to your mommy as well! :D :D but i controlled myself lest they'd think am one crazy <i>didi</i>!). they ran away with the ball with a 'thank you' echoing back at me from the staircase :D i closed the doors with a huge grin pasted on my face and got back to my dream world (aka reading). after about 10-15 minutes, there was another knock at the door. i actually wondered if it is my neighbour next-door bringing over some non-veg lunch for me which she usually does on sunday afternoons (yes my neighbours also know by now just HOW MUCH I LOVE FOOD! am SUPER-BLESSED! :D ) with a spring in my step i opened the door and there they were again - the duo 'Sonu and Monu'! i asked them, "what is it? is the cricket ball again on the terrace?? he gave a sheepish smile and shook his head (saying 'no'). while i looked away puzzled at both of them, his tiny hand reached up through the grilled door and passed on 1 tiny toffee bar of Melody (it used to be our favourite when we were kids :D :D). okay by now i can't even express in so many words what went through my head and heart that very moment. am no wordsmith. i had forgotten all about the toffee and the promise and the kid cared to go down and get one for me so he could keep his promise! :D the toffee must have cost them a mere 50 paise (half an Indian Rupee) but for me the whole experience that afternoon remains extremely precious and priceless in the whole wide world! i thanked them profusely and tapped on their heads and ruffled their hair a bit and let them go. i closed the door and jumped up and down and round and round with overflowing joy :D :D after all this i had one BIG MANGO to celebrate the moment!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Sometimes”, said Pooh, “the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.” - <i>A.A. Milne </i> </span></div></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-67835485976591700142011-05-19T02:17:00.010+05:302011-10-13T12:35:06.061+05:30gulabo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">that's what i happen to call my rose plant and this is my first rose plant ever! i do not remember us having one in our previous garden either. <b style="color: #e06666;">gulabo</b> bloomed after a good 2-3 weeks in the month of april this year and i could not resist myself from capturing its pristine beauty :-) and as if THAT was not exciting enough, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/15901335427613806798">Suranga</a> m'am managed to surprise me with yet another lovely interpretation in form of words :-))</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">here are two shots of my <b style="color: #e06666;">gulabo</b> in full-bloom on the terrace along with the verse penned by the versatile poet.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfQJy7M8zCpkLTDXpvB0D24LPyKfI3Sf39YfDEk5jjCn5-T88Lj0MCSARORXuhujiG8538Q0fY41xJG7AD7ssVGxc36NfL7KGO6WnqHI5L-xnfXY-gldLI6wCR0f_jDVrLeBLVG5wplU/s1600/DSC07103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfQJy7M8zCpkLTDXpvB0D24LPyKfI3Sf39YfDEk5jjCn5-T88Lj0MCSARORXuhujiG8538Q0fY41xJG7AD7ssVGxc36NfL7KGO6WnqHI5L-xnfXY-gldLI6wCR0f_jDVrLeBLVG5wplU/s320/DSC07103.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7v96PHl5tqHG8jkPsKb0x5bgescqEq2Du-5nZUT6-wqmpUQ05-SgPtfnOPfeFkT46MrUDGMXJsC8zUO4QITpcywfM4OueRQEiPmHszz_SiOe3-KO1Vd0PAthUnY7tuA84utqi5fSRg4/s1600/DSC07106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7v96PHl5tqHG8jkPsKb0x5bgescqEq2Du-5nZUT6-wqmpUQ05-SgPtfnOPfeFkT46MrUDGMXJsC8zUO4QITpcywfM4OueRQEiPmHszz_SiOe3-KO1Vd0PAthUnY7tuA84utqi5fSRg4/s320/DSC07106.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>both the photographs taken by me</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Wet aromas of mud,<br />
potting, eggshell powder<br />
and concentric <span class="text_exposed_show">channels in soil<br />
holding water, <br />
as the mud,<br />
seeing and knowing a good thing ,<br />
rushes to pile itself up at the roots.<br />
<br />
The obsession with color,<br />
and the desperation<br />
to emerge beautifully bright.<br />
<br />
It's only when the sun shines<br />
on it,<br />
that it is clear, that<br />
despite the charms of color,<br />
whether your mind inside,<br />
is black or white,<br />
or even a grey,<br />
depends on how well<br />
you mix with<br />
a neutral society<br />
