There’s something about Xmas

As the cheerful red of Santa costumes and cute Santa caps spreads across town..as small, medium, large and extra large sized Christmas trees rise up in houses, malls and corners of town…as the mini twinkle to the maxi flash of stars smile across various streets and roads of the neighbourhood…the inevitable holiday bug bites you…regardless of the truckloads of work piled at work, regardless of the heaps of domestic chores and to-dos mounted at home!

Maybe it’s the fantasy effect of the various feel- good Santa-based Hollywood movies that I have watched since childhood..maybe it’s just the relaxation that engulfs when you know that the hard,  stressed out and burnt out year is coming to a close..maybe it’s simply the effect of years of Christmas holidays that run in your blood…whatever the maybe for it, come Xmas time and you can’t help humming to the jingle bell score and getting sucked into the festivities regardless of your corporate, personal or ‘home’ status!

So this Christmas I too took out the bright red dresses in the closet, the musty Christmas cap and downed the spirit of Xmas in a sumptuous Christmas brunch turned to lunch and finally to evening tea time…breads, cheesy dips, mousse and cakes that definitely brought up my Christmas quotient in leaps and bounds..rounded off with a walk through the gigantic Indian equivalent of ‘European’ look-alike sparkling Xmas trees and decorations of the season!

It is but natural that the political class of this country must poke their noses and stoke the communal fires during any such festivities and Xmas proved no exception to the rule…but that I guess shouldn’t dampen our spirits and lets still scream out Ho Ho Ho and get ready for the burst of cheer for the new year…I am counting and waiting and smiling as I gape at the next milestone called New years Eve!

The Dark Ages

Another cab rider..another girl raped…another investigation…another set of lapses identified…and its ‘déjà vu’ time….yet again and again in this country that is looking up to ‘ache din’!

As time moves on, as generations take over, we are moving into more oppressiveness..more curtailment and more ‘freedoomless’ womanhood in this country. How do I raise a daughter in this dark cloud of insecurity? How do I confidently take up challenges at workplace when my mind is occupied with more fear and more thoughts than ever before? WE have the energy and the clout to deal with the ‘so-called’ sentiment hurting phenomenon..stemming from lewd lyrics..stemming from a painting or two..stemming from a movie shot on some obscure character.. But we cannot find the focus and the need to stem this bloody ‘free for all’ men’s phenomenon!

What is it that drives these perverted men to ogle, tease, molest and rape women, children and infants as they choose? Who has granted them the birthright to freely pass comments on anything in a skirt? What makes them think that a woman who walks out late night or dressed in a garb of her choice is ‘available’ for rape and literally ‘manhandling’?

If we are infested with the large number of savage men that perform these rituals given an opportunity, then a mass scale ‘pesticide’ is our only option…Our laws need to act fast and act with strength..there is no difference between homicide and rape and both should result in death penalty! And for those ‘eve teasers’ and ‘pleasure seeking’ men on the road, in buses and in crowded places, every touch and every comment should be punished…these are the men who get more courageous and finally plunge themselves into more crimes as the opportunity unfolds..! Let the law and the courts provide the basic protection that it is meant to provide – simple legal action for wrongdoing…no rocket science involved here? Each time a man thinks of groping ..he should think twice about the consequences and if we can bring that fear into that man then law has done its job!

And as for the boys who are toddling and crawling in our households today, we should spend our energies in raising them as men who talk about ‘respect’ and not ‘reservation’ for woman! We need a society of men who do not go on a ‘fault finding mission’ each time a crime is committed against women – not identify frivolous causes of rape – length of the skirt, shade of the saree, the place of crime and all things miscellaneous instead simply admit that crime was committed and needs to be punished. And if our houses can bring up sons who believe in the fact that women are just as in need of freedom, growth and opportunities ..that they do not need a whip to ‘domesticate’ them or a ‘cage’ to protect them ..then maybe we have a future!

Jobless in Goa

When one is ‘technically unemployed’ and totally jobless and when that someone lands in Goa..its quite a magical combination….!! Yes, Goa is lot like Kerala…yes Goa is absolutely ruthless when it comes to its heat and scorching sun…but there is a certain something in the air of Goa that makes you a carefree nomad! The words ‘carefree’ and ‘merrymaking’ were perhaps invented to describe Goa and Goans!

