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!!!

Health is wealth....???

Health is wealth....??? Honestly speaking, I never ever cared for this phrase before my pregnancy or even for that matter couple of months after that.

So, this is one thing which I might like to change in myself is my 'Chalta hai' attitude towards my health always. Yeah....I did not treasured my high immunity body type due to which I rarely suffered from common cold, cough, general fever and all these petty bodily infections. Also, albeit high immunity I got slow BMR which resulted of a plump me in my twenties and OBESE me after my pregnancy!!

So what made realize the worth of good health?As I said I always enjoyed high immunity of my body and even while pregnant when generally this immunity level drops I managed to stay perfectly fine with a "housefull" of people suffering from bad throat & cold infections. However, only during my pregnancy I cared a bit for myself with healthy eating & regular walking which yielded my 'normal' pregnancy. I was almost fine after my pregnancy barring lower body pain & stitch scar. I was back to my normal routine the very next day Mishti was born ( I was discharged from hospital the same day my baby was born). Never to mention everything fall into place with quick recovery of my wound , Mishti able to take the breast feed etc

When Mishti was 2.5 months old, I had to go to Allahabad for 1.5 months to stay there at my in-laws place. Just a day before we came back to Gurgaon, I was infected with a strange 'milder' version of chicken-guinea. So symptoms are high body temperature with acute joint pain. This pain hit every joint of body like elbow, shoulder, wrist, finger joints, knee, ankle etc. If it had been usual situation (means if I was not a new mom) I would have never got infected with this peculiar fever but as pregnancy generally lowers the immunity of the body I got hit with this virus. So, after coming back from Allahabad  I was down with this ailment for couple of days......fever was not a matter of worry but the worst part was the acute joint pain which literally made me realize the importance of every bone of my body. Even to cover the distance from living room to bed room I took ages and literally crawled like a snail!!!! But after a week of recovery, this pain was still there in few critical joints of my body ( inner thighs, knee ankle...) and used to show off   its ugly face for every movement of mine.

We switched to homeopathy and my doc asked for a blood test to be done. Findings: The ESR & CRP level is found really high in my blood. I googled and found that it means an early stage of rheumatoid arthritis.That stupid fever had triggered these factors in my body which were dormant  ( I am saying dormant coz due to heredity factor...my mom has arthritis.... these were present in my body). Medication started and so as my my real testing time. 

Handling a small baby all alone, along with house hold chores and cooking and icing to the cake was this joint pain!!! Believe me,changing posture while sleeping had been a nightmare and for turning side it took me real 4-5 minutes!! I was not able to get myself up from bed and stand on my feet...forget about anything else I was not able to carry Mishti properly or lift her at times :-(

SG was very supportive and took frequent leaves to manage the chores but this continued for months.After couple of months it came bit under control but doc clearly told me that due to my 'weight' issues complete cure is getting delayed! I felt terrible...with no time for workouts or even walking I have no option lose even a gram of fat! Now, I got accustomed with this pain of inner thigh muscles...Yes it is still there. It is really painful as I wriggle myself out of bed or try to match pace with crawling Mishti.Doc says it is gonna take time.

Now I understand the importance of losing weight...bad enough, still not able to chalk out a regular routine for exercise as one person has to be completely after Mishti nowadays. Lets see....how early I can make a way out of this trouble. But one thing is for sure....I have to lose weight badly if I want to stop this decay of my health.

Just Like that.......Choice of Words!!!!

Alert: Few words of this post are slang as per my standard. Readers discretion requested.


One recent TV commercial of a soft-drink triggered this post. Hope I don't sound like a human fossil when I say that nowadays there are many words which has entered entertainment media which were a complete no-no even few years back.

The lyrics of this advertisements are 

Iske paas guitar hai, sabko isse pyar hai,

Isko kaise jheloon main, Kaise iski le loon main

(Translation: He has the guitar, therefore everyone loves him: How can I tolerate him, How Can I screw him up)

As far my knowledge, this highlighted term is a slang in Hindi and is completely a double meaning statement. But still it is so easily tucked inside that jingle and is heard by all age of people. The moment I heard this limerick, it hit my ear drum. I am not sure but are we being more relaxed towards our 'choice of words'.

I still remember when a Bollywood song "Sexy.sexy mujhe log bole" with a skimpy dressed Karishma Kapoor gyrating to this tune hit the charts, so much hue & cry was raised. Ultimately even that song was re- released as "Baby baby mujhe log bole". But then after sometime this word 'sexy' got comfortably adjusted in our lingo. Now other than human even mobile phones & cars are also sexy!

"Kamina" was always known as a 'gaali' but in recent years Bollywood got a movie by this term( remember Shahid Kapur in double role!!) and this 'gaali' filled posters was all over movie halls & multiplexes.Am I over-reacting???

Then another word used in one Hindi movie (movie name: Thank you) song which shows three leading actors (Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol & Irrfan Khan) dancing to it. The word is "Tharki". It means 'horny'...I wonder what censor board is doing! What if my kid has been in that 'asking questions' age and asked me the meaning of this word ????