around you.</span></i><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Suranga Date</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You can access the original post described more vividly <a href="http://kavitalihi.blogspot.com/2011/04/fair-and-lovely-in-sun.html">here</a> :-)</span></div></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-77217292730083672252011-05-14T22:52:00.013+05:302011-05-17T23:32:10.939+05:30:-))<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">and oh coming back to dates, it has been exactly 1 whole year today of survival, strength, weaknesses, independence, responsibilities, happy revelations, sad findings, self-discoveries, getting bitten by various 'bugs', freedom, liberties coming with a lot of self-control/discipline, happiness, </span><span style="font-size: small;">heartbreak, celebrations, fresh beginnings and some unfortunate endings, detachments and new attachments, tests (medical and the other kinds), </span><span style="font-size: small;">medications, conquering old fears and battling new ones too, pride, possessions, separations, forging of some unexpected bonds, dreaming new dreams and fading away of a few, loneliness, expectations and acceptances, choices made willingly and some unwillingly, sense of loss and elsewhere belonging, </span><span style="font-size: small;">overwhelming and reassuring love n support from all my loyal sweethearts :-)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">could not think of a better way to end this post. so here's one gem of a poem (penned by a blogger friend <a href="http://www.cinemaisforever.blogspot.com/">Satyanshu Singh</a>! </span><span style="font-size: small;">the poem, story, script, lyrics, music, performances, the film '<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1639426/">Udaan</a>' released in the year 2010 remain eternally precious to me).</span><br />
<br />
<div><div style="text-align: left;">छोटी-छोटी छितराई यादें </div>बिछी हुई हैं लम्हों की लॉन पे <br />
नंगे पैर, उनपर चलते चलते इतनी दूर आ गए हैं,<br />
कि भूल गए हैं जूते कहाँ उतारे थे ...</div>एड़ी कोमल थी जब आये थे <br />
थोड़ी-सी नाज़ुक है अब भी <br />
और नाज़ुक ही रहेगी <br />
इन खट्टी मीठी यादों की शरारत <br />
जब तक इन्हें गुदगुदाती रहे<br />
सच..भूल गए हैं कि जूते कहाँ उतारे थे <br />
पर लगता है अब इनकी ज़रुरत नहीं ...</div></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-40506630866598082062011-05-06T01:10:00.012+05:302011-10-13T12:35:42.276+05:30an Ode to my 'Sandals'!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">all of today my mind kept wandering. sensing something amiss. maybe someone's birthday or anniversary or wedding or due date or launch or...phew! checked both my phones, my online diary. even logged onto FB after a week almost just so that i get some clue as to know why exactly this date seemed to linger on. nothing rushed to my rescue. then read an unexpected line in an unexpected mail from an unexpected sender and it all fell in place magically. "dimaag ki batti jal gayi" moment happened! :-)<br />
<br />
i love 5th may just as much i love 10th april just as much i love hundred other dates etched in my memory for all sorts of reasons. one of those 'perfect' days full of 'perfect' moments. (not that the perfectness of it matters to me much. i love imperfections as much more often than not in people, places, preferences, situations. it keeps my interest alive! ;-) </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">one of the several perfectly magical moments i was blessed with that day is posted below. i cherish this pic a lot would surely be an 'understatement'!</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRiUXKy8wfiwGstXdRJ_ksMWPpGSlS_VkQitJdIdIrvZ526FLDlIdH_yPLMn7hhm1B9B1lwFCC8JfdPtVlTNOhJjIbGRwFPSXxXRJ0N_zRZFX9n4XCVsDWl5IPQ7An-t0CxZHA4BfWZZM/s1600/16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRiUXKy8wfiwGstXdRJ_ksMWPpGSlS_VkQitJdIdIrvZ526FLDlIdH_yPLMn7hhm1B9B1lwFCC8JfdPtVlTNOhJjIbGRwFPSXxXRJ0N_zRZFX9n4XCVsDWl5IPQ7An-t0CxZHA4BfWZZM/s320/16.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><i>photograph by Parag Mahale (May'09)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">one of my adorable blogger friends - Mrs. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/15901335427613806798">Suranga Date</a>, spotted this one on my profile more than a month back and penned a soulful ode to my sandals. </span><span style="font-size: small;">the satire on her <a href="http://kaimhanta.blogspot.com/">blog</a> is something i look forward to always for all the tongue-in-cheek humour and insight she unfailingly provides with every post. you can't imagine just HOW surprised and full of glee i was when i read the verse :-) :-) have a look pretty please! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> <br />
<i> Some sandals </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>stick to the owner<br />
everywhere,<br />
absorbing every cut,<br />
pokey stone,<br />
lash of cow dung <br />
and wet mud,<br />
but<br />
keeping the feet<br />
