Chumma Timepass

Different Strokes

2010-09-04T10:50:00.003+04:30

My second kiddo is all grown up now...she has joined the rat race of working women!....I still remember her in a maroon sack....translate that to read school uniform.....in Trinidad.... Let me admit it ...she was definitely heavier than she should have been.....and not because of her school bag........so the sack added to the woes!
Now, she goes smartly attired in her formals and I wonder if it is the same girl!

Her event management job requires her, amongst other things, to talk to celebrities on phone.....yesterday she told me she spoke to raveena tandon, and namrata shirodkar and a few others...........I am of course not impressed (and neither is she)...........
But I will look at her in awe and in new light the day she comes home and tells me that she spoke to BIG B....that will be the day! At 52, I am still a die hard FAN...

I hope BIG B is reading my blog....

Reality!

2010-08-22T10:20:00.005+04:30

Peepli Live should make us cry. Sadly the cinema hall is intermittently filled with laughter....I am sure the Goverment Babus will learn nothing from the movie...I am sure the Media will learn nothing from the movie....I am sure the aam janta will learn nothing from the movie.....People will exit, applauding a well produced movie....The reality of it all will not register....all will be forgotten once you exit the movie hall...Therein lies the tragedy...

Talent at my finger tips!

2010-08-09T14:43:00.005+04:30

I have been penning down simple easy-to-do recipes for my son, who I must say has grown quite fat eating all the wrong sort of food in his bachelor existence.....

He had one look at the book and said 'It looks like a drunken scrawl...I will not be able to read it.' Methinks it is just another excuse to get back to his cheese and bread and mayo diet which appears to be his staple...at least judging from his appearance..

But coming back to the handrwriting criticism, I admit I do have a rather pathetic scrawl. Still, I recall the time in school when I was chosen for a hand writing competition....the selection surprised even brattish me!!!! ....for let me admit it, I could not lay claim to even a reasonably legible writing leave alone a prize winning one!...In fact let truth be said ....I always had the habit of copying the writing of the partner sitting next to me on the same desk.....So in effect I aways had a notebook with pages written in different handwriting depending on who sat next to me....

These days there are very few occasions when I use a pen (other than to sign cheques and investment forms!!!). I thinks my fingers move beautifully on the key board....even i f I have to say so myself!....but then nobody notices .......

Rear View!

2010-05-19T14:44:00.002+04:30

These days I have traded yoga for aerobics.....I did not do that because I find yoga too sedate and needed something more energetic....no ...at 50+ yoga suits my body just fine but the timings did not fit in my schedule...

And so I go to this class which is filled with 'older' people as the instructor clarifies...with medical problems, she adds.....(I want to tell her that I wish to be promoted to a younger class!!)

And so I stand at the rear end of the class....I did so on the first day because I did not want the others to see me trip and fumble on the first day while I mastered the steps...(which incidentally keeps changing everyday...and so i continue to trip and fumble.....But its fun standing at the rear....its fun to see the various body types jiggle as we keep steps to the blasting music......I never realised or rather had never given thought to the fact that there are so many 'bum' types!!!!....There are those that are huge and defy gravity and move with a mind of their own...there are those which are so taut and jut so perfectly that you feel envious....and there are those with non-existent ones ....like moi (just like the sunken cheeks).....though i dont know if it is a good thing or bad vis-a-vis the huge ones!
The instructor of course is a pert little thing with a 4 -pack abs which she loves to show off....so all the time she is rolling her tank top up to show us the toned mid-riff....But then she eats only sensible stuff...that's the trade off.

As for me give me the bhel and pani puri and pizzas.......forget my abs...Abs? What Abs?...there are no cheeks, no bums and no abs..so what's new?

Dont' look a gift horse in the mouth!!

2010-05-07T15:48:00.004+04:30

The next time you attend a friend's marriage, don't choose your gift, instead give the couple some cash ”at least that's what a survey suggests. The survey found that almost half of prospective spouses would prefer taking cash as the wedding gift.

Well takes me back to my wedding. I think I should have printed 'Gifts in cash only'.

My time, the milk cooker (whatever that means) was a rage. It was a ghastly contraption which emitted a whistle that made you run towards it double quick and switch off the gas, before you and others who heard it turned deaf!... Everybody who had to give a wedding gift bought a milk cooker thinking it to be the 'in gift'. Thus I landed up with 13 milk cookers!!! (I wonder what became of them because when I came back from my 'honeymoon' I din't see them....(I think they were exchanged for other 'sensible' steel vessels, thanks to the local 'steel shop'...talk about resourcefulness!!!). Incidentally, there were many sets of ice-cream cups in steel.....To be truthful, I have never served ice-cream in these cups!

It is sensible to make a wedding registry I think ...like in the west....at least you get what you want....

But what irks me most is when people bring flowers and gifts even when the invite says 'No presents please'. I wonder why?

As for me I never say no to gifts.....even if it means 13 milk cookers!!!

NoteBook Drive....Give Generously!

2010-04-11T09:22:00.001+04:30

All those who follow my blog or chance upon it ...Please Help!

The NGO I am associated with , SOSVA – VOLACT (“Society for Service to Voluntary Agencies") is organizing a

“Notebook Donation Drive” in Mumbai
(Notebooks for the underprivileged school-going Children)
Date 15th April 2010 to 30th May 2010

Millions of children in India work!!!
One of the root-causes of CHILD-LABOUR is Lack of Education
How can YOU play a crucial role to ERADICATE IT???
JUST Donate 100 pages Single line Notebooks
Only Notebooks NO Cash Or Cheque

To Help - We have organized various centers across Mumbai where you can donate and contribute to the noble cause.

“Education is a HUMAN RIGHT with immense power to transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstone’s of freedom and democracy” -Kofi Anan

Do not hesitate to contact Further Clarification

Contact
022-26555704
022-26411205
Email Id: volact@hotmail.com, www.sosva.org

Give us a call and tell us you are interested!

Drop In Centers

Powai

Sandhya Srinivasan

2203 Glen Heights

Hiranandani Gardens

Powai

Tel: 9820098175

Dadar

Balchandra Ramchandra Godbole,

3/37, Ahmed Sailors Bldg.

J.P.Road, Naigaum

Dadar (East) Mumbai

Tel : 9930445098

Thane

Sujata Vaidya ,

C-208, Har Har Mahadeo

Patilwadi Panchpakhadi ,

Thane (West) Mumbai

Tel: 9967216210 / 25414655

Andheri

Kamala Ruparel

605/606,

Prathamesh complex,

Spectra Veera desai Road,

Andheri (West) Mumbai

Tel: 26764673/ 9821042821

Chembur

Radha

Uttam Society, 4^th Floor,

Sada Bahar,

Chembur (East) Mumbai

Tel: 25218773

Nerul

Sharmila Rai Jain

Bcottageland CHSL,Sec 19 A, Nerul, Navi Mumbai

Telephone

27700964

Bandra

SOSVA

Room no 2 &3 Ground Floor

Petit Municipal school

Opposite Bhabha Hospital

Bandra (West) Mumbai

Tel: 26555704, 26411205

Well Done indeed!

2010-04-05T16:20:00.004+04:30

I loved the movie 'Well Done Abba'....I mean compare it with a movie like 'MNIK'...rather there is no comparison...very very low key and not hyped like the latter but beautifully directed and Boman Irani....great guy! Must see for all! And they must have special screenings in the hallowed premises of Government offices...hope they feel some sense of shame, though i doubt it...

