Flower Power

19th August 2011

Flower Power

Yesterday when I was jogging, at one particular curve on the path near a railway station the scent of roses filled my senses. I looked in the direction where I thought it came from and to my delight I saw that on both sides of my path, between the wild shrubs were plants laden with roses- pink and yellow. Each branch was bent with their weight. But can roses ever be a burden?- even to the plant that they belong to? A lot of images and words flashed through my mind in complete filmy style. A lot of them actually belonged to those movies which I had watched mesmerised as a child. I stopped for a minute to breathe in that scented air. I noticed that there were many passer-bys but hardly did any of them give these beautiful flowers a second look. If it were in India, these plants would’ve been stripped off the flowers in no time. Roses are special but I’ve also seen people stealthily climb over a neighbour’s compound for a single red Hibiscus or try to bring down a son-chapha by pelting stones at the tree or rip off a handful of shevanti and run way. It is interesting to note that none of these painstakingly obtained flowers are meant for the flower pot. They end up either adorning the crowing glory of some brightly clad lady or as a part of an offering to one of the 330 million Indian Gods! They are a part of all our festivals and special occasions and not to forget the mention of Rose Days, Teacher’s Day, Valentine Day and other such days.

I remember Dadars’ Phool-Bazar and my numerous trips to it. I didn’t mind the crowd, the screaming vendors or the dirt. My senses have feasted on the vibrant colours, fragrance and textures and I was always tempted to take home more flowers than what I’d planned to. A beautiful bunch of colour co-ordinated carnations or lilies, a riot of colours in a basket of gladioli, tube roses and gerbera or the simple sweet fragrance of mogra ka gajra or the radiant zendu or genda! Flowers are such a pleasure to give or receive.

BTW I wonder what should a person who loves flowers be called?- a flower fan – a flower lover :) Whatever that is, I am that!

(Maybe not) The End

11th May 2011

Every day I hear from somebody or the other about how the world is going to come to an end in 2012 and how we are all doomed. Some even claim to know the exact date and time and the cause. Some time ago true to their nature the news channels kept ranting the same story over and over again and had panels of ‘learned guests’ discussing when, where, how, what and why, and people could not ignore the possibility of a possibility anymore. Repeatedly shown were gruesome images of trees, mountains, skyscrapers and entire cities all tumbling down like pieces from a LEGO. Smoke and ash and people running helter-skelter. Gigantic waves of water spreading out their arms to one and all in a deadly embrace. Or a huge meteoroid hitting the earth and swallowing in its flames all that crossed its path. All this intercepted with adjectives like “ Vinash’, ‘Sarvanash’, ‘Annt’, ‘ Qayamat’( most people only new this word from Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla’s popular movie), ‘Pralay’ to add to the melodrama. Of course all these images were picked up from one or the other Hollywood blockbuster and while some people sat glued to their T.V sets only to enjoy the ‘visual special effects’, for others it was so much more than that. The aftermath was about to change their lives. While few people have actually stopped living in fear of death, most have just started, believing that what they are surrounded by may not last for long. It is good to see them live more fully and meaningfully. The special effects in their lives have just begun.

Recently Dr. Mohan Agashe ( a psychiatrist and actor) said in one of his interviews that there are some things that you do for your survival and there are others that you do to make your survival worth. Everybody has to earn ( money) to make a living. But everybody also has a desire to do something to make life worth living. I find it slightly amusing when people talk animatedly about the destruction of the earth with sadness in their eyes and a sense of hopelessness. Personally I never thought that it would all end this way. I am always hopeful like Ayn Rand. God would not have the heart to destroy it all. Not that he would have deep emotional attachment to his wonderful creation and the bondages of life on earth. But it’s just a belief - my belief that he’ll continue to enlighten and inspire and guide us in his own way so that we finally find the lost equilibrium. If there is anything that can destroy our planet it will be our mindless and endless pursuits to gratify our insatiable greed. And yet He will show us the way. He will give us ample time to undo our mistakes - be it the Nuclear Reactors, the depleting ozone layer and forest cover or other environmental concerns or the inherent flaws of human nature that are shoving us down that deep dark bottomless pit.

The Creator maybe in a battle of sorts with the human mind and its intricacies- its abilities and reach and power and the innumerable possibilities – From fulfilling the dream to fly, to greater and more complicated medical and scientific inventions, a new bacteria and a new antibiotic. A new antidote - a new venom. The unknown and the discovery. A new challenge very day. A new problem - a new solution - a newer problem. A chase - a conquer. All this as we continue to scale greater heights and yet when all our expertise fail we turn to the One to whom we owe it all.