And our first stop at Panjim was just as I always imagined in my mind….a beautiful heritage room to stay in…adorned with Portuguese relics, ancient wooden pieces of furniture…sheer aesthetic brick & mortar beauty. And to add to that glory were the colourfully outstanding Goan houses in the adjoining streets….a colourfully orchestrated visual medley of houses that is probably for me the true heart of Goa.

We hopped on to a tiny bike and started wobbling our way through Goan roads exploring and enjoying the journey (perhaps more than the destination)….And those joyous rides were made more cheerful with the blue sea and greenery following us in our twists and turns!

The first inevitable stop was Calangute beach..the signature crowded touristy beach of Goa where every tourist must go and pay his/her respect..and we were blessed with a sun set evening in Calangute with its ‘Baywatch’ lookalike watch tower….although I must confess the tower is not the glamorous ‘David Hasselhoff’ version of it…Day two brought us to the Old Goan quarters where astounding white churches and architectural surrealism mesmerized us at every stop…such pristine churches restored with utmost appreciation and respect for its ancestry are definitely the pride of Goa..I couldn’t have enough of wondering through the beautifully sculpted corridors and exteriors and if it wasn’t for the relentless sun I would have stayed there for the entire day…The evening was wrapped up with a lovely and lively evening by the Baga beach…sand under your feet…live music soothing your senses …and dinner at one of the happening shack cum restaurants of Baga beach.

The next day got us to the famed forts of Goa…with good views of the sea and vast expanses to explore but I guess the hot sun spoilt sport and I was happy to scurry back into our resort. And that was the ultimate ‘chillaxed’ end to the vacation….’by the beach’ received its true and complete meaning that last day at our resort..an evening spent in introducing my tiny daughter to the beach and what better an introduction than to the white soft sands of Goa and a fire red sun setting into the azure waters?? The night seemed to melt away as the winds of the beach murmured by and we devoured a sumptuous dinner staring at the waters..

And the saddest ‘last day’ syndrome did not spoil our morning splash in the waters…it was almost magical as we simply rambled along the shores….sat on little rock formations…sliding in and out of the waters…enjoying a certain lightness and freedom…..a Nirvana that can be truly attributed to elements of sun, sand, waters and old charm

The shorter end of democracy

The morning newspaper showed me pictures of an erstwhile limbo development authority suddenly in the thick of action….repairing roads, filling potholes and painting medians..... To what fundamental right do you refer when you suffer and endure rickety and bumpy rides every morning and yet the authorities will not budge and repair theumpteen broken roads and crater-sized potholes? But they will and with astonishing alacrity repair every road on the ‘rosy path’ where a Prime Minister will tread! A Minister cannot bear a few hours of bumpy journeys but the citizens of the country can and should suffer the inefficiencies of a ‘non-public serving’ public department!

But the images of a jubilant ISRO team and messages flowing from all over the world did swell my pride and unknowingly I too joined the celebrations…..But as I rejoiced and prided in the country’s Mars mission; I heard a set of disgruntled ‘democratic’ voices cynically pointing fingers at the money spent on the mission. The voices of concern are suddenly raised over India’s poverty stricken millions and the hunger that prevails across the country…Is this paltry money (compared to the billions spent by other countries for space missions) going to change the course of India’s economic journey? What about the money literally spent on momentary ecstasy….fire crackers,ganesh pandals, elaborate wedding feasts? What about the money looted by our bureaucrats and politicians from state coffers? What about the money spent on movie extravaganzas…temples for demi-gods of Bollywood,tollywood and all the other ‘woods’ that exist in tinsel town? What about the money wasted on ministerial journeys to different parts of the world with their spouses? THAT was the money that can change our country’s fortunes and its living billions. Trying to strangle India’s scientific growth is NOT the recipe for happy citizenship!

While we are oozing with pride on the amazing feat achieved by our scientific brains; will we care to honour the brains and the sweat behind this feat? Will we create an atmosphere where the brains of India can work on missions that will catapult the country into the next millennium? We will continue to do what we do best…make merry at every six hit on the boundary….heap money on a few star cricketers (and no other sportsman in the country of course)…kill and die for unknown causes…But as we sit on the fence and take part in the peripheral celebrations, can we at least not dampen the spirit of our scientific community and take the luster off this incredible feat?

