Dear N

Till about half and hour back,I believed that being strong had a lot to do with the number of muscles in your body,or the amount of weight you could pump or number of hours you could jog on the treadmill.Well,I know it isn't that way,but just that somewhere down the line I had forgotten about it.Just this morning the greatest worry on my mind was that k.g and a half I had acquired over the vacations,why I was sprouting new white hair suddenly.....why My son couldn't get a perfect score in his exam....
As I reached back home, this evening(after visiting a number of banks with a close friend) who is trying desperately to get a loan,I realized(shamefully) I wouldn't be able to deal with even one tenth of what she was going through)
Even though in the middle of a severe personal crisis,it's miraculous how she manages to put even a smile on her face.However,she never lets her problems spill over into the classroom.Her students love her.She inspires them,motivates them and pushes them to do their best,each and everyday.Her sense of humour keeps me alive and in splits.When I complain about the weather or about my maid not coming since 2 days,she puts me to shame,by quietly saying(without looking up from her papers)that she hasn't heard of the word called MAID since 1965.She manages her own two kids,pesky neighbours,car troubles,pot holes,an irritated principal,severe backache,paper setting deadlines(every week),screaming kids,anxious and more childish than their children- parents.....without a sweat !!!!
Dear N.....
I don't know where you derive your strength and patience from,but I just pray that that source grants you oodles of it.Meanwhile,I shall try and pray that I never have to be in your shoes,because I 'm too mortal to deal with a situation like this.

Sometimes I wonder if our physical strength has anything to do with our being mentally tough.

Sun,spirits,sand and solace

The sun never sets on Goa.
Technically every evening it may,though.The spirit(s),soar after sundown,when people get a little more serious,with food and drinks.(and are less distracted by the sun.... sand...... swimmers and sun baskers).This was my sixth vacation in Goa,and I can say that I am still no authority on it,for every time I manage to discover something new in the old here!!!!It has never ceased to amaze and surprise me.Although,facing the inevitable crush of commercialization,it still maintains the old Portuguese charm(though you will have to venture into the heart of Goa to find it now).
There's always something for everybody here.








1.Head to South Goa,to escape the rush and crush of people(try the lesser known Betalbatim,Varca,Majorda beaches)

2.Go green,take a bike and peddle down the beach.It's an unforgettable experience and believe me you just can't keep your eyes on the road!!!!)

3.If you wish to feel truly intimidated,swim in the sea(deep into the sea).Be sure,you go with a group or at least with someone else.It's therapeutic,excessively salty but reviving(and worth the sun tan!!)I finally managed to defeat the last and final remains of aquaphopia,this year.

4.Visit the local churches on a Sunday.You may not understand the sermon,but will still feel blessed like the locals.

5.There's plenty of fish in the sea.Give the naans and dals a miss.Experiment and taste the local fish and cuisine,sprinkled with Goan hospitality.It's red and hot and spicy,but worth it.

5.Sad but true.Recession...terror attacks and then the subsequent panic attacks both in minds and pockets have hit Goa visibly.A little known fact.That friendly waiter in the colourful "I love Goa" tee shirt is probably a Bihari,working for a measly Rs.1500 per month,@only 5 months a year.The rest of the year,he packs off home and eagerly awaits for December.For an economy that balances precariously on THE SEASON,this year has been crushing.The life guards and police are paranoid.The mood is festive but dull.Let's hope Goa can bounce back to life,at least ,for all the people,who have their livelihood depending on it.


CHEERS TO THE SPIRIT OF Goa(and I don't mean the alcohol here!!!)

The New year prayer

After a week of overindulgence a.k.a Goa,am tanned beyond recognition, resemble an over baked potato, both in colour and size, still have sand in my hair and an even more enormous amount in my shoes, my butt hurts thanks to the exhaustive cycling trips ,I took on the beach, and my blood contains high levels of seafood.

Despite the holiday hangover,like all(ahem),most bloggers, I am eager to put in something on my blog,dated Jan 1,2009 and shamelessly admit so.I can proudly say that this post has been places,for I scribbled on whatever I could lay my hands on.... paper napkins,receipts,bills,while waiting at the Goa airport.

Every New Year, I say the serendipity prayer to myself.It works like magic,Right from the first time I heard it,and it gives me hope and new energy,each and every time I say it to myself.

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference."

This year I added a little footnote to god as an attachment.

Please also let me know the difference between right and wrong, between the good and bad….between a friend and an acquaintance and the courage to accept all of the above.

In all my greediness,I know I have asked for more.If all good things must come to an end,then all bad things should never have had a beginning.Isn't it??Wrong.For I know,that its impossible to see the what is right,unless there’s a wrong.The brightness of good,without the chill of evil.
Similarly it requires more than accurate vision to judge and recognize a friend(s) and family and set them apart from the crowd of people,we know and come across.Only time and adverse circumstances have that kind of power.

So,till god decides how much to grant out of this prayer,I’ll be optimistic(like always) and will assume that this attachment has been successfully delivered.