Our vices and the virtues need to first be balanced before the latter supercedes. And then when we have restored that which we had lost, we may live- happier than ever…………

The Branded Shirt

19 April 2011

I was waiting for my connecting flight ( for all those who HAVE to know- to Barcelona at the Geneva Airport) when I was reminded of something as I watched travellers browse through the various high-end shops.

Some years ago on a rather dull evening I was sitting by the Masunda lake popularly known as TALAOPALI in Thane. Just for you to know, it is a noisy place buzzing with traffic and people- children who have come for motor boat rides, street food vendors selling everything from tangy bhelpuri (now served in thin paper plates) and spicy chana chat wrapped in the pages of some old magazine to bright yellow coloured popcorn and dark pink candy floss. From beggars and balloons, cheap Chinese toys, a tiny aquarium selling fish in tiny plastic bags, small merry-go rounds and other manually operated rides, Tongas ( horse carts) hustling back and forth, bubbles blowing out of a 20 Rupee bubble making set to gajre walis and pavements littered with wrappers and leftovers, the place has it all. And well, for couples young and old it is like Thane’s very own Bandstand. So one day as I was sitting by the lake munching on some chana, a couple came and sat next to me. The boy was conversing in Marathi about weather and work and then he said something to the girl that caught my ear. He lamented, “You know, I have always wanted to buy a branded shirt- Arrow or maybe Louis Philip. The material is so good and when the shirt is expensive it shows. I wonder what it must feel to wear branded clothes. Just now it is impossible to buy such a shirt in the salary that I earn. But there will come a day when I’ll actually buy one”.

Different people, different aspirations, different dreams. At one end there are children who cannot have enough of their Barbies and i Pads and Gaming stations and at the other end there are children who save every penny to buy a candy or a balloon. On one hand there are women eyeing the latest Prada purse or the new Omega watch and on the other hand there are women toiling hard each day and treating themselves with only a gajra or bangles on festivals. There are people for whom going on a holiday means an evening at ‘Chowpatty’ and there are others who travel to exotic locations three times a year. While for some eating out means having a wada-pav and a cold drink, for others it is dining at the finest gourmet restaurant.

Such are the inequalities of our desires and needs.

25th Feb 2011

Hum aapke hai kaun? Waise toh koi khoon ka rishta nahin hai. Par kehne ko sab apne hi hain.

One of the things that I love about our country and miss in other parts of the world is the way we address people- friends and strangers alike! The autowala becomes ‘bhaiyya’ or the chaiwalla- ‘dost’, the kaamwali bai becomes ‘maushi’, the good old peon is ‘boss’, the man in the chequered shirt sitting next to you in a train is ‘chacha’, the complete stranger whom you ask for directions is ‘bhaisaab’, the vegetable vendor calls you ‘tai’, at the garment store you become ‘bhabhi’, your mother is everyones 'maaji', the sandwich wala is comfortable calling you ‘didi’ while the elderly man making his way through the traffic becomes ‘uncle’and his wife who is bargaining as she window shops is ‘auntyji’.

Depending on the person and place our fellow countrymen and women become 'bhau', 'bondhoo', 'bhai','dada', 'anna', 'amma', 'ben', 'praji' 'munna', 'sishter' and so on.

Jo jab dekho jahan dekho rishte bana raha hai, jaane –anjaane mein logon ko apne saath jod raha hai. Hain toh sare ke sare paraye, phir bhi hain apne hi.

Maas and Behens!!!

23rd Feb 2011

Today is my Birthday and I am ensuring that I have a ‘Happy’ one. Toh socha aaj thoda ma- behen ho hi jaaye!!!

Indian men have such high regard for the womenfolk that every time opportunity presents itself, they effortlessly remember their ma, behen’s. Chahe Olympic ka race ho ya police ka case ho! Men relentlessly pay tributes to the embodiment of love and sacrifice-Ma!! How and why behen gets equal importance I fail to understand. Probably because Man is closest to these women in his growing years and his interactions with them contribute significantly to his personality. I have no doubt that it was Man who invented this innovative way of so respectfully remembering all mothers and sisters. Also, all of us know what the testosterones do to a man and hence I think the sexual connotation. Otherwise I would want to believe that Man in no way wants to degrade the woman.

Now, Man is extremely generous with his ma’s and behen’s and doesn’t once falter in rendering his services in this department.