Busybee

2010-03-29T15:56:00.004+04:30

My kids always start their conversation with 'Hi ma, what's happening'.....and I feel most guilty when I say 'Nothing'...And then when I ask them the same, their answer invariably is 'Nothing Much'....I wonder what it is that we keep waiting for to happen that will count as something.
Now let me see.......this morning I woke up at 5, went for yoga at 6, accompanied spouse on his walk at 7, came back and made breakfast, ate breakfast with spouse at 8, saw him off after duly reminding him to take his mobile, his wallet, his medicines.....(I forgot to ask him to take his papers and watch and he didn't!!! Men!!), spoke to family and friends over the phone, then watered and cooed to the plants (I don't think they appreciate me, for they are wilting)...then made lunch, ate it in splendid isolation, watched TV (only I don't recall what I saw), read, ate lunch, snoozed, blogging and then will go for a walk...

Lots happening actually...and I really need to thank the Lord that there is no upset in this routine...as it only means ALL IZ WELL!!
I think next time the kids call I will give them all these details instead of saying 'Nothing'.

2010-03-26T10:03:00.004+04:30

Well from retirement to working life! Life in the reverse....It was a wonderful 6 months sabbatical (for spouse) and vicariously for me....Now for the last two days he leaves home at 8.30 and is back late...I am suddenly finding myself at a loose end! Its time for me to get busy now...should I? Must I? I don't know.. frankly, sometimes I am loathe to change things the way they are...I have grown to like being retired!

Men No pause

2010-02-24T14:55:00.003+03:30

I hate Menopause...
I hate the fact that my hair looks like straw
I hate the fact that I sweat...something I never did
I hate the fact that my bones pain
I hate the fact that my skin is dry
I hate the fact that my sunken cheeks are more sunken
I hate the fact that I can no longer bend my knees without feeling the pain
Could God not have found another way to tell you to slow down?
Fortunately as of now one is still young at heart and mind!!! So there is still the head massages at the parlour, fantastic perfumes, a heavy dose of calcium, No.7 cream .....as for the knee ..forget it ..I rarely go down on my knees these days.............so who cares??????????

PS Just an imperative update!!! I did go down on my knees in front of the TV ...my tribute to the master blaster's greatness!!!!!!!!!!! What a Knock!!!

Some Lessons in Diction please....

2010-02-24T14:50:00.004+03:30

Tuned in for the Railway Budget from Mamta Banerjee....By the way what language was she speaking in???

Family's pet

2010-01-04T08:57:00.004+03:30

Chubby cheeks flitted from one man's arms to another and gave a wide berth to all the women!!..Methinks her mom needs to be worried ...All the grandfathers were thrilled while all the grandmothers had to be content with coochicooing from afar.
But what a child I must say...most amiable and least troublesome. It was a treat watching her wobble, still unsteady on her legs.

The time spent with her was too short and I don't know if we will see her anytime soon. The next time we see her she will be a different child altogether.

I guess this is the bane of all grandparents who have grandchildren across seven seas. Still thanks to technology we will watch her progress on the web cam! Adieu, until next time. In the interim, I hope those next in line are listening and reading and will make us proud grandparents soon!

3 Idiots

2009-12-29T17:50:00.003+03:30

Three idiots is a very watchable movie. Amazing that 40 year olds pass of as engineering students and you don't even notice it. Says much for the acting of the protagonists.

Madhavan has always been a favourite because his smile reminds me of my kiddo in dubai. Aamir is of course aamir. The third idiot is equally likeable though I don't know his name..i think it is Omi. Strong message there ..to let the kids be.

I wonder what thoughts came to my kiddos mind as she saw the movie...
Hope we have measured up as parents!!!!

Happy 2010 all

2009-12-26T09:23:00.003+03:30

Hey.. Chubby cheeks is visiting! Though only for a night and she will have three doting grandmothers and three grandfathers..and others... vying to hold her...but now that she has started walking I think she would give us all a skip and explore on her own...still it will be nice to see her and get an ummwah from her. This will be a wonderful new year with family.

Wah!

2009-12-20T05:36:00.001+03:30

Height of Optimism - A 75 year old woman being whip-lashed in Saudi Arabia for being found in the company of males who were not relatives!!!!!!!!!!!!

WB&G (Wanted Brides and Grooms)

2009-11-23T15:22:00.002+03:30

Sunday afternoons are for browsing through the newspapers and the one section that is the least morbid and also affords me some amusement is the matrimonial one.

In part it is like a crossword/puzzle page...you need to be savvy to decipher the ads!!

For example savor this…..

sm4 b’ful e’lyed girl:

I mulled over the sm4 and realized it is ‘suitable match for beautiful employed..’……

PQM …

Professionally qualified match!!!!

NRBrah and NRNBrah

non- resident Brahmin… …non- resident non Brahmin!!

PASI

I am still struggling with that one…

3LPA ….

3 lakhs per annum!!

There are some Ads which ask for responses only from ’Status Family only’…whatever that means. Some other phrases which occur consistently are “caste no bar”…”sub caste no bar”….

Read one wanting a groom…the last line said ‘willing to settle in Australia’…I guess this is in today’s context of violence there…this indicates desperation!!……The Australian authorities need to take notice…

Maybe we need a matrimonial lexicon….Somebody enterprising please note

Leave Enid alone!

2009-11-18T09:09:00.004+03:30

Why do adults have to look at everything from an adult point of view?

Ask the kids how they enjoyed Enid Blyton at the appropriate age... I am sure they loved her books.

But now the media is splattered with news as to how she was a cruel cold woman and a lousy mother....that may be so...but that does not take away anything from the magic that her books created....And does everything have to be intellectual? Can we not read something because it catches our imagination? Please adults ...don't lessen the magic...God know in these days of stress and pressure the kids do need their fantasies.

Let her be...Let the kids be..

Thanks Enid

2009-10-25T08:28:00.005+03:30

I have never walked so much in my life as I did during our vacation in UK. The countryside in UK is great and it lends itself to hours of pleasurable walking. And to enhance the pleasure one can also draw deep breaths and be assured of good quality oxygen.

All that walking did take a toll on my knee, but that did not stop me. Every morning after a typical English breakfast of oats, eggs (sunny side up…they don’t like their eggs ‘dead’ ……they prefer it runny) and grilled tomatoes and mushrooms and hash browns (here I must pause and crib…..…thank God for idli, dosa, poha etc.) we would set out. Many of the trails had only us and the birds and the trees…

It would have been the cherry on the icing if I had chanced upon the five find outers running away with Buster at their heels and fat Mr. Goon pedaling furiously behind……I did scour the English country side desperately willing my childhood friends to come alive…….well everything else did …I had the buttered scones with jam and delicious sandwiches and English Tea………

Thanks Enid Blyton

Spring Cleaning

2009-10-21T15:39:00.007+03:30

I don't know of any other city where you can do so little and yet the day seems a blur.

Anyways, having come back, it was time to take stock of the stuff we had not looked at in so many years.

I am now convinced that nowhere else in the world things are recycled as much as in India.

The 'watchman' in the building was sounded out on our need for a 'radhiwala' at 9 o' clock and promptly at 11 there was this guy at the door with his gunny bag and scales ready to take old newaspapers. I timidly asked him if he took things other than newspapers and he nodded his head vigourously.

For the next two hours 'operation clean up' lasted. What came out of the storage lofts and shelves amazed me. I never realized that I had a squirrel like habit of putting away things...things which should have been thrown long back.