clean,<br />
unfeeling,<br />
and the person<br />
devoid of nerves...<br />
<br />
But some,<br />
like a good friend,<br />
share the heat of the road<br />
on a summer afternoon,<br />
the stumble across<br />
an innocent pebble,<br />
inadvertent puddle thumps,<br />
the little scratches<br />
of stuff in the sand,<br />
and stand<br />
patiently aside,<br />
encouraging and waiting,<br />
as you decide to get your feet wet<br />
in some new waters<br />
once again... <br />
And when a <br />
particularly big wave<br />
of something arrives,<br />
and you run back,<br />
they remain,<br />
overcome by the foam,<br />
but bravely facing up,<br />
faithfully waiting for you....</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> - Suranga Date </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
and here's the <a href="http://kavitalihi.blogspot.com/2011/03/footwears-of-mind.html">link</a> to it on her <a href="http://kavitalihi.blogspot.com/">blog</a> of poems. all of them are inspired by a broad spectrum of moments captured by different people. hope you enjoy them as much as i do! :-)</span></div></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-31249984858892895712010-10-29T02:12:00.013+05:302011-06-26T16:03:42.166+05:30October-November-December!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">all those who know me well, know just HOW MUCH since childhood i love this quarter of the year. and no, it is not just for all the festivals, </span><span style="font-size: small;">the onset of winter</span><span style="font-size: small;">, gifts, birthdays of my favourite people or the new year. it is all that and so much more. i completely transform into this state of being chirpier and happier. this quarter has always held for me in life, the promise of something/someone better. though last year was an exception, except for the beginning of my photography affair!<br />
<br />
am madly, deeply in love again after a very long time; with myself, my lovely home, my plants, cooking, some extremely wonderful friends and family who have stood by me through thick and thin, </span><span style="font-size: small;">my crazy pursuits, my work, my dreams. life itself! i feel like i am the lead actor of the story/film on my life, thoroughly enjoying the performance and looking forward to the script/drama/music every single day i wake up.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> and i do not care as of this very moment exactly 'who' the audience is as long as i am having a gala time!<br />
<br />
and yes, the 'bucket-list' is getting quite exciting and longer day by day. two words which define my contentment with the world in general and myself in particular today: <span style="font-style: italic;">space</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">pace</span>. if these 2 things are in place, nothing could go wrong with any quarter of the year, right? ;-)<br />
<br />
oh november! where art thou?<br />
<br />
anticipating much,<br />
k<br />
</span></div></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-23097317316903065222010-09-28T04:19:00.011+05:302011-06-26T16:04:07.043+05:30choices<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">life is full of choices galore. happy. sad. good. bad. crazy. fun. serious. dumb.<br />
<br />
even when we are supposedly in our darkest of moments, it is only because we tend to forget we really have a choice!<br />
<br />
i have only a faint idea about what all changed in last 15 days. i am feeling so much more lighter n happier in my head n heart after speaking to 2 of my dearest friends. am glad i have them back in my life. one friend, i took an effort to reach out to and another friend, reached out to me now that his memories are coming back slowly :) :)<br />
<br />
as if all the worries and tensions of last 2 months suddenly got wiped away on hearing his voice, 'kalluuuu', taunts, laughter, musings, ramblings on phone for all of 45 minutes. 'happiness' is an understatement. i still don't know if he's going to be fully alright. i will continue to have faith in his doctors, medicines and the divine power above us :)<br />
<br />
life becomes so much more easier and smooth when you choose to accept the reality and get on with life. at least now i know that i can reach out to him. that thought certainly reassures and how.<br />
<br />
and yes, a lot of things are turning out in my favour without even wishing or praying for them once. never really sat and visualized about this life till i actually started living it. and it has sure been one crazy roller-coaster ride so far. touchwood. i sure don't want to get off it for a long long time to come. my one choice 6 months back has led to a plethora of choices for me.<br />
