Morning walk with Teio

I have to drag myself out of bed whether I like it or not, to walk my dog. There are some days that I just don't feel like it but one has to walk the dog. Walking with a her has its own set of perks, she likes ambling, sniffing and therefore very little scope to walk but has a great opportunity to observe things along the way.
Not only I make new friends but I also discover new shrubs, flowers, mushrooms etc.. Since the builder is still developing the property, I sometimes find things that they have discarded.Once, I found bag full of small pebbles, colored stones. I filled a handful of them in a transparent jar. They really looked lovely.
Sometimes I find small snakes.Sometimes a wounded puppy. A distraught 10th standard municipal school boy who bunked classes. I ended up teaching English and helped him to complete his homework.
I know every tree, every parasite that grows on the tree. One place has three palm trees in succession. If you ever pass this place at 6.30 am, there is so much twittering that is almost like hundreds of birds shouting at one time.
When I pass the temple premises, the light aroma of Parijat flowers, that lies strewn like fallen stars on the ground, waiting to be picked up.
Then there are various shapes of men and women. Some funnily attired. Some unique in their ways. Notable among them are one middle aged man who wears pink track pants. Yes! bubble gum pink. I am always aghast at that sight and also suspect that they definitely must be his wife's.
Then there these few women who gossip about their MIL's or in-laws. They have been walking for so many years and I haven't seen any difference in their weight. Obviously gossiping while walking slows the pace. Then of course, the one super hot woman who sets the pulse rate on fire for all men around. Women hate her. She is a delight and really makes exercising fun for all.

A funeral procession

One of the most poignant moment of life is when you are running to catch up with client meetings or some such urgent stuff and a funeral procession passes by. The sad trail of flowers tell a story of a life that has just ended. They always make me sad, as next moment somebody walks all over it and a few moments later, nobody remembers it.
A funeral procession, in my experience, always halts the madness mind and makes me aware that no matter how urgent all things are, they will end one day. And the same way irrespective of what your position is or however important your errand is.
The other day, I again witnessed my thoughts halting as I watched a procession pass by. But this time I had the opportunity to observe the whole thing from an inside of a car. The car had to slow down and I kind of passed this whole thing in slo mo giving me ample time to observe it closely. I realized a funny side to this otherwise painful departure.  I observed there were various types of people who were in that procession. Leading the whole thing was probably the son who looked visibly distraught , followed by the relatives and followed by friends and then to the end followed by people who you can clearly see, have got dragged into this . If you closely observe the intensity of grief is marked by the placement of the person in the order of the procession. So the people most affected by the death are towards the beginning. And the people to the end are the ones who are reluctantly, show face types, participating in the final journey. One can actually see people talking on cell phones or busy gossiping while the poor soul is on his final journey. I always wonder what the departed must be thinking about this journey. Can that person read the thoughts of the reluctant mourners.I once saw some group of people who were trailing way behind actually joking or laughing on some thing.But then again, why should one mop and cry, life is about moving on.And these guys are just the perfect example of the same.

Have I done this? I am mightly embarrassed to say, yes. The only excuse I have is that I was insensitive and only 10 years old when I did that.

( Note- This is a picture from Net and is a representation of the story not an actual picture. Writer has no claims to the picture)

I love

I was thinking the other day what all do I love and how would I love to live? We loosely say I love this or that or I would love to have this or that but when you decide to write it down its tough to answer. So started to write it and here it goes-
Just putting down random thoughts on what I love in life-

- I love to live by the mountains
- Where there is a lovely brook running alongside the mountains..( yes I have to been to this picture perfect place in Himachal Pradesh and I had my two friend with me as witnesseses
I like the gurgling sound that a small brook makes
- I love to be surrounded by trees
- I love flowers and vibrant colors
- I love to have a cosy cottage over any stupid sky rises and gated cities
- Would love to play with mud and have a garden to dig.
- Throw seeds around and watch them grow
- Lie on the grass and read new books
- Teach street children
- Have more dogs than one
- Walk miles everyday
- Meditate to rising sun everyday
- Stitch or make quilts out of old clothes
- Take EkTaara sing like Parvati Baul. I think I was a Baul in my last life
- Feed hungry people every day
- Take my cycle and go wandering.

Try doing this you will find it funny and also realise may be you are living a very different life.