The stuff included buckets with no handles, dust covered card board boxes which had variously held the toaster, mixer, the iron, the telephone etc at some point of time, a vacuum cleaner minus many of its parts, steel vessels which I had never used and would never use, old lamp shades, cooker lids minus the actual cooker (don't ask me what had happened to the cooker!), and many other things which I am too ashamed to recount here. Most of the stuff were quite indistinguishable as they were so heavily hung with cobwebs and dust. The spiders and roaches were obviously having a good time all these years.

The entire operation was one hell of a dusty experience to say the least.

But still more amazing is that for all that junk we got a princely sum of 200 rupees. I felt extremely guilty taking the amount but the radhiwalla himself seemed pleased to part with the money for all that booty..... So you see what i mean by recycling!

What was removed was just the tip of the iceberg. There's more from where it all came. But we left it for another day. The guy happily offered to come back at a later date. All we have to do is call him on his 'mobile'!

This city is truly bewildering!

Back to blogs

2009-10-13T13:10:00.002+03:30

So I am back on the blog scene after a lovely holiday in Scotland...Sadly the only men in Kilts I got to see were the 'men'equins in the kilt selling shops...So no sexy men in skirts. Sad!

Lots to talk about the holiday but someother time...

Right now I am sitting in my kiddos room in Birmingham writing this blog before I head for Plymouth...nice bright room...she has 4 teddys and one loch ness monstor...which looks too cute to be a monster ...one eeyore (from winnie the pooh), one po the panda (from kung fu panda) all very cuddly and cute!!!!!!!!!...just like my kiddo.

Now I shall head for the real cuddly doll Sanaa before i head back home to mumbai
Till then....

Moving on

2009-09-29T11:04:00.003+03:30

And now I am waiting to meet my grand niece..I have only seen her pics and those chubby cheeks are tempting...Am waiting to pull them.

Isn't she adorable?
Which of course makes me think of my own non -existent cheeks. I have to contend myself with the thought that I am perhaps one of those people who have high cheek bones (and hence no cheeks!!!)
I read somewhere that if you have a fuller face you always look younger than you are. These days I am exercising my face diligently in the hope of developing a fuller face!! Ramdev Baba once illustrated face yoga on TV. I only hope I don't land up even remotely looking like him!!

Goodbye All

2009-09-23T19:54:00.016+03:30

Things that I am going to miss when I leave here, though not necessarily in the order that they appear:

Our beautiful Audi A6, quite the car for a lady of leisure

Our beautiful home with its plants and fishes and all

Beautiful Bosnia where I got to see all the four seasons

And last but not the least, the lovely people of Bosnia

Dovidenja Bosnia

The Last Fling

2009-09-22T12:35:00.002+03:30

Its been a while...... Many things have been happening...
And this weekend I had my last fling with the Balkans..A lovely time in Croatia...with friends.
Its time to say goodbye and there are mixed feelings.
End of the month for the last time I will see this amazing place sitting in an aircraft...The sight of the undulating hills has always excited me making my landing here and take off very very special. Never have I seen a place as beautiful as this ....
And I will miss the warmth and hospitality of the people here....
But life is all about changes and I am equally eager for the new phase.
Hvala Vama Bosnia......you have given me three beautiful years to cherish and remember.
Hello Mumbai....

Awashed

2009-09-01T06:27:00.001+04:30

So I am back after washing away my sins with visits to Kalahasti and Srirangam, temples I had not visited before. It was awesome and humbling.

The temple towns themselves are ghastly. It is indeed surprising how temple towns in India can be so dirty. Methinks that only Indians can have it so. I was also amazed to see how shamelessly greedy the priests and the temple personnel are. If these places are holy it is so because of the devotion of the thousands who visit every day. Not because of the so called learned men of God.

Nothing of all this however took away my awe while in the temples. I think I even forgot to pray.

And then of course I loved the train rides I had after many many years. It’s lovely watching the country side whizz past while you lazily sit static. The vendors making their way selling ‘cooldrinksater’ (cool drinks water), ‘bhajjivazhkaibhajjibreadomlettedosaivadai’, all in one breath.. (I guess I don’t have to explain that).

And then again I had a pleasant time catching up with the various aunts, uncles and cousins in Bangalore.

So until my next pilgrimage, I will be praying to my Lord who has wall space between my fridge and the kitchen shelf.

State of nothingness

2009-08-17T19:35:00.001+04:30

I wonder if like my idol AB Sr., I should blog everyday…but then our lives are so very different. There is so much happening in his and so little in mine. Like I told a friend today, I have perfected the art of doing nothing.
When I look back I am amazed at the pace of life that was once mine. The day began early and was a whirlwind till night. At night I slipped into sleep as soon as my head touched the pillow, for weariness took over, with little energy even for thoughts, leave alone action.
These days I spend in leisure. Sometimes a feeling of guilt takes over for I am able to do what is considered a luxury to most, to stand beneath the bough and stare as long as sheep or cows (Thanks WH Davies). I even stop to see the squirrels darting in the garden as I go for walks.
When I analyze the activity which tired me most then, it was the physical strain of getting from here to there. Today my mind travels even further and there is no tiredness. In fact I have never felt so alert in my life as I do now, in my state of nothingness! I saw Big B looking extremely tired and weary on the Filmfare Awards Show. He needs to do nothing now…... like me, i.e. nothing but blog.

Hinni???

2009-08-11T17:12:00.003+04:30

I swear I heard the Delhi Chief Minister talk about the "hinni" virus!!! Her version of H1N1. The indianised word! Will anybody tell me if all over the world now they are referring to it as 'Hinni'? I hope that the measures to counter the virus are more accurate!

Oh for the Days gone by!

2009-08-08T06:59:00.006+04:30

The sounds and smells of the past are fast fading.
The bhajiwala would pull his cart from building to building yelling 'bhajjjjeeeeeeeeeee wala' and soon enough heads would pop out of windows with orders. Each individual bhajiwala had developed his own style of shrieking his arrival, so you knew exactly which one was at your door.
The salt man would bring the sea salt in a gunny bag on a hand cart and yell 'namak le lo'. All the mamis of the building would run down with containers to stock up for it would be some time before he made his appearance again. It also allowed for a small impromptu get-together, for that quick gossip etc ...

Then there was the guy who polished your copper and the guy who sharpened your knives. It was fascinating to see the sparks fly as he ran the knife along the stone wheel.

Like the ubiquitous 'bai' today (your house help), those days we had a 'Rama'. These guys were from Andhra. Nobody thought it fit to ask them their names. They were just addressed as Rama. I remember our Rama was a very quiet, expressionless fellow whose voice we never heard. The one only response we got from him was by the shake of a head to indicate a yes or a no. But this very same rama would be transformed one day of the year when he came in a group to perform what we called the 'rama dance'. At the end of it they would be rewarded with money. If I recall right this was generally during diwali. The one year wait was worth it to watch him go through the energetic gyrations albeit with the same expressionless face

Then again, the end of every eclipse was heralded by 'De Dan Sute Grahan'. You took great pleasure in tossing a coin or a shirt down two floors to see it eagerly collected by the less fortunate.

Those days are gone.

These days you use your mobile to call for vegetables, you just throw aways your blunt knife buy a new one and you use only microwave friendly containers. Salt is iodized. As for the eclipse, you have god men telling the Librans they need to chant hanuman chalisa and wear a diamond ring on the index finger, the Arian to chant Shiva chalisa and wear a ruby on the little finger, the Pisceans to chant whatyoucall it and wear whateveritis........
Where has simplicity gone?