Wish all of you a very very happy New 2009……

full circle....Kite Runner

I finally finished reading the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and it has taken me two months to do so.Well,its a feat, given the fact,that I was able to spend only about 10 mins everyday with the book.Reading a book, over such a length of time has its own pros and cons.Everybody...from people in the lift,security guards…. to those in the gym and at the bus stop(where i wait for my colleague to pick me up)knew what I was reading.I won't be surprised if they would be calling me the 'kite runner woman' and would be laying bets,as to when I would(finally) finish my book.The pros are that you get to read several parts of the book over and over again(and savour and sip the book),coz despite the bookmark,you tend to forget the exact place where you last left it at.

Anyways,I don't think the book has too many parts and details,that I would like to savour and revisit.The book filled me with sadness,anger and hatred, towards the politics of war and the fact and realization that the innocent always get sacrificed at such altars.Surprisingly,I was eager to watch the movie,knowing very well the fact,that movies are seldom a fitting tribute to the spirit of the book.Watching the movie of a book that you have just read isn't one of the most advisable things to do.For 99.999% of the times,you shall be terribly disappointed with the comparison.Well,I tried very hard to keep the two aside and have to admit, that I did a good job.


To say that a part of me identified with the book,would be an understatement(didn't everybody,in some way or the other).But,this wasn't a kind of empathy, you felt for the protagonist .This was a penance for something I had been guilty of, for a long long time.

My family (i.e my parents, are Kashmiris).Although I was born and brought up in Delhi,we always went back to Srinagar for our summer vacations.Frankly,for me as a child,Delhi was my real home and Srinagar just a beautiful resort which would be bustling with relatives,food and lots of scenic drives around the Dal Lake.After the unrest of 1991,when there was a mass exodus of Kashmiri pundits from the valley(was when my grandparents and close family members fled,with their bare minimum belongings),there was always an air of utmost gloom and despair at home.However,as a child, the pain of being a 'migrant',homeless and without identity,was something I completely failed to understand.I was irritated with the continuous stream of relatives,who discussed nothing but Kashmir.I resented my dad calling himself a migrant(i failed to understand why he did that when he had a home,in Delhi).Only,years later,I realized that like the lakhs of Kashmiris,he did have a house in Delhi,but his home was still in the land they could never go back to.Many Kashmiris still dream and hope for peace to return back to the valley and going back home.But,it seems like a distant dream.My grandfather sold his large palatial home in the heart of the city(and he passed away very soon after that.I think he gave up all hope of ever returning ) and with that beautiful house,were sold all those precious childhood memories,which I have begun to treasure ,even more,as I am growing older,for some strange reason.

That night,I too dreamt of being in my grandparents house,not amongst the ruins,that it would be in ,right now.It was a happy dream.I was in the attic which also doubled up as a library(my favourite place in the house).Ransacking the cherry trees and the strawberry bushes,with my cousins ,till my belly hurt.Of long drives,with my father on his cycle,to buy fresh bread from the kandervan(kashmiri bakers,who are known for their fresh breads).Of crowding around the old television,to watch Doordarshan’s Krishi Darshan,with rapt attention,and not understanding even a word.

I have been having the same dream ,for the past three consecutive days,now.Like a reel it starts and ends at the same place each time and I can’t get it off my mind the whole day. Like Farid says in the book,some memories are best left happy.I don’t think I have the courage to visit that house,and see it in shambles.
It took me two months to read the book, but a moment to realize that I too was a ‘migrant’,in so many ways.A word that I had so vehemently fought against for so many years.Funny,how life comes a full circle.

UNITED IN SMS

An SMS that floated in .....

Last night at the party,someone shouted

"All married guys,stand next to that one person,who has made your life worth living?"

The bartender was almost crushed to death !!!!!

I had a hearty laugh and forwarded this to a lot of women,and also asked them ,if women were asked this same question,whom would they crush to death..errr I mean what would be their answer.

Not surprisingly,only a miniscule of them agreed (half heartedly) to...."bartender"(but,only if he was absolutely good looking)....and not very surprisingly(at all) almost ALL of them smirked and reacted with every possible non agreemental gesture,when I asked

"HEY ...WHAT ABOUT HUSBAND??"

Women agree and unite, only for the right cause !!!!

RAIN

A little bit of rain....
can be such a relief.....
esp after four continuous periods
no more stairs to climb...some vocal relief
(we have to bring the kids up everyday after lunch)

A little bit of rain....
and you get a rainy day 10 mins
"you can go home early" bonus from school...
little pleasures that bring a smile

A little bit of rain.....
and you can pamper yourself with
yet another coffee and yet another
indulgence and rain go hand in hand

nothing is more welcome
than the sound of thunder and rain
to drown the voices in your head
when all you want to hear is silence....

there nothing like walking in the rain
pretending that you love splashing
when actually your feet have nowhere
to take you ,and you nowhere to go....

a little rain is welcome
to camouflage joy and sorrow
rain is a lovely umbrella
especially when you want to cry....

Tagadiction !!!!!