<br />
thank god for everything, everyone. and thank god for all that i do not have and all those i could not have in my life too. all the 'NO's led me towards where i stand, and breathe free and independent today.<br />
<br />
aah. i choose to remain blessed for now! ;)<br />
</span></div></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-49905554309071214432010-09-21T03:13:00.002+05:302011-07-30T13:10:41.367+05:30काही तरी जुळून येतय...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">सकाळ पासून हुरहूर आहे मनात<br />
कि काही तरी जुळून येतय<br />
चित्र अद्याप इतकं स्पष्ट नाहीये <br />
पण काही तरी जुळून येतय<br />
<br />
:o)</div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-19151395889320905532010-09-06T04:08:00.010+05:302011-06-26T16:04:48.254+05:30probably<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">5.45 am and i am still wide awake. all set to welcome the first morning of this busy week probably.<br />
<br />
the 'bad' that i was dreading to happen, happened last month to my best friend. the only person who once dared to compete with me in 'talking' much, who admitted he just can't match my skills and always declared me a winner in the talking category will probably never talk to me ever!<br />
<br />
he has had his revenge i guess. he never thought he could manage to stop me from talking. he never thought i would be short for words ever. he never thought i could do anything but be his ever smiling, happy, encouraging, loving, talkative, sunshine girl.<br />
<br />
today am speechless. not because of him but because of what has happened to him, his life. i am in no mood to fight with god for god knows best. he favours some. my friend and i are..were of the firm opinion that god has always been partial to special kids like us since childhood. we are who we are today because of those favours probably. time n again god tests our patience, love n faith, willingness to forgive n forget, desire to live, dream, do good. we have become only better at facing these tests and passing out with flying colours!<br />
<br />
but my hold onto faith is not as tight as it used to be, the selfish friend in me realizes today. i have lost my best friend to something even worse than death, over and above a dozen others i have lost in last 2 years. the only person who gave me so much space in our friendship, has entered some unknown space himself where he does not remember the existence of anybody in his life of past 15 years. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<br />
i have only some heart-warming, crazy memories of time spent with him and all my insecurities to live by now.<br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
बिछडे सभी बारी बारी...<br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
am too scared </span><span style="font-size: small;">these days </span><span style="font-size: small;">to make new friends or to trust or to get attached or to get close to. they leave or they change or they pretend to change or they take away my close friends from me or they do things they think will be best for me without realizing that sometimes things can backfire for worse!..or sometimes god takes them away from me!<br />
<br />
am too scared these days of losing the only close friend i have today besides my precious sister.<br />
<br />
but i do not want to end this post on a sad note. last night i finally managed to see a wonderful movie i have been wanting to for some time. it features a song very close to my heart. it talks about 'hope'.<br />
<br />
कहानी ख़त्म है, या शुरुवात होने को है</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">सुबह नयी है यह, या फिर रात होने को है</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">आने वाला वक़्त देगा पनाहें,</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">या फिर से मिलेंगे दो राहें,</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">खबर क्या, क्या पता...</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-24943354858694762312010-07-22T03:21:00.007+05:302011-06-26T16:05:20.311+05:30...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">lost another battle this morning..<br />
<br />