Birdie

2009-08-05T08:37:00.004+04:30

This is before India went global. On my very first trip abroad, my most coveted acquisition was an umbrella from James Smith and Sons, all for a princely sum of eleven pounds. I loved the unique wooden bird head it had for a handle. I held it with great pride and in a way which ensured that it was noticed. Everybody and anybody who travelled in the "ladies special" local had at one time or another commented on it. It was almost like holding a pet/baby in my arms which was coochicooed by others.

The umbrella served me well. Its just that the Mumbai rains took its toll. The umbrella itself is no longer functional but the bird head handle still fascinates me. This time round at the mall I observed many fancy umbrellas, mostly from China. But nothing to beat the bird head...

God's own

2009-08-01T19:36:00.004+04:30

This week I went for the inauguration of a gym in a school for the mentally challenged, the initiative of a friend. He has taken his volunteering activities to his heart. He even teaches the challenged children to swim and it was emotional to hear some of the parents talk about the difference in the children because of this. The children put up a show for the visitors and as they performed I could feel the prick of tears.

While the parents of these children clapped and cheered them on, I could only silently shed my tears on the inside. I think we all need to be reminded, every now and then, just how blessed we are. I came away humbled by their strength.

Sadly ugly

2009-07-29T16:05:00.001+04:30

The world just got uglier with the demise of the two most beautiful and elegant women...Leela Naidu and Gayatri Devi.

"Sun" Times

2009-07-19T16:03:00.003+04:30

This blog is for tams only...When in Mumbai my TV viewing is retricted to Sun TV. Not because of my penchant for the daily soaps on the channel, rather because I am providing viewing company either to the parent or inlaw. So I am back with the Mannikams and Selvams not forgetting the kasturis and Godhes and Laxmis. And funnily I can pick up the thread of the story almost as if I never went away....

Sun TV makes for better viewing than the myriad Hindi soap series. I can sense a few raised eyebrows....For one it is more real...let me explain ... in which Hindi soap will the main protagonist agree to wear a veshti that has seen better days ...or which heroine will agree to wrap her head in a towel as the southies are wont to do when they have shampooed their hair...The women also sport the no-nonsense bindis unlike their Hindi counterparts...and the heavy jewellery is conspicuously absent. So its like peeking into your neighbours house....

Another reason why I like Tamil soaps is because the title song which is so much more interesting than the episode itself goes on for almost 5 mins which restricts the episode time...(thank god for small mercies!)......The ad breaks of course I so enjoy..they hog almost 15 mins of the viewing time.....I love some of them ....like the one about sun DTH. Veetak Veet Sun Dhun dhana dhan......I must of course mention the guy who reels out the names of the sponsors...i mean he can give 'breathless shankar ' a run for his money......

In all, the episodes themselves are for about 10 mins out of the total 30 mins ...out of which someone or the other is crying for about 5 mins for some reason or the other...(it does not matter..)....

And then of course I love the dialogues...where else can you hear stuff like....nee BA le porkhi, ana porkhithanatle PHd......and ....onne naan ombodu masama shomundu peth, valath val .....enke drohu pannirya....boy!

But I now feel cheated...recently when I was reading the credits I read 'Concept and Produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor'........probably the next time I come, the veshtis will have gone and the bindis will have made their appearance.....Sad!

A Walk through Life

2009-07-09T10:12:00.001+04:30

Walking in the park is like getting a view of life from the ring side, with an insight into people.
I love my morning walk. And from the number of people around it does appear that Mumbai has become health conscious.
There is this group of middle aged men, numbering ten, who walk not too briskly, guffawing every two seconds, showing a joie de vivre which can be just what you want on some days and can be a tad irritating on others. There are others who do their solo turn with their eyes glued to the ground, loathe to be social.
I love ogling at those who do the unusual, like walking backwards…there are others who walk briskly with their hands held high. I don’t know what the logic is but if it works for them why not. It’s a treat also to see the paunchy ones do the squats with vigor, with the paunch itself defying any attempts at discipline.
And then you have the young ones, with satchels on their shoulders, walking hand in hand…I wonder about the parents who probably think they are all attention at a class at the crack of dawn……little do they know!!!
And what about the odour? Some stink so much that you have to hold your breath as they pass (I guess they are sweating it out!!).....there are others who use that dash of perfume which makes you want to inhale deeply as they pass. Not to mention the varied attire….I especially love walking behind the one in the 9-yards gear, and the women in saris and keds, in salwar kameezes, and various tracks etc….not to mention some men in their office wear right down to the buttoned cuffs and trousers.
I am grateful for this patch of green in this suffocating city called Mumbai. A walk there makes my day.

Golden End

2009-06-29T14:54:00.003+04:30

Spouse just told me that my gold fish died...I mourn his or her passing away...i guess all things are transient. I should accept that and move on. Well, at least happiness I know is...when everything seems to be going right then God up there decides it is time for a tweak. Sadness is also transient, though when you are sad it seems forever. People and places are......I wonder why some people walk into your life and then you don't see them ever again. Like places which are home to you for sometime and then you never set foot there again. Each time I visit a place, when I leave it I always wonder if I will ever go back there. But like in Rome at the Trevi fountain, you need to mentally toss a coin and hope that some day....

Right now the mumbai rains are playing hide and seek...now you see it and now you don't.

This does seem like a disoriented blog. But you must remember my gold fish just died.

A Celestial view

2009-06-23T16:52:00.003+04:30

I must be getting old. I cried at my niece's wedding, very hindi-film-like, immediately after the ceremony. I don't think I cried at mine, nor in any other wedding. In fact I have always wondered why people cry as a ritual immediately after the muhurtham.

But I think I cried more for the people I loved, who were not there in our midst to partake in the joyous event. My mom, my pati, my periamma and so many others. It breaks your heart to know that the familiar faces are getting fewer.

But I hope they watched it all from where ever it is they are.

Rain Rain Come again

2009-06-23T16:27:00.003+04:30

There's something about the smell of the first rains....i don't know what it is but even in a dirty city like mumbai it is exhilarating. You just breathe in deep and breathe in the fresh air...the only time mumbai probably has fresh air...

The first rains is also romantic....it is wonderful to stand at the window and watch the raindrops fall in dancing patterns caused by the blowing wind. The rains always make me nostalgic and there is a yearning..for what I don't know .

Soon we will be cursing the rain, if there's not sufficient of it or if there's too much of it. This time round the rains came without a whimper...I mean there was no thunder, no lightning...even the clouds dint look like rain clouds. Of course if you ask the MET man he will say this is still not the rains, it is pre-monsoon. From June 10th I have been reading their statements about how monsoon is 2 days away, 5 days away etc....I don't think they have a clue.

Anyways, in the meantime I smelt the fragrance of the first rains...and that magic will be recreated only next season.

Changing shoes

2009-06-22T06:53:00.005+04:30

You don't really think about how quickly time is flying till it hits you in the face. Last week my niece got married. The same one who bawled her head off right through my marriage ceremony....I have photos to prove that.....clinging to her mom and crying blue because there were too many strangers pinching her rosy cheeks...she was a beautiful baby and she made a beautiful bride....I still remember her waddling unsteady into my arms as I came home from work. And now she is a married woman.
As I stole a solitary second in the marriage hall to reflect on the past, I realised that time has flown so quickly, too quickly for my liking. C'est La Vie. There's nothing you can do about it.
And I want to tell her to enjoy every moment of her new life..........soon it will be her niece who is in her shoes and she will be in mine.

I swear!

2009-05-28T12:17:00.003+04:30

Union Cabinet- Swearing in...I wonder why they call it swearing in...I know they do a lot of swearing during their tenure in the Parliament..we see their misbehaviour all the time on TV, when they fling chairs, yell, swear...but the very first task..to be swearing...?? Maybe changing the lingo would change them...hmmmmm...worth trying...