Picture this- A short and stout man, oiled hair and tiny calculative eyes clad in a white kurta and pyjama, gold rings on every finger goes for Mataji ke Darshan in a temple. After pleading with Mataji to bestow her choicest blessings on him gets back to his Ajit garment ka store in his Maruti. The moment he reaches the store, his temper sores on seeing it closed. He then fondly remembers Ma, and curses his salesman for turning up late.

Situation 2

Sachin Tendulkar is playing on 96 and the next couple of runs can be crucial for India’s victory. There is pin drop silence as the bowler prepares to bowl with a killer determination in his eyes. He rubs the ball with his saliva one last time and takes the start. All eyes are on Sachin. Everyone has stopped doing whatever they were. Sachin’s eyes are on the ball. The ball comes on and he plays the ball and runs (cautiously but fast) for a single. The wicket-keeper scampers around in an attempt to stump him. All remember their sisters in unison. I know that sentimental Sachin raises his bat on the field towards the sky. But woh toh apne Baap ke liye karta hai. Pata nahin baki sab ko behen kaise yaad aate hain!

Istri se shirt jal gayi ho, barish rukne ka na naam na le rahi ho, chaldi mein bike thok di ho, 7:51 ki train choot gayi ho, boss ne solid phada ho, ya girlfriend ka birthday bhoola ho, Man always remembers to render his ma-behens.

I urge all my male friends - Yaar, agar pani maa ka dudh piya hai, toh tum mardon ke jhagdon me hum auraton ko ghaseetna chhod do. Grow up guys.

GURU

2nd Feb 2011

Guru

Being a House-wife is a full time job for some women. And whether out of choice( as in my case) or whether out of none, all are doing their job religiously. Home-maker, Sit-at-home-mum, call it whatever suits your ego. The fact remains that you are exclusively managing a home!! And I take pride in doing just that. I treat it like any other job and try to do it with much passion. Not once have I felt any pangs of anger or depression for being at home! But I do believe and sincerely desire that the term- ‘House-wife’ be used with the much deserved respect and not in a degrading manner. My heart goes out to all those women friends who are belittled for ‘sitting at home’.

Anyway, that’s not my topic for today.If you manage your time well you would always find time to do things you love. And one thing that I like is to watch interesting stuff on T.V. On a lazy Monday morning while it was misty and cold outside and the bare trees only added to my gloom, I sat down with a hot cup of green tea and picked up the remote. As I surfed through the channels I came across quite a few ‘religious channels’. Each catered to a certain religion. I heard the holy Koran being read out. But I failed to understand the language and hence moved on. Then I came across another channel where a certain ‘Brother’ was inviting sick people on stage and healing them with the powers he claimed to have bestowed on him by Lord himself. I watched his dramatics with great interest and fascination. “Touch”, he said as he touched the foreheads of the sick and rendered them unconscious.(?) This increased my curiosity and every opportunity that I got, I started watching and listening to these channels. Every time I saw a new face - ‘gurus’, ‘matas’ or ‘babas’ or ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ and ‘bapu’s’ and bhai’s. Today these broadly comprise of the booming spiritual sector! ( sector?) Then there even are those monks who have sold their ferraries. They belong to a different league altogether and those we’ll concentrate on another time. But as for the run-of -the mill( if I may say so) products, its their appearance that most sets them apart. From heena coloured beards and bandgalas to saffron overalls and pristine white robes. From just the ‘sweating brows’ to the ash smeared foreheads, each has a trademark. Each one applies a ‘tikka’ differently. It fascinates me to see the variety. ( my neighbour tells me that something similar is an integral part of daily soaps). Some have a huge red U in the middle, beginning from the top of the nose to the hair line, some just have ash smeared on the forehead. Some replace the ‘U’ with ‘O’. Some have vertical and horizontal lines in a hazy pattern, some wear an ‘I’. And one of them wears an all vermillion forehead! One would say what’s in a physical appearance?( actually a lot). However it’s all about inner beauty( and I hope I don’t have to pay royalty for using these clichéd Miss Universe lines).