but like someone said, "you may have to fight a battle more than once to win it".</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-18682080227654104242010-07-11T05:13:00.015+05:302010-07-12T03:41:09.215+05:30बस क्या god!<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">dear god,</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">am disturbed. very!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">good things always happen to good people i have been told time and again. bad things happen more often than not the way i see it right now!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">the 'good'</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> person here is someone who means the world to me and something 'bad' is happening or on the verge of happening. maybe. we will know for sure in a month's time. maybe.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">i do not panic when it comes to big issues or decisions in life and since he appeared so calm, cool and mature while conveying the piece of news sometime back, it was easier to listen to if not react or grasp. no the shock hasn't sunk in yet so here i am disturbed if not panic or worry-stricken. and all i can do for now is laugh about it alongwith him like we crack up about million other things in our lives and around us. the gang at his behest managed to pull a fast one on me even from that much-dreaded place. that is the kind of person he is. blessed with an incomparable wit and a creative presence of mind. someone i've grown to love so much over the last couple of years since the time i've known him. he never ceases to amaze me come what may! am yet to meet someone as crazy as him. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">i know my bestest friend will face this situation as bravely as he is and nothing is going to break or pull him down. am glad i can be there for him when he'd need me the most alongwith others. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">my first reaction after i heard the 'bad' news was as always 'why him'! that's how we all react for people we love isn't it. this question never crops up when the news is 'good' though. we're like that only. us humans. the very next moment the question changed to as always 'who him'! yes god, for you he's just like million others you need to take care of am aware and that you will very well i believe. but the answer to 'who him' is very important for me right now. he's someone am in awe of and have looked up to with much respect, trust, admiration and love from day one. i know you wouldn't give him anything he cannot handle or does not deserve. so right now i do not want him or any of us to worry and i'd rather just pray that things work out for him eventually cos he's someone who has always done only good in life be it for his family, friends, community, city, society, .. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">please please please take care of him god is my humble request to you today. and i only hope he comes out much stronger and happier out of this 'situation' in life! :-)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">faith is all i have to offer. in him and you.</span></span></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-2702491660835659992010-07-01T02:41:00.020+05:302010-07-11T06:08:09.454+05:30बेधुंद<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 28px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">गेले कित्येक दिवस थोडेफार तरी लिहावे असे स्वतःला सांगतेय..म्हणून आज मुद्दाम वेळ काढला आणि ते सुद्धा मातृभाषेत लिहिण्या करीता (ह्या करीता सुशीलाचे आभार मानेन मी :-). जास्त काही नाही निव्वळ १० मिनिटे झोपण्या पूर्वीची.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">तर लिहिण्यास कारण हे कि आज तारीख '१ जुलै, २०१०' (नाही ह्या तारखेची काही खास आठवण अशी नाहीये माझ्या मनात किंवा कल्पनेत). सहा महीने कुठच्या कुठे पळून/उडून गेले कळले सुद्धा नाही. एका अर्थी बरेच झाले म्हणा. ह्याचा अर्थ हा की मी माझे आयुष्य जगण्यात बर्यापैकी तल्लीन झाले होते. २९ डिसेंबर, २००९ रोजी मी माझ्या आयुष्यात जे काही बदल करण्याचे ठरवले होते ते सगळे करण्यात अक्षरशः गुंतून गेले होते.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">सगळ्याच गोष्टी मनासारख्या झाल्याच असे नाही म्हणणार पण कोणतीही गोष्ट वाईट, नकारात्मक, मनाला दुख देणारी, हळव करणारी किंवा पश्चाताप करायला लावणारी झाली नाही अर्थात मी होऊ दिली नाही. मैत्री, नोकरी, स्वप्ने, नाती-गोती, परिवार, सामाजिक जबाबदार्या, प्रेम ह्या सगळ्याच बाबतीत चढ-उतार हे नेहमीच येणार आहेत. ह्या सगळ्यांपासून पळून जाणे अशक्य आहे. आज राहून राहून फक्त एकच गोष्ट सतत जाणवतेय कि मी ह्या सगळ्या परिस्तिथीना सामोरे जाण्यासाठी आज समर्थ आहे. मी स्वतःला कधीही दुर्बळ समजले नाही. २००८-२००९ ह्या कालावधीत मी स्वतःबद्दल आणि माझ्या अवतीभवतीच्या लोकांबद्दल भरपूर काही शिकले. हे शिक्षण मला जन्मभर पुरणारे असे आहे. ह्या सगळ्या करीता मी माझ्या आई-वडिलांची आणि लहान बहिणीची सदैव ऋणी राहेन :-)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">२ महिन्यांपूर्वी मी जो निर्णय घेतला तो किती चूक किंवा अचूक हे मला माहित नाही. मला फक्त एवढं माहित आहे कि आज मी आनंदी/समाधानी आहे. खर्या अर्थाने स्वातंत्र्य उपभोगत आहे. हा निर्णय निव्वळ एक अट्टाहास नसून कुणाच्याहि दबावाला न घाबरता जगण्यासाठी एकुलता एक पर्याय समजून जगतेय. माझी