Bak Bak Bakwas

2009-05-25T16:39:00.004+04:30

43 posts in less than a year? What have I said so much? And I dint even know. Why dint someone tell me not to blog so much.
That makes me wonder ...why do people blog so much?
Well as for me...
I kiss spouse goodbye at 8 in the morning and don't see him till 8 in the evening. That leaves me 12 hours to do what I want. And what I want I can't do it here. I can't go for my veena classes, I can't go mall hopping, I can't go and browse in any Crossword book store (there aren't any) I can't go for a movie..(there are no theatres here)..so that leaves me with the TV, the comp and reading the same old books I have (until the next jaunt). Well there is only this much and no more of the TV I can watch...I mean how much of the saas - bahu serials can you watch or the news or the music channels.... and hence it is the Comp which has all my attention.

Well someone here would say what about being a housewife with chores? There are no chores to do here..at least not much...This is not amchi mumbai ..so no dust..the house will be sparkling clean even after say 20 days...no kids to mess it up in any case...and then I have my faithful lady Friday...she comes in alternate days and leaves the house smelling of flowers and pine.

Then what about cooking did I hear you say? Well cooking and I are not exactly compatible. My technique here is more the wham bham ...if you know what I mean. Nothing which takes more than half an hour of my time. Mind you, I am still considered a good cook by all and sundry. I even have a trophy to prove that...you don't know about that? Let me fill you in....We had a cooking competition conducted by 92.3 FM radio, in our building in amchi mumbai.....we were given a 20 min slot..and allowed to bring in precooked rice, or marinated chicken etc....And guess what I made...Puliyogre Rice (tamarind rice to the uninitiated).....using MTR Mix!!!. It took all of 5 mins, the mixing of the powder and rice...and I WON....Thanks MTR..
Then again I always wanted to write a novel.....many a times I have won the Booker prize..the whathaveyou award for the best fiction by a modern writer, in my dreams.....I just think I have nothing to say that will fill a book. Still 43 posts is quite some...and lol! this has been my longest post.
What exactly have I said????
Chumma Timepass, that's all!

Fish Talk again

2009-05-25T11:43:00.003+04:30

My gold fish looked bored all alone in the special bowl we created for him..(maybe its a her, don't know). He would lie quiet not moving much and seemed very lethargic. We transferred him to the main aquarium. And now its a sight to see him vigorously swimming in the tank. His wonderful tail has been nibbled away by some of the other fishes, but still he seems more happy in the tank than he was in solitary conditions.

It is amazing how the fishes sense you are going to feed them when you sit by the tank. They all rise to the surface and jostle each other to get the first morsel. Sometimes I just sit so, without actually feeding them, just to see the bustling activity and then when they think you are not going to feed them, they go about their business as usual. And thats when I drop in the feed to watch them all scramble back! Fun!

I will miss my fishes when I leave this saturday. Dovidenja moja ribe, till september.

Thank you God for me.

2009-05-24T13:58:00.006+04:30

Sometimes, just sometimes, I wonder what it would be like to be in someone else's shoes. Not that I don't love being me...i do....I mean I love myself despite my many imperfections....Still... I mean to be Mayawati and to have your bust (attractive or otherwise) erected all over town...not because people want it but because you as Mayawati want it...or to be Sonia...to come to a strange land as a shy italian bride and then to become the most powerful woman in the land because you as Sonia made it happen.....or even to become Ash, and be married to the most macho man....(i mean i say that because of his father whose fan i used to be and he is much like his father)....I wonder what it would have been to be in my mother's shoes and have someone like me for a daughter or to be in my daughter's shoes and have someone like me for a mother....The possibilities are endless. In the end I am grateful I am me. I don't know who else is but I am.

Dance of Democracy

2009-05-18T10:50:00.004+04:30

I am very happy that we can look forward to a stable government for the next 5 years. If there is anything worse than dynastic rule, it is a hung vote which brings to the fore horse trading and money talk ..as if there isn't enough of that already...Still I would not say that democracy has won in India. I mean, there is a 22% rise in tainted MP count. It would be nice to choose between two or more lettered candidates who do not have criminal backgrounds rather than having to choose between the devil and the deep sea. I would like our governance to have a squeaky clean image...not of course like the one in UK where MPs having been caught on the wrong foot for claiming unwarranted expenses for cleaning, maintenance etc....and are now offering to pay back saying they have made a mistake!!!
I wish someone would also take a poll to see how many of our MPs are educated...I mean truly educated..not just having an official degree (those are easy to come by in India)....but how many of them truly know stuff...like a quiz contest about India, Indians, global affairs etc....and when we are satisfied on all those counts.........i think we can truly say that democracy in India has won! Still, one step at a time.

Too much of a good thing!

2009-05-07T11:16:00.010+04:30

I am just back from my 4 day break in Switzerland, Geneva etc.....no, not the Swiss bank issues to be sorted variety.....I wish it was so.......but just a break...

For those who are looking for things to do while in Geneva etc, some inputs:

Well you could go for lazy walks on paths that look like this

I mean you have these paths strewn with flowers of unimaginable colours..It can get very tedious you know, looking at something so pretty all the time especially if your eyes are not trained for such sights...then you could sit down and relax with a book on a lake front like this

And if all that sereness and beauty got to you, I guess you could take a trip to the mountains...and leave your (carbon) footprint skiing or just walking for hours like this, without too much jostling.

Even that you can do for so long and no more, after all we are sun people and the cold does get to us, then you could come down and rub shoulders with the rich and famous like Charlie or Freddie...I mean Chaplin or Mercury

And when 4 days of such blissful quiet gets to you, you can always head back home.

Well I am heading home in less than a month's time to the dust, the grime, noise and I am feeling excited. I wonder why.

Food for thought

2009-04-29T11:35:00.006+04:30

The Animal Kingdom is getting back at us!!! Swine flu, Bird Flu, Mad Cow, ..etc.

High time we all turned veggies maybe.

Speaking of food, I miss the ultimate in street food...the doubles that you get in Trinidad......(breads called bara with chickpeas and sauces and lots of pepper).........YUM...I envy Obama...he must have just had some of the best you get there, specially catered for him....for no visit to Trini Land is complete without gorging on doubles for breakfast.
And of course I miss the street food in Mumbai, the pani puri and the sev batata puri..yum again!
I dont think I will ever visit Trinidad again, but Mumbai here I come....

Fallen Hero!

2009-04-14T20:58:00.004+04:30

I hate to think that the one cine star I am a die-hard fan of could be associated with anyone who supports taking India backwards...No English..no computers...no modern tools in agriculture etc....I am talking about AB Sr. I recall that in a talk show his spouse when asked who is the politician you admire today said "Mulayam Singh undoubtedly." God..... I think as of now I cease to be a fan. A sad day in my life...but sadder for my country that we have such politicians. Now I want AB Sr. to be a real hero and disassociate himself from the party which came out with such a manifesto...Come on Mr.AB.....Will you be my hero again?

Shoe fling

2009-04-08T15:48:00.004+04:30

Its all about shoes.....No I don't mean the throwing variety that got Bush and Chids. I mean the women and their shoes here. They all wear the most fantastic heels. I don't know how they manage it but they are always in big heels and go clipetty clop very smartly without once falling or twisting their ankles. I tried on a pair once and dint get past the front door. I am happy with my keds, though I am sure it takes away something from my looks. I mean you cant look smart and confident with a pair of keds that has seen better days. Still when I look at women my age here, I notice that they have swollen ankles (many of them). Well I guess everything in life is a trade off. And probably the men who threw shoes at the politicians now realise this.