These gurus recite hymns (some in the most unmelodious voices) and yet people both loosen and lose themselves among the chants swaying in a trance-like manner. Some educate us on the holy books and our conduct. Others emphasize the benefits of a vegetarian or healthy diet and Yoga. Yet others believe in idol worship and highlight the benefits of offering prayers and more. They all talk about spirituality - The need to connect with one self and with Almighty. Soft spoken or not all have oratory skills. All are emphatic!! What I like the most is that they all encourage philanthropy. A lot of them teach good virtues. I know people who’ve benefitted from these teachers and preachers. Simply by listening to them and following their advice they have been able to give up a lot of vices and they lead much healthier and happier lives now.
Not very long ago the list of such and other self-proclaimed gurus was few. More the sins, more is the need for redemption. But is it as easy as rinsing off our hands after a hearty meal? Today Gurus have mushroomed up like never before. What I realise is that more and more people want an anchor in their lives- a philosopher and guide. We seek an equilibrium that we are unable of achieving. More and more people desire peace and turn towards a guru for relief from troubled minds and souls. Some have become so dependent on these gurus that without their presence their lives will disintegrate. While I am glad that some of these gurus who only mean well are doing us great service by holding the hands of thousands of their followers and comforting them with spiritual talks, I wonder if we as friends, family and society are incapable of providing each other with that much needed emotional support? Are we probably failing as a society by not being there for one another in grey times? Is there so much of disconnect among ourselves? Do we really need a catalyst to experience God? May be not. But some of us do need a hand to hold that’ll show us the way.

Wanting to have a guru is good. Finding the right one is even better. It is after all a matter of belief. Just like the placebo effect. You believe a certain guru can change your life, he/she will. You believe it will happen, and it will.

To all my wonderful friends, may you get the guru you seek. If not, maybe you’ll find one within you.

The big "O"

6th Dec 2010

The Big “O”

Some people do it sometimes and others all the time. Some are unprepared and others are over confident. Some always come late and others never do. Some always have some excuse and others are casual about it. Some can’t say ‘No’ and others end up making promises they never keep. It all boils down to the big “O”.

People have made lives of other people miserable by shunning the “O”. And before your naughty mind wanders away let me clarify that the big “O” here is that of an immensely important skill called ORGANIZATION. To be prepared to take on an unknown situation isn’t everybody’s forte. It is a skill. Rather a talent which I doubt can be taught. It is inborn. It is what some people are extremely good at- capable of gracefully dealing with anything anywhere absolutely spontaneously. Such people are a rare race. They are always the first ones to get into action. They are adept in saving themselves and others from embarrassing situations. And that’s because the Big “O” is an integral part of their lives.

However, there is this second breed of ignorant individuals who are completely unprepared even for a pre-planned structured event. And it is when I come across these people that I am hit by that ever so familiar wave of irritation mixed with frustration. These people are equally comfortable in all sorts of situations. And that’s because their contribution to anything is negligible. Never are they quite ready for anything. Never do they do their homework. Never are they prepared for anything. They always turn up late for everything, sit sloppily for a meeting wondering how to react or move around aimlessly during an event not knowing what and wanting to do not much. They never know what to say, when and why?? They are almost always incapable of answering any relevant question- simply because they are always unprepared! They don’t reply to mails, they don’t ever get back to you on anything they said they would. Also planning is just not something they’ve heard of! And it amuses me that they think that’s okay.
I once went to a wedding reception where the bride and groom were 1 ½ hours late. Some of the guests had had dinner and left their presents behind. These are the people with the missing ‘O’ in their lives. If only for once they meticulously prepared and planned and executed! The big ‘O’ can do wonders to your life- if only you stop underestimating its power.

I am no guru to advise anybody on organisational skills. I can’t say do A B C or come up with any ‘Mantra’. But I can share some things that I think help in organizing yourself.

• Reply to RSVP requests and other invitations even if in the negative.
• Return phone calls. Don’t keep the other person wondering what your reaction or reply is.

• Reply to mails even if in one sentence.
• Be punctual. Never leave others waiting. For anything. It feels like you are punishing them if you do. Plan your activities in such a way that you are never late for an appointment. By being punctual you are showing respect for the other person’s time.
• Write down things or use your fancy gadget if you are forgetful.
• Plan. Everything except certain things which are best done spontaneously. The menu for the week-end dinner, your ‘thank-you speech’, your vacation, things to do list, up coming important events, meetings, the dress you would wear for that important evening…….It saves you from cutting a sorry face later.
• Do your homework so that you know what you are saying. Rather you have something to say.
• Learn to say I don’t know. Learn to say no.
• Don’t promise things you don’t mean to do.
• Don’t volunteer when you know you can’t.
• If you do take up a task do it religiously and keep others posted of the progress.


Organisze!!! It's never out of style.