आत्ममिलन-अमृता प्रीतम

आत्ममिलन

पर जूते और कमीज की तरह
तू अपना बदन भी उतार दे
उधर मूढ़े पर रख दे
कोई खास बात नहीं
बस अपने अपने देश का रिवाज है……

याद- अमृता प्रीतम

याद
आज सूरज ने कुछ घबरा कर
रोशनी की एक खिड़की खोली
बादल की एक खिड़की बंद की
और अंधेरे की सीढियां उतर गया….
आसमान की भवों पर
जाने क्यों पसीना आ गया
सितारों के बटन खोल कर
उसने चांद का कुर्ता उतार दिया….
मैं दिल के एक कोने में बैठी हूं
तुम्हारी याद इस तरह आयी
जैसे गीली लकड़ी में से
गहरा और काला धूंआ उठता है….
साथ हजारों ख्याल आये
जैसे कोई सूखी लकड़ी
सुर्ख आग की आहें भरे,
दोनों लकड़ियां अभी बुझाई हैं
वर्ष कोयले की तरह बिखरे हुए
कुछ बुझ गये, कुछ बुझने से रह गये
वक्त का हाथ जब समेटने लगा
पोरों पर छाले पड़ गये….
तेरे इश्क के हाथ से छूट गयी
और जिन्दगी की हन्डिया टूट गयी
इतिहास का मेहमान
मेरे चौके से भूखा उठ गया…
भारतीय़ ज्ञानपीठ द्वारा प्रकाशित अमृता प्रीतम चुनी हुई कवितायें 

Saraswati Puja with Basant Panchami

I have vague memories in childhood celebrating Saraswati Puja in my aunt's school. I remember I went to her school, we worshiped the slate and put haldi on it, offered flowers and got some sweets to eat. This obviously must be way before I started formal school as we visited nani’s place only in school holidays.
There was zero association with it in growing years as I grew up in convent school. I have no memories of any celebration of it.
Post my marriage however, I started celebrating Saraswati Puja with all Bengali fervour. So it was a festive time of eating luchis and labra tarkari and all the bong sweets. As years passed by I made efforts to know about Saraswati Puja. So trying to put some information here It is the second important festival that come right after Makar Sankanti and also marks the arrival of spring and is celebrated largely in India. In Eastern side  and some parts of Maharashtra it is more significantly celebrated as Saraswati Puja. I am not aware how it is celebrated in other parts of India. Maa Saraswati is associated with learning, wisdom, knowledge and people worship Maa Saraswati to attain enlightenment through knowledge.

for all novices like me - Saraswati Puja is celebrated on Vasant Panchami. It
The color yellow plays an important role in Vasant Panchami as it is related to the bloom of mustard flowers in the Northern India and is also considered auspicious. People wear yellow colored garments, decorate doors with yellow marigold flowers. Make rangoli’s outside their doors and also make sweets like saffron rice. Another ritual that is  followed also about flying kites especially in Northern India. The whole sky is full of kites on that day.
However in modern times most of these celebrations are getting lost and also the significance of it too is losing his relevance.

The times when I saw movies@ Rs.1.80 - What a feeling !!!

We were not allowed much pocket money when I was in college. I came from a household that strictly believed that money spoils children. So whatever your need, you had to place it in front of parents. And they would fulfill what they thought were appropriate. You had no scope to throw tantrums. The bus fare was 50 paise one way. I would cycle up and save the money in junior college. The fare that was saved was used up to buy a samosa or some earring or the best use it was put to was to watch English movies.  The most disappointing thing about college life was no 5 day week. Now after being in a 5 day week school, this was most torturous aspect. The only bright thing was Alankar Theatre in Pune used to play Morning shows of English movies. So we would run for 9 am show and finish by 11am to reach college just in time.

I saw many movies in those two years, most of them I have forgotten but some distinctly I remember were- Flashdance, The Promise by Danielle Steel, Saturday Nite Fever, Grease and many more.It was cheap, affordable and fun. All in all, I had so much fun in very little allowance.Today the whole movie outing is a super expensive trip. I think Flashdance stayed in my mind because I kept humming What a Feeling..all thorough my cycling time...la Jennifer Beals style :). I think also believed that Yeh Vada Raaha was a better version

of The Promise ;) 
I would tell my mom about these movie businesses or where I went out with who but never my dad for sure. My mom had explicit trust in me and I think that's something intrinsic to and also wonderful about a mother-daughter relationship. And I think I was a good child who never complained about anything.