What a day....!!!!

After reading the lovely post written by a blogger friend Sumita, a certain kind of 'feel good' feeling engulfed me. I always love to have a hectic day tagged with variety of activities. Stagnancy and monotonousness makes me irritated and lethargic. I still remember those few months which I consider as one of the low phases of my life when I sat idle at home (grad results delayed & pg classes not started). Anyways, as usual I digress. This kind of desired schedule I enjoyed during last couple of years of my job. My role offered me variety of activities and new challenges every day. But as now I am settled as a SAHM, honestly speaking, my life has again become very predictable and routine oriented. It is not exactly dull but yes, a bit stagnant. I don't deny the special joy & happiness which motherhood has brought in my life, but sometimes I do miss 'myself'.

So as I read Sumita's post, I yearned to write a similar post of my desired day. But recently, any of my normal day routine never qualified to make it up to my 'wish list' routine...every day is somehow same :-( But yesterday after a long time I went off-routine.

Woke up in the morning early with Mishti shouting and almost having a verbal fight with her dad. Poor daddy felt like cuddling the sleeping beauty but the daughter hates snuggling...while sleeping also she occupies almost half of the bed and rest half is left her parents. So she got super irritated with her dad and woke up before time. I tried to make her sleep again but when she refused to lie again and started her climbing sessions (yeah...she loves to climb the railings of our wrought iron bed), I drove the dad-daughter duo out of bed room.

As SG prepared tea, I pulled myself out of bed. After tea, SG rushed to wash his hair so that he can go for a hair-cut. He sports almost a military style hair cut and makes too much fuss if he does not visit his barber after every 20 days.....I think I should meet his barber once!!!!. In the meantime I prepare breakfast and try to feed Mishti. As I accomplish this mission SG comes back. I had previously planned to visit my parlor today....so SG agrees to prepare lunch and manage Mishti as well (You see...why I am so happy!!). It almost took me more than 2 hours there....came back and had lunch with hot n spicy Egg-curry & rice.

Then I started bugging SG that I want to buy some good tops...most of the older ones doesn’t fit me. After much nagging he gave up and asked me to go to the local mall and get it myself( he volunteered to look after Mishti in the meantime)......Me and my sis grabbed the idea(happy happy!!). We went for shopping and bought 1 top, 3 pair of footwear (one for me & two for her). I almost managed to lose the credit card!! Yes...after buying the top we went to choose some gift item for the baby whose birthday party we were invited the same evening. As we were getting the gift packed my sis went out of shop to attend some call...I was carrying all the carry-bags. Then we went to another floor of that mall and entered the footwear shop. But when it was time for billing....I could not place my credit card...Gah!!!.....I checked my wallet in and out.... and rushed to that gift shop....When I asked him, he smiled and said yes I have a card......ufff..Such a relief!!!...but as he took out the card, it was not mine!!!....I again went back to that footwear shop where my sis waited. Again we searched for it and found it my sister's wallet ....remember I was carrying all the bags so I kept the credit card back but in wrong wallet!!!

By the time we returned back it was almost 5:30 PM. As I mentioned earlier, we were invited to attend the birthday party of kid of SG's friend, so started getting ready....and left home at 6:30  PM.....reached there by 8PM ( in Delhi). It was a nice party organized in one of the halls of DSOI. Enjoyed the food and watched live magic show...It was fun. SG took Mishti to the magician when he took out a pigeon out of a box and made that bird sit on Mishti's arms. Ohhh God...that girl is not at all frightened and was giggling!!!.....Then after cake, dinner and return-gift we returned home braving the trucks & biggg long -tailed trucks over the highway...

Mishti slept in the car and was wide awake as she reached home by 11:30PM. Her mashu (my sis) changed her to night suit and fed her milk while I glued to facebook. After half an hour of struggle, mashu came out with her darling niece who didn't sleep and was more interested in her climbing stunts when put to bed. So I took the charge and took her to bed....forced her to lie down and kept patting while holding her legs tightly.....as she dozed I also slipped to snooze land.... Ohhh What a day!!!

P.S. Edited to add Mishti's Piegon experience snap.

Old Diary 3......

After the previous two excerpts, Old Diary again....