The Pretensions of Choice

When life throws at you

A basket of choices

You dig into its depth

Fooled and ‘buffooned’

Born rich and die poor or;

Born poor and die rich

School topper turned corporate ‘zero’ or;

School dropout turned millionaire

Bookworm with zilch knowledge or;

Street-smart with book aversion

Scholastic heights with professional demotion or;

Corporate success with academic ignorance

Career of soulful passion mingled with minimal dough or;

Straightjacketed experience with a roaring provident fund

Marriage to a man loved that may turn into hatred or;

Loving the man you married and live with the choice

Wholesome motherhood with frustrating professional hunger or;

Career fulfillment with fleeting stings of motherhood

Vagabond fulfilling youth with cracking old age or;

Contained ‘under 40’ existence with crackling old age

A health free ‘greens’ only living with a cancer death or;

Blessed ice-cream and chocolate living with diabetic old age

Choices that are myths bundled into mirages

Choices that float and burst at the touch of reality

The word ‘choice’ left meaningless as destiny and fate make your life! 

Soulful Therapy

Sometimes dive into therapeutic healing

Away from yogis

Away from medical centers

Away from self- help books

Sometimes immerse in life’s simple healing

A No strings No money therapy

One look into the eye of your grinning child

One touch of your baby’s spongy hand

One master stroke that alleviates ‘corporate poisons’ of the day

Two minutes of heart rending melody

Two minutes of silence trickled with musical notes

Two nights sleep of blissful detachment

Three minutes of nonsensical laughs with a dear kith

Three minutes of conversations of ‘nothingness’ with a loving kin

Three days of ‘being loved’ paradise

Four fingers of your mother stroking your hair

Four shopping bargains with your mother

Four months of blessedness and gratitude

Five days in a foreign land

Five days of mountain and river gazing

A lifetime of liberating freedom dipped in soulful living

Sometimes it takes a day

Although I am generally averse to the over emphasis on certain meaningless days and the overall apathy towards the same cause on the other 364 days of the year…this Teacher’s Day I realized that sometimes it takes that ‘special day’ to remember certain milestones in one’s life and to cherish and express gratitude to the good souls who made us reach those milestones.

So this Teacher’s day, I took a few minutes to reflect on my good old school days and those stalwarts of the education arena who guided, moulded and mentored us into the big bad world !

They equipped me with life saving tips that I use every single day of my life…when life throws at me fatal ‘verge of drowning’ scenarios..at home, at work, in relationships! They honed my value system and etched some principles into my being which years of external influence and internal temptations could not erode! They set the stage where I could let my hair loose and indulge in things of passion and till date I am never afraid to do that thanks to that stage they created!

There is not a waking moment in my life where intentionally or otherwise I am not using one of the skills/virtues instilled by my teachers and each scenario, situation and challenge that crops on the way is easily averted, met and overcome with those simple techniques that these living legends taught me in school. They can make or break a child’s destiny and to my good fortune, most of my teachers took it upon themselves to play their best part in making my destiny and dream almost synonymous.

I only wish that the new crop of teachers in this world take more of the yesteryears passion and genuine interest into their system…let teaching not be a ‘job’ but a real passion for those engaged in moulding the next generation and to the general public – while we honour and idolize every cricketer, movie star and local leader at the drop of a hat….can we spare a little of the reward, recognition and mere appreciation for the eminent teachers in our society who are hitting those silent sixes and making many a Tendulkar as we speak?

Missing my map, backpack and sneakers

When you suffer from OCT (obsessive compulsive travel) syndrome and then return from a holiday from a place like Italy and Austria, the end result is a broken depressed individual who looks at old snaps, torn receipts and whatever one can lay a hand on to reminiscence the good times spent .. any words vaguely connected to the vacation spot will bring in a flurry of nostalgic thoughts…any person talking about their vacation will transport you to the images of the cities you visited….in a nutshell you become a ‘travelled’ wreck!

Now that sort of sums up the ‘as-is’ situation but the thought of describing the sights, the smells and the streets of Italy and Austria cajoles me and is one more attempt to live those days and nights again!