स्वप्ने मी पूर्ण करू शकेन ह्या विश्वासात जगतेय. आयुष्यात ध्येय, आवाहने लाभली तर जगण्याला वेगळीच नशा आणि धुंदी अनुभवयाला मिळते. </span></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 28px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:medium;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">आज मी नशेत आहे आणि जराशी बेधुंद ही :-) :-)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">- शुभ रात्री, </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">कल्याणी</span></div></span>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-69693391944889888322010-04-10T13:01:00.000+05:302010-04-10T13:02:31.753+05:30...crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-91964751624153860412010-04-08T11:25:00.008+05:302011-06-29T15:40:16.251+05:30long live mesmerizing music!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">loved it loved it loved it, now that i've finally watched it! :D</span></span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">came out feeling that i didn't have enough of it..that wish it could go on for some more time..that a lot more people could come n watch this instead of just the handful of us (read: 5) in the theater..that people don't know what they are missing in life..that wish </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">indian ocean</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> keeps coming up with their brilliant music for fans like us for years to come :-)<br />
<br />
</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">\m/ long live good music! \m/</span></span></span></div></div></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-53509988204972315552010-04-08T10:10:00.004+05:302010-04-08T11:08:54.357+05:30ecstacy n agony<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">exactly a year since i said yes to a proposition which led to 4 months of ecstacy n 8 months of agony..no regrets whatsoever except for that lingering feeling that i shouldn't have got carried away in those last few days..shouldn't have believed all words which were uttered, better still shouldn't have heard them in 1st place..sometimes people you look upto don't really mean what they say, i realised it the hard way..should have stuck to my original plan after saying yes to the proposition and got on with my life..but those words took me to some other world..instead of coming back to reality, for too long i stayed, and somehow i failed..in the process my life almost got derailed..aaarrrggghh!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">today i wish to have only fond memories of those 4 months instead of torturing myself time n again over those 8 months..terribly cliched but here it goes ::</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“<i>i</i></span><div style="display: inline !important; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> hold it true, whatever befall; i<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-size: 16px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> feel it, when i sorrow most; <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-size: 16px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">'tis better to have loved and lost t</span></i></span></span></i></span></span></i></div><div style="display: inline !important; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">han never to have loved at all.</span></i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">”</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">- Alfred, Lord Tennyson</span></div></span></span></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-48312641205956707812010-03-31T18:05:00.007+05:302010-05-25T13:39:34.962+05:30LOLLY!<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">LOLLY - that's my new nick name for the past couple of weeks..cos i 'LOL' a lot more than required..i actually do 'laugh out loud' excessively non-stop in 'real' life..so much so that i wonder at times if i'd die of a heart attack due to too much of laughter..have you ever heard of someone dying this way? what a fun way (to die)! i'd prefer that any day!..n i really do wish that other people around me would laugh more often too..there is so much joy, fun or absolute nonsensical stuff happening around us all the time!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"<i>the most wasted day in life, the day in which we have not laughed</i>" - charlie chaplin</span></span></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-25991343596272035652010-03-12T14:08:00.016+05:302011-06-29T15:38:57.115+05:30..that i would be loved..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"></span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">haven't visited this space for a while..here are a few lines from <i>alanis morissette</i> which reflect my state of mind ::</span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">that i would be good even if i did nothing<br />