कोई अपना सा......                                             (Dec 2002)


हवाओं के किसी कोने से ,
     उसने मुझे आवाज़ लगाया...
अपनी बाहें फैलाकर, 
     उसने मुझे पास बुलाया....
आहिस्ता मेरे गालो को सहलाकर,
     वो दो बोल प्यार के सुनाया....
और मेरी आँखों में ऑंखें डालकर,
      कुछ ऐसा जादू चलाया ......
एक ही पल में इतना कुछ हो गया,
      की मुझे खुद को संभालना भी न आया.....
फिर धीरे से मेरे होठों को छूकर ,
      उसने मुझे गले लगाया....
अब कहने को और क्या बाकि रहा,
      जब 'मौत' ने मुझे अपना बनाया........

Pierced....

Yesterday, we got Mishti's ears pierced. It was tough procedure which ended successfully in midst of the vehement protests from daddy & daughter duo.....daddy's emotional protest & Mishti's physical protest!!!

We went to Gold Souk (a mall which has only jewelers & ornament showrooms) to check out some ring. I had this idea of 'ear piercing' already in the back of my mind and it was pending since our Allahabad visit. So, inquired about the procedure & rate in that particular shop. They told me that it would cost Rs.500/-(My ears were pierced in Rs 10/- !!!) and would use the gun-shot method.

Now, the tough part...explaining & convincing SG. He held his daughter tightly and refused giving 100 excuses. Finally when none of his pleadings worked he tried threatening ....I am not a part of it, OK..If something happens then I will...... blah blah!!!

Me & my sister put up a brave heart and took her inside the shop. Sister held Mishti in her lap and that shop-person 'marked' her ears...Mishti shrugged her shoulders, started wriggling out of her mashu's hold .....SG sat in a corner grumpily. First the right ear was pierced....waaaaaaannnn...Mishti screamed!!! She made the task quite difficult for that person by swaying her head, scratching & hitting her Mashu. By the time other ear was pierced Mishti was wailing & howling her lungs out. For a moment, even I felt guilty of my monstrous decision.I looked at SG and he gave me that look which people generally gave Bindu or any other actors who played the role of step mom torturing kids in yesteryear's Hindi movies!!! By the time we stepped out of mall Mishti was otherwise fine but in a bad mood.

I was skeptical that she would touch or tug her earlobes or those newly fixed studs but she didn't. Ufff...being a parent is emotionally so taxing sometimes!!!!

Check out the small studs & her bad mood !!!

Lovely Mausam....

Thunderstorm struck Delhi-NCR last evening and it has been pouring the whole night. Mercury has slashed down with cool breeze blowing. Very unlikely weather for month of April when people of Gurgaon were already prepared themselves for hot dry days with scorching sun over their head.

Anyways, this weather takes me down the memory lane.

As Kid:

'Rainy Day'.......Ahhh going to school all drenched and coming back within an hour...then eating the lunch box at home within next one hour!!!...then the whole morning & afternoon can be spent on colouring & reading books :-)

Listening to Thama's stories while lying beside her.

'Khichudi'....the typical bengali style Khichdi accompanied with 'Beguni' & Pyaz Pakori...this is what prepared by mom for lunch.

After 10 Years:

Reading book with rain drops making tip- top sound on the asbestos roof of my room

Chatting with friends catching some latest gossips or just endless ramblings.

After few years (while on job):

Discussing office politics, appraisals, scorecards, pending trainings over 'chhoti chai' with 'matthi' at roadside dhaba with colleagues.

If at home, catching some extra sleep tucked under a bed sheet. 

Now:

Running around with wet, damp & not so wet washed clothes (70% comprises of Mishti's stuffs) and  shifting their position in balcony.

Constantly worrying that whether Mishti is wearing season appropriate clothes so that she doesn't catches cold.

Making changes in Mishti's diet and excluding any food which can cause cold as weather is edgy again.

After Mishti sleeps, I try to finish my chores hastily and sneak to the bed silently to see that li'l lady is wide awake and ready to jump on me for playtime.

(This pic is clicked by my cousin SRC)

(This one is best out of three successful shots out of 80 continuous shots on full manual mode)

First ever award...

Woooohoooo....I am featured in the homepage of Blogadda.com as 'Notable Newbie'. So for the next few days I am gonna show -off  :-D

Adding it to my blog as well :-)

Remix...