And so here goes…our first haunt was Rome….and as the saying goes..When in Rome..I did land and become a Roman from the word ‘go’! The stupendously unimaginable Colosseum dwarfed and humbled me and the whole vision of gladiators fighting as the emperors looked upon definitely gave me goose bumps (Russell Crowe did appear in those imagesJ)! The Romans are blessed with culture, history and architecture and one needs a week to explore the streets, admire the monuments and seep in the culture of Rome! From Rome we were transported into the wonderland of Tuscany…and the place lived up to its expectations…breathtaking green pastures and mountains…just like a picture out of a postcard ..delicious pasta and pizza…cobbled streets and heavenly houses (not to forget the flowers that adorn every balcony in Tuscany) and I could describe this forever..to sum it up – Tuscany has class – be it their roads, their plains, their mountains, their houses, their markets, their food, their streets and of course their ‘sellables’!

If Tuscany was about unalloyed beauty then Florence was about historic and vintage charm…the narrowest roads on earth can be found in Florence..and to one’s surprise you will find buses and uber cool bikes on these narrow pathways! Every corner, street, monument has been preserved with its natural history and beauty and you will be greeted with historic monuments and ‘gosh I could build a house like this’ moments at every corner of Florence. And to have a shot of Italian coffee with a view of the cobbled heaven is a must do when in Italy…you can gaze at ‘the’ chic fashion parade on the streets and admire the style quotient of Italians  - hats, stoles, skirts, boots and bags - they know their style and they definitely wear it ‘wellll’!

Our last stop at Italy was Venice – the city that oozes of picturesqueness ..and charm and beauty co-exist and flow through the numerous waterways of Venice…you can never have enough of sauntering through the banks of the waterways and crossing tiny bridges and hopping from canal to canal…and if you can leave Venice without buying something from the various ‘Murano’ glass shops  then you are definitely made of steel!

We bid goodbye to Italy at Venice and took a fairytale-like ‘Hogwarts’ train into Innbruck, Austria and the journey was surreal, magical – winding through snow-capped Alps, running through streams of sapphire waters and dashing through misty and sleepy villages…And we found music, food and simple charm in the streets of Innsbruck…the majestic Alps follow us in every street of Innsbruck and a ride up the fastest cableway took us to the top of the Alps with a stunning view of the city and mountains..not to forget the café with the view of the Alps at the zenith…and as we descended into the town center, the city had come alive with music streaming through the misty air of Austria and Austrians chatting and bustling at the cafes and savoring their ice creams into the late evenings…and Gods were definitely kind when I chanced upon a live music performanceat the heart of the town…the Alps in the backdrop, the melody touching you within and the entire town mutely twinkling with life! It’s a union worth dying for!

The Austrian joyride continued into the ‘lake’ district of Salzburg where we literally followed’ Maria’ into the valleys made eternal by the ‘Sound of Music’! And the lakes, mansions and the hills performed a visual ballad with a ‘drop of golden sun’..perhaps the birth of Mozart in this very town had something to do with it! And we finally said ‘so long farewell’ to Salzburg and made our final stop at Vienna… where we travelled through the Danube valley on a boat… castles and fortresses rising into the skies and emerald green waters sparkling on a golden afternoon! The inevitable ‘last day’ arrived in Vienna and we ended off with a tour of the city’s famous Schonbrunn palace followed by a lazy lunch and gazing session at the city center…where musical performances exploded in various corners  as tributes to Mozart the musician (Vienna is almost synonymous with Mozart) and cafes served the most delicious tarts on earth..

As they say all good things come to an end but the vacation had not ended as we took a peek into Dubai on our way back to India. It was more a nostalgic journey than an exploration route that we took in Dubai…to re-visit a place that you last visited as a teenager with a kid in hand is strange..and to top it, to actually stay with a school best friend and chat through the night with school buddies with the Dubai skyline in the back-drop was as good a school reunion you can whip up after 15 transformed years! But Dubai is definitely nothing like its earlier ‘avtar’ 15 years back, the city has got a make-over from an ordinary shopping city to a Manhattan-like twinkling cosmo-district!. Air-conditioned fantasy worlds dot the landscape of Dubai and whether its snow, aquariums, Rodeo Drive that you want – it’s all neatly packaged and tucked into the heart of the city! You can’t miss anything while in Dubai – Indians (topping the list J), global cuisines, the biggest brands, ‘air-conditioned souqs’ (local markets)– there’s something for everyone in Dubai! We did make the customary visits to the Burj Khalifa for a stunning view of the  ocean , skyline and skyscrapers, the biggest malls of Dubai and my favourite – the ‘souqs’ of Dubai where you can touch the soul of Arabia - Arabic music , architecture, knick-knacks, rugs, incense, dry fruits and all things Arabic! And before our flight ascended out of the sparkling Dubai night life, withdrawal symptoms struck and I almost looked like a picture of funeral pallor ready to be buried :(

I can’t help loving Kolkota

Kolkota embraces me with its charm and vintage every time and I fall in love all over again every time I step foot into the old districts of Kolkota.