Fat lot of good!

2009-04-02T20:09:00.003+04:30

People aged over 40 gaining weight look younger when their faces are fatter, a new study has found.

*&$$@**... This study is 10 years tooooooo late...And to think I have spent the last 10 years trying to lose weight in order to look younger. Not fair!

At least now I will not feel guilty if I skip those yoga sessions and walks. I have a valid reason! But unfortunately for me I find that all my fat settles on my hips and not my face..Maybe somebody needs to do a study on fatter hips and how it affects a woman's looks.

2+2=4?

2009-04-02T18:39:00.003+04:30

Baby birds can count and perform basic arithmetic, say researchers. Don't ask me how they arrived at that. Well, all I can say is that baby birds can do more than what I can do, besides flying I mean. I hate math and have always had a mental block as far as the subject is concerned. In fact if anything has to add up I do not like it. I think I prefer chaos to order. I remember in the initial days of marriage, spouse had so diligently put aside money in different envelopes for spending on groceries, milk, laundry etc..(He is by profession a munshi after all). And all it took was me to mess it all up. Never again did I see those neatly labelled envelopes. But then its a nice balance ...his orderliness versus my chaos. Coming back to baby birds, I wish my kids were baby birds. They can do very little counting........At least I think so considering how much of the bank transfers are from us to them. I don't think they are keeping count.

It wasn't cricket

2009-04-02T17:37:00.004+04:30

Yesterday was fun. It was world cup pre qualifying football match between BiH and Belgium. The people were in a winning mood even before the match began. Fans poured in from all parts of Bosnia dressed in their traditional colours of blue and yellow. There was much merriment on the streets partly due to the beer consumed. I suspect that the sale of beer would have crossed the yearly average!! There was much singing and dancing on the roads (Bosnians love to sing). My spouse and I did not go to the stadium but we stood with the crowd outside the stadium and watched on the big screen. It was fun drinking beer, eating chevapi (without the meat...which essentially meant bread and onions!!...lol!!) and tapping our feet to the music which was being played before the match started. I confess we saw just about 5 minutes of the actual game...But thats becasue we are not football fans...we are more into cricket.....aren't all indians?

Somewhere deep in my sleep I heard fire crackers...The Bosnians had won!! We had won!

More fishy tales

2009-03-23T12:12:00.005+04:30

Yesterday I witnessed the miracle of birth. Our pregnant fish delivered nine babies. It was awesome to see the babies drop as mama fish lazily swam in the separate bowl that we had prepared for her ..(at least her pain was not apparent). So we have nine new fishes....unfortunately mama fish leaped out of the bowl, having done her job, and we lost her. Guess the pain was excruciating. The other pregnant fish delivered in the tank and the bigger fishes ate the smaller ones even before we could blink...sounds familiar...much like what's happening in the economy today (lol!)

Spring has sprung

2009-03-23T12:01:00.002+04:30

March 21st was the day. Here in Zenica, the locals all converged to the river bank, as they traditionally do and put up tents and cooked yaya (eggs) and drank pivo (beer) and sang songs. They were officially heralding the onset of spring. The joy was palpable. It was altogether a different matter that it was snowing and raining and miserably cold. The sun did not grace the occasion. But then that's what I love about the spirit of the people here..their never say die attitude.
And then there was the inauguration of the sports arena ..their very first, built despite many obstacles...the war being one of them.....the whole town was there and the sports men were cheered...the contingent of the disabled men in their wheelchairs evoked the loudest cheer...many of them were men who had lost their limbs in the war. The spring is truly here, more on the inside than the outside.

Chaplin Vs Swami

2009-03-16T11:27:00.002+03:30

In Karnataka, the keepers of our culture objected to a statue of Charlie Chaplin being erected for a film set. They found it toooo Christian...They wanted a statue of Swami Vivekananda. Never mind if it did not suit the film script. And to boot the Karnataka Chief Minister said that the public had a right to voice their opinion... !! God knows....now we have verily lost our sense of humour. Both Chaplin and the Swami may be cringing up there somewhere.

Still to be fair not all is lost..Somewhere some politicians are still trying their best to do good. No smoking in public places, ban on plastic bags, no Honking Zones....etc.
If only they are equally over zealous about implementing these as they are about defending our culture......we might see a better India.

Fossilised!

2009-03-16T11:10:00.003+03:30

Eeeeks!!! I am a fossil...so I learnt this morning...and to think I actually woke up feeling peppy and energetic. The TOI report says that a new study has found that you peak at 22 and start aging at 27!! It is the result of a 7 year study. And I thought I was pretty sharp for a 50+. But then come to think of it why dint I find myself peaking at 22?

I better warn my son who is 22. He is at his peak and like me he does not know!! Because like any indulgent mother I still keep saying "he is still young". But now its not so! The therapies designed to prevent or even reverse age-related conditions may need to start earlier, long before people become pensioners, the researchers said. He better start early.

Viva La Femme

2009-03-10T10:55:00.004+03:30

Women's Day 2008, I had a wonderful time travelling to Venice, Nice, Monaco, Monte Carlo and Verona, with a bus load of Bosnian women and two Indian women. It was fun and crazy. The long hours of sitting did take its toll on the bum but the spirit was joyous. I guess women all over the world are the same...the Bosnian women sang, ate and cackled right through the journey.

This March 8th I had a quieter ride with spouse. We went to a small town here called Fonica. Small but beautiful in the typical east European way. March 8th in Zenica is very gay. You see the men purposefully walking with flowers in hand. I guess its an indication that there is a woman in their lives. Small kiosks selling fresh flowers and stuffed heart pillows spring overnight and the pedestrian street looks charming.

I hope the moral police in India had no problems about people celebrating Women's Day back home. After all it is just one day in 365 days. The remaining days, it is probably about men in most families.

Happy Birthday

2009-03-04T11:46:00.001+03:30

Tomorrow is my Happy Birthday. I am going to be all of 51. The earliest memories of my happy birthday are that of being dressed in a nice frock (stitched by mom), carrying a box of sweets to school.
Everybody knew it was your birthday because you were not in uniform. The day began (after prayers) by being called to the front of the class and 60 odd children sang "Happy Birthday to you". Well some sang, some just moved their lips, some yelled off key..still there were 60 odd kids singing for you. And it was bliss if you did not share the day with another kid...at least you alone were the star. Then of course, it was distribution time, the first offer was to the class miss (Mam please take one more).. For the children it was always "No you cant take two" (thats because there was always the exact amount to go around). Then perhaps your best friend gave you a card saying ..To my bestest, dearest, darlingest friend...etc.
At home of course, while there were no rituals like cake cutting, there was the customary sweet made and then a visit to the temple. You went to bed happy for a day well spent.

Now I am going to be all of 51. I still receive wishes though the numbers have vastly dwindled. There will be no temple visit (as there are none here) and there will be no sweet made (spouse can barely cook and who wants to make a sweet for one's own birthday). Still tomorrow is my happy birthday and at the end of the day I will go to bed happy and content.

Never Again

2009-03-03T12:51:00.001+03:30

It was distressing to watch "Scream Bloody Murder" on CNN. It was all about genocides...by the Germans, by the pol pot regime, in Rwanda, in Bosnia and in Dafur. When I travelled to Munich I went to Dachau, the first concentration camp for Jews in Germany. It was agonising. I have seen the Holocaust Museum in Washington. There was not a single dry eye. Today I live in a country where such genocide has occurred. As I see people around me and I wonder how it is that they can show a will to go on and live a normal life after experiencing genocide first hand. But I guess a normal life is what they want most. In Dachau there is a memorial which says "Never Again". But I guess its just that. A memorial. Nobody has learned any lessons from it. Genocides will continue as the world stands by and watches.