As I mentioned earlier, Mishti is very fond of TV commercials. One of her latest liking is the Nestea commercial which features a mamma & baby Kangaroo.

This is a cute ad which talks about 'remix' for the older generation so that they can gel with the newer lot. Suddenly Thama's (my grand mom) thought came to my mind.... specifically I remember one incident.

It was in the year 2002. I came back home after watching movie 'Devdas' with my friends. At that time Thama was almost bed-ridden suffering from Parkinson's disease & brain atrophy. Due to this brain atrophy she had almost shelled herself and would speak hardly one or two sentence a day . Doctors had advised us to talk to her  a lot and and also make her speak. It was a tough job....the lady who had spent hours talking to us earlier would respond in mono-syllables due to her mental condition.But sometimes, she would get irritated with our constant nag to talk and her original self would come out and would reply with her typical 'Bishaka Bose' like response!!! So, I sat near her .....

Me: Thama, today I went to watch Devdas......

Thama: Hmmm...ok

M: You know the story of Devdas, right!

Th: Yes...

M: But, do you know in this Devdas, Shahrukh Khan was there.

Th: That means this a newer version....

M: (enthusiastically...as she spoke a sentence now) ...Yes this is recent one...You know Madhuri & Aishwarya were also there and the songs , costume....blah, blah, blah.

Th: Hmmmmm

M: (trying to make her express her views) But you know you might not have liked this version as they changed few things in this movie....In the original story Paro never met Chandramukhi but in this one they even danced together!!

Th: It's OK...They have to change and improvise as per public's choice......

M: (trying hard....) But don't you feel bad that they twisted the original script of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.....

Th: No. not at all..with whatever changes , at least they have recreated the old script and presented to you otherwise would you guys have watched or known this 'Devdas' story.....I bet you would have never watched Devdas with K.L Saigal or Dilip Kumar...it is just because this Khan boy was dancing you went to watch......In a way it is good I believe.

Now can you just let me sleep!!!

Why I shared this incident....just to say that getting 'remix' is in your mind, you thoughts, your opinions. Thama could have easily cribbed about the fact how this new generation made a joke of the original story and blah blah....but she chose to 'remix' her views!!!

Standing tall.....

This post is now already five days late. 'Lazy me' can quote many lines like 'Better late than never' etc.but I am feeling more lazy even to quote them. Anyways, Mishti achieved another milestone on the day she completed her 10 months. Yeah..She managed to stand on her own. After the initial tumbles, now she grabs anything in sight and stands like a pro! 

"Aaj main apne pairon pe khadi hokar duniya ko dikha doongi"

(Just look at her facial expression!)

"Yessss, I managed this standing task"

"Whoohoo...I can balance myself with one hand as well"

I have to watch TV as well.....

Myths & Remedies....!!!

Now a days Mishti is taken daily for her lawn outing in evening. So yesterday, while sitting with Mishti on that wooden bench I observed a bunch of little girls playing /chatting. Suddenly while getting up one girl's forehead brushed with another's head......the first girl started going when the second girl called her back. "we need to collide our heads once again otherwise we would get horns (Seeng)!!!!". 

This was funny but even I used to believe it as a kid!! So, what all I can recollect from my memory here are few myths which I believed to core as a kid. I am still not sure how I learnt these myths because my 'Thama' (grand mom) was way too progressive to believe in these lines and my mom also never taught me about them...might be possible from school mates I got these ideas!!


(Disclaimer: All the myths & remedies mentioned below are folklore ...believe them or implement them at your own risk.)

Myth 1: One time head/fore head collision can result in eruption of horns from you forehead.

Remedy: Collide it again...Yes I am serious, we used to do this deliberately!

Myth 2: Do not pluck leaves or flowers after sun-set...or for that matter Do not touch the tree/plant at all.'Bhoot' will not spare you...mind it!!!

Remedy: Even if you have done this unknowingly just pray to the 'Tree GOD' for forgiveness.

Myth 3: If someone is sitting or lying do not cross over them. It stops their height growth (Considering my vertically challenged figure, I am damn sure that the crowd which gathers for 'Kumbh Mela' at my hometown must have crossed over me while I was sitting!!!)

Remedy: Cross again but this time from opposite side!