For those who love ‘squeaky clean’ streets, glassy skyscrapers and a tummy full of burgers and fries…old Kolkota would prove harmful if not fatal. But for those in search of heritage, tradition and simple ‘old charm’….one stroll down the old cobbled dusty streets of Kolkota will get you as close as possible to history!

The city is almost like a shriveled old grand mother….yes, she has wrinkles from her age…yes, she wears a shabby saree and not low waist jeans and a T…yes, she doesn’t understand the glitzy glamour or gizmos worlds….yes, she prefers her ‘rasagolla’ to ‘chocolate fudge’….but can you hate for that? The city stinks of all things unimaginable, the shops and heritage buildings are a crumbling reality and you have to scuffle around the streets between trams, cabs, people, cycle rickshaws, human rickshaws and what have you..

I kept all those aside and ventured into the heart of the city and that’s when magic happened…I strolled down the bazaar areas of Kolkota and realized that inflation was a myth in that part of the country where a 100 rupee note can fill your tummy , fetch you a bag of goodies and loads of happiness that comes with shopping bargains! The arrays of leather shoes, bags, the ‘oh-so charming’ red and white sarees unleashes the shopping monster in you and it was indeed a tough job reining in my shopping instincts..

An all together unplanned early morning ride through the Ganges with a spectacular view of Howrah bridge was another moment of serenity and perhaps serendipity! A broken and rickety ferry that takes you from one bank to the other and a melodious Bengali song in the backdrop was a picture perfect setting for a glorious morning!

And before I headed out of the city, I had one last and quick stop at the ultimate temple for book lovers…College Street! The sheer number of book stalls and the surprising herds of book lovers who swarm the streets will take you by surprise..especially in this so-called era of Kindle and gadget kings! I purchased my very own copy of ‘Geetanjali’ by the one and only Tagore…more to remember this fascinating journey and to keep me bound to the city’s literary heritage!  And a ‘coffee stop’ at the College Street Coffee House was a final must-do…I sipped in a cup of ‘vintage’ coffee (if you can call it that considering the peeling old walls, the old waiter who served my coffee, the ‘no-fancy’ menu card and the milieu of khadar-clad, big bindied and bearded literary junta) and also the city’s historical cultural and literary wealth before flying out almost like a time machine back to ‘today’!

And She Arrives!!!!

She came, she conquered and she vanished..that was a decade back..and with “how old are you” (HORU), Manju Warrier has arrived on the movie scene with a fresh burst of energy and elegance!

HORU is definitely not a master piece but it’s not a bad filmeither. It’s a simple story told with sincerity and it kind of reaches home without melodrama and without the “inevitable bad guy”! Yes, there were typical “clichés” that could have been avoided, a few predictable turns and dramatic changes that are a little on the “utopian” side. Yes, the movie brings back memories of “English Vinglish” in various stages. Yes, Manju Warrier can create more magic than what she portrayed on screen..

But leave those regrets aside and you can appreciate the director for shouldering the responsibility of bringing back a yesteryear diva back to the audience..and he brought her back with warmth, simplicity and sheer elegance! The story too is a simple, sweet little peep into a thirty something woman’s world and it touches your heart at certain moments and brings out some mixed but relevant messages to the audience.

And what more can be said about Manju Warrier that hasn’t been said before? She slips effortlessly into “Nirupama”’s shoes and the tower of expectations definitely did not fail this time. Her performance makes us forget that she ever left the movie scene behind. The review cannot be complete without appreciating the stable support that Kunjacko lends to the movie , he holds his ground and matches Manju in every scene.

Despite being a hard-core fan, I should admit that the role was too ‘tailored’ for her and has not brought out the best in her. But I take this as her ‘warm up’ session before creating her second wave of blitzkrieg in Malayalam movie and that’s definitely worth the wait!