Vote for Fishes

2009-03-03T11:03:00.000+03:30

Arguments for fishes (from one piscean to another)
You dont have to take them for a walk. Their constant motion ensures that they get enough excercise
You dont have to pick up their poo..I mean you cant even see the poo
No cleaning of teeth, no bath, no removing ticks.
You dont have to pay them any attention if you dont want to. Even when you gaze at them unblinkingly they ignore you.
They dont lick or bite. Infact there is no equivalent of a bark emanating from them
You can have more of them and still not feel a dent in the pocket.
If you lose one of them you dont feel so emotionally stirred as when you lose a dog...i.e. not unless you start christening them teddy etc.
Anybody who reads this can add to the list

Fishy Tale

2009-03-02T12:27:00.000+03:30

We have a fish tank again. Our very first fish many years ago, was a blue fighter fish in a glass bowl. It was christened Teddy for some reason. I spent many lonely hours talking to Teddy but I think Teddy got bored to death. Many other fishes followed ...but none of them survived for some reason or the other. One lot died because of my ignorance...I generously sprayed a mosquito repellent around the house only to later read on the can, a caveat: "Do not spray near fishes" !!!

Anyways in the new lot we have 12 fishes. Yesterday when we brought them home for the first time, two of them jumped out of the container, in protest, I think, against the change of residence. Luckily we have 12 for now. I hope they are there with me for a long time. Though if my children had a say in the matter they would have said buy a dog.

The march of time

2009-02-25T19:36:00.000+03:30

I never really thought about Jane Goody. To me she came across as a crass individual with no class, she was inconsequential. Now her life or rather her imminent death forms much of the news content. She is aware she is dying. And so she has started to live. From the time she has learnt of her terminal cancer, she has published her autobiography, acted, opened a boutique and married, all in a matter of few months.

So, what are we waiting for? Death is inevitable for all of us. I think there is a message here for all of us. Live each day to the fullest and enjoy whatever it is that you are doing. Some of us may not be as lucky as Jade to be given a chance to review our life. There may be no time even for regrets.

Lost in translation?

2009-02-25T18:03:00.000+03:30

Please note, before the supreme court hauls me off to the jail for obscenity, that these are not my words but appear in TOI updated online edition of 25th feb 2009 read by all and sundry.
It is an article under the heading "Indians are happiest with sex lives" regarding a survey conducted by Pfizer and I now quote:
"The survey links the level of erection hardness to sexual satisfaction for men," said Dr King during a roundtable discussion at a hotel here yesterday. Developed by the European Association of Urology, the level of erection hardness is measured in a scale of one to four using the Erection Hardness Score (EHS). "Level one is like tofu where the male organ is large but not hard, level two is similar to a peeled banana where it's not hard enough for penetration, level three is like an unpeeled banana where it's hard enough for penetration but not completely, and level four is similar to a cucumber where it's completely hard and fully rigid," explained King.
I shudder to think how that was translated into hindi for the respondents. I rest my case. (Thank the good lord my children are all adults in case they are reading this blog!)

Vijai Ho

2009-02-24T10:56:00.000+03:30

Jai Ho.
The world is shrinking. A British made movie about mumbai slums, with Bollywood actors winning in the US of A. Wow. And it was not the only movie with an Indian protagonist to win. Smile Pinki won too. I have no idea why Slumdog won..I have not seen the movie...but I have heard Jai Ho. Rehman is his usual brilliant self, though I felt he has better compositions to his credit.....Anyways ...The British newscasters kept repeating that it was a great day for the British at the Oscars and the Indians did the same..Just like the congress took credit for the 8 oscars, Gordon Brown also preened a bit for the cameras....Now the Hindu groups can say Dilip Kumar did it while the Muslims can claim Rehman did it. In the end we all won...Rehman's excitement and terror turned to happiness and elation after the oscar win. I hope the previous time when he felt such excitement and terror (his wedding) also turned to happiness after the event.....There was no mention of the wife while the mother got the credit. But then we are indians..We are like that only. Jai Ho.

Not a Gentleman's game

2009-02-14T13:05:00.000+03:30

Sometimes when I am playing Literati online, the player often asks a/s/l?....(it took me a long time to figure that one out...). When I type 50/F/Bosnia they sort of disappear from the radar...

I wonder why..? Must be something to do with Bosnia! :)

Bal Bal Bachaaoooo

2009-02-14T12:35:00.001+03:30

Himesh R has cut off his hair...Gawd, he is now showing his face...I wonder who advised him to do so.....must be his enemies in the tinsel world......I think the hair covering his face was a better look...Grow it back H and spare us

WYSIWYG

2009-02-13T12:10:00.000+03:30

A TOI Report said "The New Scientist study claims that simply by looking at females' faces one can tell if they're lucky, religious or trustworthy. However, studying men's faces gives no hint to their character."
See, I always said that we were the better sex...WYSIWYG...what you see is what you get....no pretensions. And that is why we must have more female politicians...I mean the real girlie ones..not like Indira Gandhi who was called the only man in her cabinet. How about like Rakhi Sawant..or Sushmita Sen. But then again, thats not WYSIWYG!!!

Methinks a lot more study is required in this area before we begin to draw conclusions!

Mere pas MOOO Hai

2009-02-10T17:06:00.000+03:30

A TOI Report:
"The RSS has found something to give the popular colas and cold drinks a run for their money: bovine urine. The Sangh's Cow Protection Department is planning to produce a soft drink with this magic ingredient as base, and believes it will sweep the market."

What do they plan to call it ..COW COW COWLA?

For Ram Sene

2009-02-10T11:27:00.000+03:30

Awesome. I love the idea of sending 'pink chaddis' to the Ram sene head. Here are two from me!!!!!!!!!!

I hope it makes him go pink in the face for spearheading what happened at the pub.

"Nobody from good families would resort to such steps which are very cheap,’’ its Bangalore unit president Vasanth Kumar Bhavani said. But I guess dragging women by the hair and molesting them is ok for him...it signals that you come from a good family.....I want him to know that I support the pink chaddi gesture, this despite the fact i have not visited a pub in ages (I love pubs though). And on Feb 14th I will indeed raise a glass in toast to the woman who thought of this.

Go for it women......your freedom is at stake...keep the banner, I mean the pink chaddi, flying high!

PDA

2009-02-03T11:21:00.000+03:30

The TOI report quoted a minister saying that girls and boys holding hands in public is not in our culture. Gee, I am glad that our paths never crossed. Who knows, I may have been arrested and thrown into jail for obscenity. For even now at 50+ I hold my spouse's hand when I walk with him. This is no public display of emotion. Its just an emotional assertion to myself. His strong hand clasp affirms to me that all is well with my world. But this, the minister's perverted mind will not understand.

Now the High Court has ruled that kissing in public by a married couple is OK. Well, I am not going to test waters...but I do feel sad for the many Indians who go to their graves waiting for justice to be pronounced on more serious matters.

Maybe our moral keepers need to know that LOVE is not just another four letter word.

To the defenders of faith

2009-01-28T10:59:00.000+03:30

My faith is within me. So is my God. To find your God your search must begin inwards, for he is a part of you and you are a part of him. I wonder why people are so shaken up when they see externals that cause them to riot, molest, kill etc in the name of God, when all they need to do is concentrate on their insides. Perhaps these are people who are not confident of their own faith.