that i would be good even if i got the thumbs down<br />
that i would be good if i got and stayed sick<br />
that i would be good even if i gained ten pounds<br />
<br />
that i would be fine even if i went bankrupt<br />
that i would be good if i lost my hair and my youth<br />
that i would be great if i was no longer queen<br />
that i would be grand if i was not all knowing<br />
<br />
that i would be loved even when i numb myself<br />
that i would be good even when i am overwhelmed<br />
that i would be loved even when i was fuming<br />
that i would be good even if i was clingy<br />
<br />
that i would be good even if i lost sanity<br />
that i would be good<br />
whether with or without you!!</span></span></div></div>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225464445445453137.post-55761968521065722202010-02-10T13:05:00.004+05:302010-04-08T00:23:01.210+05:30class product from the 'factory'!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2YKKbQwrR76XhE8D0zZ8NVep-k7-XSAXNrWIA3GhWWG4-3O-NWsZz_bTvENSBfZDDR1xybGtu3VwE7JZV2NtGr8d1DLB0Oo8oxo6E2UtqqNkqKIOtazPiEn6wRcZgT7LjVg6rPDZ_yE/s1600/Harishchandrachi-Factory-Final.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2YKKbQwrR76XhE8D0zZ8NVep-k7-XSAXNrWIA3GhWWG4-3O-NWsZz_bTvENSBfZDDR1xybGtu3VwE7JZV2NtGr8d1DLB0Oo8oxo6E2UtqqNkqKIOtazPiEn6wRcZgT7LjVg6rPDZ_yE/s200/Harishchandrachi-Factory-Final.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457467575061063954" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">it's so difficult to be simple sometimes... but this movie does that with utmost simplicity!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">there wasn’t a single person in the theatre who wasn’t having a hearty laugh during the show..after wonderful movies like </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">shwaas</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">tingya</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">sukhant</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">natrang</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">jhenda</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, etc. this is one recent marathi film which really tickled my funny bones..a very charming n delightful account of the making of 1</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">st</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> motion picture </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Raja Harishchandra</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> by the awe-inspiring </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Dadasaheb Phalke</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> who founded the great Indian cinema during the British rule..every Indian who loves cinema owes it to this man for bringing this wonderful magic to our soil..it’s compact (90 mins. only), with no frills / stars, witty, light (reminded me much of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Malgudi Days, Charlie Chaplin</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">), a very positive tale which looks more like an adventure..</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Mr.Phalke</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> a.k.a ‘professor </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">kelpha</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">’ comes across as eccentric, sharp, witty, someone who is determined to bring his vision to fruition with his wide-eyed innocence and a huge passion for cinema..you can only feel tender sympathy for the characters who appear sincere in their efforts in dealing with all the difficulties and opportunities present in that era, place and scenario..</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Mr. n Mrs. Kelpha</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> seemed like a fun couple! i actually came out of the cinema hall feeling that even ordinary and powerless people can do extraordinary things :-) </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">..the script n dialogues were wow n ably supported by the brilliant cast n performances..the back-ground track n art direction were equally good.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">halatya chitrancha vijay aso</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">! :)</span></span></p><p></p>crypticrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231447242638543513noreply@blogger.com0