Myth 4: Do not touch feet if anyone is sleeping or lying...it symbolical to touching feet of a dead body!!

Remedy: I do not know...but yes this one was followed in my family and we used to get lot scolding if done.

Myth 5: If you happen to touch any stuff related to studies ( books, pens, pencils, eraser....) with your feet or for that matter if any of these fall to ground , you would surely get a blot in your academic career!!

Remedy: Pick it up touch it with you forehead and kiss it. I follow this still today as was told once as kid that actually Goddess Saraswati ( Goddess of learning & education) resides in all these items.

Myth 6: Snakes do come out and start dancing (not like Chikni Chameli but just swaying their hood!!!) if that particular 'Been' (musical instrument) is played. The credit of this belief goes to movie 'Nagina' where Sridevi who was actually a 'Nagin'(snake) starts dancing like inebriated person every time the tune was played.

Remedy: Run away from that place where this tune is played!!

Myth 7: If you see a funeral procession, always put palm of your hand to your head till the time it is not out of sight. I am not sure what happens if we fail to follow this one.

Remedy: I don't know.

Myth 8: Never throw any discarded stuff from you body like used bandage/cotton, bunch of you hair unattended outside. Might be this was a way to teach hygiene actually.

Remedy: Spit on it and then throw ( Huh...here goes hygiene out of window!!!)

So this is what I can remember for now...would surely add on if can recollect more!! But honestly, feeling very nice as I go through my childhood days in my mind while writing this post.

Old Diary 2....

Another excerpt from my old diary:

साहिल...                     (Sept 2001)

आज खुद को आईने में देखा तो,
 यूँ ही उस 'साहिल' का ख्याल आ गया......
       जो बरसो से तनहा खड़ा,
अपनी ठहरी हुई ज़िन्दगी के पल गिनता है ....
लहरें उसके पास आती तो है, पर अगले ही पल,
       उसे तनहा छोड़ वापस लौट जाती.....
 अक्सर लोग भी आते,
      समंदर की खूबसूरती को निहारते,
कुछ देर उसकी चट्टानों पर बैठते,
     और दिन ढलते ही वापस लौट जाते,
और वो 'साहिल' फिर से अकेला हो जाता....

समंदर के पानी पर जब,
   रात की काली परछाइयाँ लहराती,
तब भी वो 'साहिल',
सूनेपन की चादर ओड़े,
    सिमटा सा, सहमा सा खड़ा रहता....
न जाने उसे किसका इंतज़ार है ,
    शायद वो खुद भी नहीं जानता,
पर सदियों से बस इंतज़ार करता है,
   सिर्फ इंतज़ार......

Challenge...Honey-web

Inspired by the post by Obsessivemom  for the first time in my blog, I am trying something different. I have taken up the challenge given to me by another blogger Desire v/s Destiny in Indiblogger.in. Exactly in his words it says " Challenge for you, Write about a school Time love story! Getting out of which was the best thing happened to the female character ...".

So, I am going to narrate a story which is not fictional and but also not completely real. I knew the characters of this story (though not personally) and has taken up some creative independence to restructure the series of events. All names have been changed. The story timeline is somewhere in early years of this century.

Ankita hurriedly threw her school bag on the bed and rushed to change the uniform. It is already 3:30 PM. Even if she gorges down her food in jet speed then also she is going to be late. 'He leaves the shop by 5PM' she thought in her mind. Anyways, she picked her tuition bag and checked her wallet, 'Wow, with this much money I can buy two cassettes this month'. 

As soon she stepped out of her house, Sonia called her from the neighboring house. Same age, same class although different schools, same tuition classes, good neighbors but still Ankita never felt to bond with her. 'That tuning is not there between us' she always thought. Sonia told her that she is rushing to her friends as there is an accident there but asked Ankita to not to tell this either to her parents or the tuition teacher. 'If Sir asks tell him that I am not well' muttered Sonia in her typical sing-song voice. 'What a big liar.....it was so evident that she is cooking some kind of silly excuse for her absence from classes' Ankita thought but said OKkk and moved ahead to the local market.