For all of them, I have only one thing to say...don't be so pompous.....God does not need you to defend him.

Its time they took that inward journey and understand that he is in each one of us, the way we want him to be...I for one would not want anyone to tell me how to perceive him..that's my prerogative.

Cogito, ergo sum

2009-01-26T11:15:00.001+03:30

I am not a brahmin anymore. At least thats what I have learnt from the TOI today which carried a report on a talk about the status of Brahmin at a community convention. Somebody said that a person’s upbringing is more important and determines his life and philosophy and she was booed. Whereas somebody else said that brahmins- men and women should wear dhoti and sari resp and they were not booed.

So I am not a brahmin as I wear pants and my spouse is not one too as he does not wear dhoti.
Then by that premise I think the world population of brahmins is zilch.

My upbringing has taught me to be good and kind and decent. But that has no importance. I am not dressed correctly. But just a thought ...for a change ....can we all just be humans.....please?

The End...

2009-01-22T12:47:00.001+03:30

Today is a gloomy day here in Zenica...In fact its a gloomy day in my life. My periamma just left us to enter the other world. I looked for my 'amma' in her. I loved the positiveness that she exuded. I loved the fact that she always wore a smile on her face. Each time I met her (which was not very often) I was amazed by her strength. But now she is gone. Which makes me think that we should never lose sight of the fact that this life is but a journey, not the final destination. Ultimately we all reach the same destination, however different our lives may be. Let us therefore not fall in love with life too much. Let us not obsess over it. In the long run we are all equal.

Bye Bye Mumbai, Hello Zenica

2009-01-21T11:40:00.000+03:30

A city is know by its streets. After the vibrant, lively, chaotic, noisy, sometimes tiring din of the mumbai streets, I am back in the placid, calm, quiet streets of Zenica. I dont know which I prefer. But like the lot of all NRIs I think I want one when I have the other. I wish I could have the best of both worlds. Still, now that I am back in Zenica I can hear myself think, so there will be more blogging hopefully.

A peaceful 2009

2009-01-01T06:39:00.000+03:30

Its a brand new day...a new dawn...a new beginning...lets make the most of it for before you know it, it will be 31st december 2009..

All I want is for the world to be more human...no terror attacks, no war, no hatred, no hurt...Is that too much to ask? Maybe in todays world it is....Still I will be hopeful.. for today is a brand new day.

Tick Tock

2008-12-11T11:02:00.000+03:30

Now that I have crossed 50, Oprah says I am in the second puberty. Very true. I have emerged a new persona.....a new me.....a more confident me....who loves me ..who is my best friend..who thinks of me first....Its a great age, when you dont have to bother about what anybody else thinks of you....when you live for the moment......
Now that there are more years behind me than ahead of me I feel I qualify to give advice ..to the 20-30-40 year olds, especially the 20 year olds (read that as my kids). Be in the Moment. Stop stretching out for the ever eluding something out there...there will always be something more that you want...instead live the moment....savour it .....enjoy every minute, for it will soon go away. When you look back you must be able to recall with pleasure your gone moments...not struggle to remember them at all.....

OKva?

2008-12-08T10:58:00.000+03:30

I read that article in TOI “8 steps to aging gracefully”

Pay attention to your breath: I do. I brush my teeth and gargle a full 2 mins twice a day and I do yoga regularly. Well ..almost
Connect with Nature: I do. Bosnia is God’s Canvas. I just need to look out of the window.
Spend time with your loved ones: I can’t. They are all far away from me. There is only one around me and he spends more time making money for Mr. LNM!!
Soothe your soul with sound: I do. I have heard more of Unni Krishnan, MS and others in these 4 years than I have ever heard in the last say 30 years
Seek out beauty: I do. Bosnia is beautiful, despite the bullet riddled houses
Make Amends: I'll skip that one. I don’t recall ever having done anything wrong!!
Do service work: I do. I am entirely at the service of my spouse.

So I am aging gracefully…I am all of 51 and my only problem is that my bones sometimes creak so loudly because I refuse to listen to them…..
My only confession…I dye my hair…maybe I should chop it all and allow that to age gracefully…only I think I will be disowned by my kids and spouse if I go bald in the bargain…

Still I am aging gracefully………

Confused.com

2008-12-06T17:00:00.000+03:30

The health bulletin in TOI said "Total Strangers can make you happy" and this after a 20 year study!! lol!! ........I mean ......only people you love have the power to hurt you, isnt it? .....everybody knows that!! it follows then doesnt it, that a total stranger can make you happy?? Does it? I am confused!

Anyways, while on the topic of being happy is happiness the absence of sadness or is sadness the absence of happiness? Which one actually exists?

If only...

2008-12-06T13:23:00.000+03:30

Dint feel like blogging, in fact dint do anything much other than watch the carnage on TV. I dont know what pained me more, the senseless killings or the media's insensitive reporting. The ghoulish pleasure with which they were reporting seemed that they did so in anticipation of the 130% rise in TRPs. And then came the comments of our pathetic politicians...Everybody seemed to be asking where is Raj, where is Bal Thackrey? But if you ask me their silence in all this was golden..Two less voices adding to the scum spewed by the politicians...God if only all these politicians were in a meeting in any of these two hotels...Maybe then India would have changed for ever ...for the better!

The stars are shining for me

2008-10-24T10:23:00.000+03:30

Last week, while on a long drive I looked up at the sky and was dazzled. It was a lovely starlit sky and each star shone so distinctly so brightly. I vowed that I would look up at the sky each night and soak in the marvel of the universe...At least every night that I spend outside of mumbai...In mumbai you only see dark ominous clouds.. no stars...other than the bollywood variety and these days even they dont shine brightly...You have the Himeshes!!!

Lifes Lessons

2008-10-22T21:05:00.000+03:30

These day i spend most of my time in my own company. A lot of people ask me if I am lonely. Of course not, I love my own company. Your best friends are your thoughts and I have many of them..more so in this splendid isolation that I live in..These days the most stimulating conversations I have are with my house help..She in Bosnian and I in English....Dont get me wrong..she is a fine woman who has seen much sadness in life..a single parent...who lost her husband very early in life in an accident..Still when she walks into the house its like sunshine..ever smiling and joking...I wonder where she draws her strength from...partly I suspect from the cigarettes she loves to smoke...and the kafa (coffee) she loves to drink....but from her I have learnt that Life is about the happiness that you grasp amidst all the sadness. Happy thoughts then!

2008-10-13T10:57:00.000+03:30

Economic turmoil!!! Markets Bleeding!!!!...just goes to show that when everything seems all right it does not take long for the carpet to be pulled from under your feet...Economic boom and exponential growth were words being bandied about and now its panic, depression, bankruptcy...all of which should put our lives in perspective..ultimately everything is transient ..so why worry..go along with the flow...just dont give up.

Come back peace

2008-09-18T09:15:00.000+04:30

My first Post!!

I am inspired by my niece...each time I read her blog its almost me ...that is 30 years younger..

Now I have decided to shrug the inertia and put down my thoughts for what it is worth...

Am soaking in the chaos of amchi mumbai for soon I will be back in serene Bonsia...thats ironic.. considering the genocide that the country faced a few years ago...still they seem to have picked up the shattered pieces and show a will to go on....which makes me wonder...why are we intent on shattering the peace here.......the past few months that i have been here, reading the newspaper with the cup that cheers in the morning is no longer something you enjoy...its all mostly bad news...Methinks most of us have lost our sense of humour including the country's cartoonists!!! Come back Peace..Come back Sanity....