NAME : TAG no.****

OBJECTIVE :To let the world know about yet another 5 quirky aspects of thy personality and to TAG another 5 innocent bakras to do the same.

TAGGER(culprit):MAMPI

When they say addiction,why does it have this evil,accusing mean tone to it?What maybe an annoying, addictive habit in my personality(for others),may be my signature,something that makes me unique errrr wierd !!!
SO,here goes

1.rise and shine and sweat..i shall

Yes,I am addicted to my morning dose of exercise and am loving it.There are very few souls,who subject themselves to this (torture) of actually kicking thenselves out of bed just when you get the sweetest of dreams.I have no idea how well you can kicked by spirits,because they failed to have any effect on me,but there is no better shot of feel good harm ones,than exercise.Oh yes,I may not FIT into any of the global standard height and weight chats,but feel that fitness and stamina are the parameters to measure yourself. If you are amongst the many who aren't convinced....just get a good pair of shoes and kick the bed.

2.BAK BAK BAKWAS...

everyone at home may call it bakwas....i am addicted to chatting with my friends(a select few actually).It's the ideal way to unwind and destress after a hectic days schedule.I often do it at night,when the family's asleep,so that they can't keep a check on the time.I once remember chatting for so long that the mobile burnt out.

3.Yeh banana chips mujhe de de thakur

One thing that I can't resist knowing fully well,that they shall play havoc,with the calorie counters,that I maintain.If there are banana chips around, I am completely distracted and will not rest, till they are over.So,have found a simple solution.....have stopped buying them(in rare cases,they walk upto me on their own)

4.Net and blogging

check mail...check blog...check others blog....and another blog...then another ......
It's an addiction tough to break.Am sure there are many others affected with the same virus.No cure in sight !!!GOOD ...WE AREN'T COMPLAINING EITHER!!!

5.PLEASE DON STOP THE MUSIC !!!!!

not that i am a connoisseur,but there has to be a background score playing somewhere in the house,whenever ,and where ever I am working.As a result,I keep switching systems,as i move from one room to another(i even have one in the kitchen...err bathroom being the only exception.So,what about the time at school??

aha...that's music of a different kind all together,and mostly I am the one dancing to everybody Else's tunes.SIGH

THE TAGGED VICTIMS:

MONICA

SATISH(you haven't done the prev one either)

DOES IT MATTER(yes it does....please attempt the tag and prove so)

SALIL(am sure you will)

NIKHIL

currently addicted to this song...cute and simple...but so true...
dil ki yahee khata hai
dil ko nahin bata hai
arree chata hai kya....

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=-GFN1_jV2nU

34 bubblegums and candies....The book launch

What makes a book special?
Sometimes, the fact that it has been so much in the news ,that you feel you would be an outcast ,if you didn’t read it.Sometimes,a big author,who has finally come up with his nth book,(where he has finally promised to release his inner most secrets) and the rest of the time, other trivial facts like, what the book contains.
But this book was special,for most of the time I know the author and almost always the author doesn’t know me.This time the author was special and she was one of us(and I was certain that she knew me)

Preeti,also known as P.S,definitely needs no introduction,(unless of course If you happen to be a non blogger) .Her blog is an immensely popular one and I say that not because of the quantum of comments she invites,but because her writing possesses an honesty that is simple to read, understand and feel.So,naturally when she came to Bangalore to launch her book.I couldn’t have missed the opportunity.Add,to that, that the launch doubled up as an unofficial blogger’s meet.
The launch of ‘34 bubblegums and candies’ took place,at Crossword (yes,that’s the title…and you have to read and experience the both the bubblegums and candies in it, to completely understand why she has named the book so).I have to confess,that I haven’t been to any book launches till date,so I did not know what to expect. I missed the beginning of the launch, thanks to the mad traffic that descends on Bannergatta road.Preeti spoke about her book and especially about why the book was titled so.Mr R.K Mishra(lead India winner) was the guest of honour,and asked Preeti to read out some of the stories he loved from the book.Preeti’s confidence,while speaking to the audience about her book,reminded me of her posts.Honest and totally from the heart.She answered the audiences questions,especially the one about her next book,(as expected,with strict confidentiality).

For those who have enjoyed reading her blog,some of the stories will be nostalgic.My favourite ones are “Sly Stallone does not open easily” and “radiators and drains”.Of course,the story “what women want” tops the list,for the brilliant retort provided by Satish(her husband).Preeti’s second book and Satish’s (yet to be started)blog are eagerly awaited.

So,I left the book store with a personally autographed copy of 34 bubblegums and candies,with a little bonus of a 35th candy which happens to be the lovely bookmark made by her kids for everyone who buys the book,which sweetly says(‘thank you for buying my mom’s book).

Preeti’s book has finally broken the jinx.I have finished reading at least one book,this year.I know this fact,will have an adverse effect on my reputation as a teacher.But,then like I always say….a bad reputation is more difficult to maintain than a good one !!!!

Kudos Preeti.
(some pictures of the launch taken by -xh-)