YES We need them

WE may have outgrown our pinafores, those obnoxious “high waist” jeans and the oh-so-cool but now “retro” MJ mixes…but we can’t outgrow our girlfriends…and they remain just that -  “girl friends”!!

A small outing together and we all transform into the girls that we used to be…that hang-out that brings out effortless conversations and crazy giggle sessions ..that “no-holds barred” table where we compare nail polish, discuss hairdos and business ideas in the same breath…a de-tox experience to ‘de-wife’, ‘de-mom’ your selves..the one place where dreams have no limits and we can break into those dreamy eyed future images that we saw in our childhood and continue to nurture in our adulthood!

It’s your personal little space to unwind and it’s an important experience for every woman and for those who miss out on all the “girl” fun in pursuit of marital, family and corporate zeniths..Maybe it’s time to take a break and slip into those girly sandals … let yourself loose and literally let your hair down!

No matter how “women” we are, how “lady” we are and how “ mom” we are..we need those girl friends..and those times together ..where we laugh ourselves silly  and catch up on our “gossip quotient”!  The ultimate “spa” experienceJ

Colour me Blue

Its been the “grand indian circus” all along…from the dramatic histrionics of the candidates to the dazzle and display of glamour and wealth under the pretext of ‘campaigning’..fromthe ring masters who have been taming the ‘wild lions’ of the political circus and finally to the audience who sits rapt and awed by the mesmerizing spectacle!

I too suffer from the same feeling of helplessness when I sift through the campaign trailstories..the “lows” of our democracy exposed in the endless mudslinging and personal attacks during the campaigns..the horrendous appalling statements made by our ‘so-called’ leaders of tomorrow..the moneys flowing through declared and undeclared circles! The ‘real burning’ issues have been sidelined and trampled upon in the final race for ‘power’!

Take a look at the regular recruitment process followed for any post be it a data entry operator or the CXO..a job description agreed with the candidate, a minimum set of requirements, detailed background verification, multi rounds of interviews testing the technical abilities, attitude and other skills of the candidate ..a rigourous process followed uniformly by all entities and for all posts…However, when it comes to the recruitment of probably “the” most important job – that of running a nation of billion people – there is absolutely no desired requirements, no assessment, no appraisal of past performance and not even a minimum set of ‘disqualifications’! It is ironic we will not employ a person with a petty criminal record as even a ‘teaboy’ in a company but will field, support and elect politicians with a history of criminal records!

What is the vision, strategy and plans of the people vying for the top post this election? Do they have a concrete plan of action to take the country to their stated goals? But in the cacophony of communal issues, petty caste politics and personal vendetta, what remainssilent is the ground level issues of humanity – water, shelter, education and sometimes even the basic right to defecate in private! All the parties are happy and content tom-toming or beating each other up over events that took place years back!

This election is the most sought after event of the year and each of us await the ultimate results which shall break or make this nation. Tomorrow is probably our day of redemption, our day of vengeance, our day of ‘one final attempt’ to save the nation or it could be ‘another wasted day’ in our lives depending on how you construe this entire election.

A year passes by

The term “birthday” took a new meaning this week with my daughter turning one and it brought me memories of that “mother of all” moment called giving birth! Yes birth day probably is more a celebration of that moment of “giving birth” rather than of being born…or atleast for me till such time those “stretch marks” vanishes from my mind!

Customary as it sounds– I did walk down memory lane..thenauseating mornings…the creeping days when I literally pushed a 3kg luggage around…the perennial “ holding on to tummy” gestures.. the multiple entry and exit into scanning centers…and the final run up to the mega day of my tryst with motherhood!And lo and behold.. the miracle moment when another heart beat emanated from me!

My thoughts then moved towards the dramatic transformation to the terms “family”, “we”, “me”, “dependent”, “status” and coming to terms with those earth shattering changes! The lingering presence of the so-called “baby smell”  that invaded our home..of wet diapers, of baby cream, of milk, of fresh out of shower baby skin! A tiny little being who graduated physically from staring to turning to crawling to “almost standing”  andemotionally from smiling to recognizing to responding! And that growth is too quick..too aggressive and too difficult to cope with!

It is but a small milestone in the overall engagement with bringing up a daughter but a look back at “me” and I realize that after all the twists and turns..it took a year to settle down to the term “Nanda’s mother”, a year to naturally add a “kid” to my family status, a year to mechanically clean the mess created by a baby, a year to accept a few sleepless nights and a few “cold dinners” as a part of “normalcy”!