'Ohhh Thank GOD it is only 4:10PM', she would surely be able to get a glimpse of him. Who is 'him'? He is the brother of the owner of the biggest & best gift gallery & Variety shop of her so called small town. People call him Champ....'indeed he is, such a good looking hunk and so amiable & friendly...I just looooove the way he ties his bracelet on his wrist' Ankita's mind crooned. His shop is always the happening place of the area. Every month Ankita saves her pocket-money to buy some music cassettes from his shop. Also, buying gifts for friends & usual stationary stuff, all is done from this outlet only. Ankita' mind continues 'His voice pours as music to my ears......Last time also he asked for my phone number....I felt so awkward & scared....Ohh such a goofy I am..Today I would   exchange phone numbers for sure...what if my phone is always guarded by my parents...I can manage to sneak sometime!!'. She reached the shop but found that he has already left for the day. 'What the ...., Why he has leave early today only....her luck never favors her'. She postponed the idea of buying cassettes for some other day....'Searching for a nice album through the catalog takes so much time, she does not want to waste that only opportunity to be with him in vain'.

Heavyhearted, she went to her tuition classes. There she came to know about the 'Gossip of the day'. Priya whispered in a hush-hush tone 'Hey, do you know Sonia is going around with Champ these days!'. 'What!!!' Ankita literally shouted. 'Yesss this news is 100% pakka, they are seeing each other and today also they had gone for a date'. Ankita tried not to listen any more to Priya. She felt so bad. All her beautiful thoughts which she has spanned around him crashed with a jolt.

Next couple of weeks, she tried her best to avoid Sonia and forget her mushy romantic crush for Champ. In spite of her best efforts, her mind wandered multiple times in his thought…'Why luck never favors me, Why it can’t be me in place of that Sonia…life is so unfair' her heart continued to yearn for him…..

 Now, almost a month has passed after that. Ankita has been able to gather herself and continued with her normal life. Yeah...she went to buy those cassettes but after 5PM only....'I cannot face his flirty behavior anymore'...but the shop was closed. She went again after 10 days but still it was closed....'They have closed their business and "bitiya" do not visit this place anymore' one of the neighborhood ageing shop owner told her.

That night while having dinner she started surfing though various TV channels when her fingers paralyzed on one news channel. 'They are flashing a 'Breaking NEWS' and her town's name is there. OMG....What are they showing....it is news coverage of a MMS (obviously dirty!!) flooding the internet where the girl has been identified from her town...these news channel has got other details as well. The news anchor was shouting on the top of his voice.....See where the latest generation is moving....they take everything so casually...this girl studying in Class 11th belongs to a middle-class family and the guy is a local shop-owner. As per our sources, this guy is into this dirty business of luring innocent teenagers, trapping them in his 'honey-web' and after filming them in compromising acts, selling those clippings in market. Police has raided his house and found many other clips & MMS well. He is absconding now. Girl's family is not ready to comment...blah blah. They kept on showing the bits of MMS (blurred though) on their screen...However blurred it is, Ankita can recognize that bracelet on the guy's wrist!!!!

She got up from the sofa and went to her room.....closed her eyes and said 'THANKS a lot GOD.....from now onward, I would never blame my luck...you saved me from falling in that dirty pit'.

Kanya.....

Mishti got her first ever 'Kanya - Poojan' invitation today. In detail, she would be one of the nine 'Kanya' who are going to take part in that Nav-Ratri Pooja.

As a kid I remember how exciting it would to be a 'Kanya' where you get the royal treatment. Host would arrange food (Bhog!!!) with yummy "Poori, Kale chane & Halwa".Before meal they would 'touch your feet'(as you are one of the nine devi(Goddess) for them) and give money & a beautiful red 'Odhni' as well. 

But girls who have not attended puberty are only eligible for this esteemed(!!) 'Kanya' position. So, when my periods started at the age of 11, which was very early though I was not invited for any 'Kanya' Pooja......I used to feel so bad and left -out without even knowing the reason as all girls of my age in my neighborhood would still be a part of it. Later on, when I understood the reason behind this, I was more than annoyed. That time I thought that I would never send my daughter to participate in these baseless rituals so that she should saved of the mental agony which I went through.

However, now I feel that I should act less like a typical control freak and let Mishti face these situations on her own. Anyways, it is still too early though for her to understand these weird customs...till that time it is actually a'Play date' for her....so enjoyyyy!!!