But a year past and I confess not fitting into the “mould of greatmothers”..I confess that I feel relieved when I read a book away from baby cries and sounds… I confess that I love stepping out and letting my hair down with friends…free of baby and associated baggage… … I confess I want to make my way back into the cut throat career battles of life..I confess that sometimes my thoughts are just “me”, “mine” and “me only”..I guess it takes many a year to get to the next milestone of “selfless mom”! And I guess maybe I don't want to get there.,,,,, I am sort of at peace with the “demi-mom” status!

The Reverberating Beats

As the SGO Beats and all activities preceding the final show stopper annual day comes to an end, I thought it is apt to sum up the experience and echo the beats back to the organizers of the show.

Being a part of the SGO community for over 5 years now, every February after every SGO Beat,I take an oath to take out more time from our “busy schedules” to interact, socialize and give back (so to speak) to the community but as the sound of the SGO Beats dulls out so does my resolve and slowly and steadily I slip back into my home, work and ‘miscellaneous’ activities routing….And then every year come January and I literally ‘get down’ to business….walk right into the heart of the battle field (or our badminton court in lay terms)..take out that rusted badminton racquet and try my luck with the champion of champions that rule the badminton court….start ‘you-tubing’ for songs, skits, dance and all things cultural and festive…..and when the SGO Beats truly arrives…days and nights are blurred…. We start living in each other homes’…. truly get to know the person who stays on the other side of the bedroom wall (literally)….generally start remembering the names, tie back names to faces to families….and of course not to miss…get up to date on the ‘who’s-who’, ‘who-dunnit’ of the apartment!

But that apart, every year we wonder whether it’s worth the pain… the agonizing nights trying to put up shows…collating and organizing tons of things including music, microphones, plates, cups not to mention people and kids (not in the order of importance of course)… and what have you…..the heartbreaks and misunderstandings on and off stage….the many “it could have been better” thoughts and views floating around…..”the oohh we shud have done it” regrets….but once the show is indeed over and one looks back at the month that was….I must say that maybe its worth it… the joy of interacting with people you live with day in and day out…the ‘getting’ to unveil hidden talents and skills of the ‘silent faces’ of the apartment…the sound of innocent cries and victorious howls of the kids in the apartment….the dazzle and finery of the damsels of our apartment….all rolling into a kaleidoscopic view of the apartment…a month where you can keep aside those mundane official mails, come out of that black and white ‘routine Monday to Fridays’ , explore the world beyond the four walls of your apartment..and simply smile and enjoy the company of your fellow residents…simply acknowledge the sweet people around you… people who will offer you that ‘ginger tea’ when you thought you are going to collapse of fatigue…..!

I guess when the dust settles, I do feel it’s worth it….to make our everyday living an experience to remember….to appreciate the people who have lent their helping hand or shoulder or just a smile to make our day….and to just adapt into the ecosystem that we create for ourselves and for our children to grow up in.. !!

Kissing Goodbye..

To the year that was 2013…While we were brutally “tejpalled”, “asaramd” and “gangulyd” on one side, we were pushed to abysmal lows with scams unlimited on the other side…

Probably  frustration and fear marked the beginning and end of the last year…frustration that the taxpayers’ money was scooped away into the homes of politicians…frustration that scams come and go but never reach the logical end called “conviction”….frustration that we have choices to make between the devil and the deep sea...frustration that the potholes in the road in front of our house never gets repaired…frustration that inflation refuses to stop its assault on our pockets…frustration that media has time to chase celebrities but no time to confront “real” issues…

Fear was the other by product of this year that slowly seeped into the Indian conscience and is cementing its existence permanently into our psyche…fear that lurks when we withdraw money from an ATM…..fear that grips you when your five year old baby girl comes late from school…fear that discomforts you when a male colleague accompanies you in a late night cab ride…fear that nags you when you make an online banking transaction…fear that disquiets you on a Volvo or train journey…fear that stops you from expressing your thoughts freely…

But as they say there is always a silver lining in every cloud..maybe we found our silver lining in MARS this year….maybe we found our silver lining with a little bit of “kejriwal” in our lives…maybe the word ‘hope’ will claw and crawl its way into our hearts this year…A 'maybe' that I am banking on heavily this new year!