Then what about that roaring hit song "Bhaag DK Bose"!!! No, I am not getting hyper because I share the same last name but it is a clear-cut 'gaali'!!! Isn't it!

Might be I have too much aversion to these slang and do not not very comfortable with their use in day-to day language. But I wonder how in near future I can teach my kid about the better 'choice of words' when the whole society is getting more tolerable to this lingo! Parents what do you say.....???

Old Diary....

Just found some old diaries in my closet......I had the habit of writing diary during my school & college days, not everyday but whenever I had something to 'get out of my system' (borrowing this term from R'Mom).

While reading them, I just slipped back to memory lane....although time, situation & circumstances has changed so much, so many people who has captured the pages of my diary might not be in contact with now, but still it feels nice while reading them.

Apart from writing my heart out, in one of those diaries I used to scribble verses in Hindi (Although I always scored low in Hindi, but does that stop anyone from showing off their poetic skills!!). Thought of sharing few verses which I penned long back. I would not bore people with all in one go but one in one post.

ज़िन्दगी...                                  (Feb'2001)

एक थी 'ज़िन्दगी',
         हसीन, खुबसूरत सी.....
हर पल एक नया रंग दिखाती,
हर लम्हा एक नए अंदाज़ में आगे बदती
          एक थी 'ज़िन्दगी'.....
कभी खुशियों का था आलम,
         कभी अश्कों से थी आँखे नम,
थोड़ी ख़ुशी, थोडा गम,  यही तो थी 'ज़िन्दगी'......
         कभी अपने तेज़ रफ़्तार से सबको पीछे छोड़ देती,
कभी अपने ठहराव से बोझिल सी बन जाती,
         कभी रूकती, कभी चलती, यही तो थी 'ज़िन्दगी'......

वहीँ कहीं पर 'मौत' खड़ा था,
           'ज़िन्दगी' का दीवाना......
चाहता था 'ज़िन्दगी' को अपनी बाँहों में समेट लेना,
वैसे तो 'ज़िन्दगी' और 'मौत' की कई बार मुलाकातें हुई थी,
पर 'ज़िन्दगी' तो अपनी ही धुन में
            'मौत' को अनदेखा कर आगे बढ गयी थी......
'मौत' को यकीन था कि उसकी मोहब्बत रंग लाएगी
'ज़िन्दगी' एक न एक दिन भाग कर उसके पास चली आएगी...

और, हुआ भी यही..
'ज़िन्दगी' 'मौत' की चाहत को न टाल पाई,
'मौत' अपनी बाहें फैलाये खड़ा था
         'ज़िन्दगी' उसकी आगोश में समां गयी......
इस तरह खत्म हुआ 'ज़िन्दगी' का वजूद
     'मौत' ने उसे अपना नाम जो दे दिया था .....

Observations.....

So, before it is too late that I forget the minute details of the recent Allahabad trip which includes couple of weddings, I should jot down at least my observations or inferences. As my blog title reads as " My world through my spectacled eyes " thus these points are only reflections of how I perceive things & issues, others opinion may or may not vary.

Even with best precautions taken babies tend to get infections during train journey.... you can sanitize hands  multiple times but what to do when your kid is licking the train wall or seats (eeeeeeekkkkkk!!!)

If your baby is still in her pre - walking stage then for sure you would have a hard time in any wedding. You cannot let your baby  crawl or roll like she does at her home in marriage hall or the guest houses, so be prepared for a super cranky baby.

Also, your skills would be tested as your baby tries to wriggle herself out of your lap and in the process pulls everything which comes her way...be it your decked up hair, saree plates ( one of my saree which I wore in one of functions is torn now), mobile phone etc

No matter how sincere parent you are, some of your elderly relatives would still be critical of your parenting style and would shower their expert advice on you.

Do not waste money on buying pretty but complicated dresses like lehenga, saree or heavily decorated princess frock for your kid. If there is slightest discomfort, kid would refuse to wear that or would be at her cranky best while wearing them.

So much hard earned money is wasted to arrange these big fat weddings that I wish Mishti should get married in court and later we can have a party.

People should switch over to artificial flower decorations in wedding instead of spending thousands on  flowers....guess it would be quite nature friendly as well.  Also, stop giving garlands or rose bud to 'Baraatis' for welcome purpose....It is thrown away within minutes.

Mishti in her Patiala suit!!!

Princess indeed!!!

Cousins!!!

Celebrating Myself....

Alert: This turned out to be a long post.

As I start thinking about writing on this topic of  'Celebrating Myself', I realized that indeed it is a difficult theme to elaborate. We all must have celebrated so many things & events in our life be it numerous birthdays, anniversaries, our success, other's failure(!!), different milestones of life etc. but the moments when we honestly celebrated being us is quite few.

So, grabbing this opportunity, I want to recall an incident of my life when I celebrated myself . That was not very significant incident but yes, it gave me that confidence & self-esteem which I carry on my nose (as people say... :)) till today. So, I would just rewind the scenario when I was 21 years old. As a kid and a teenager I always had been the Ms. Nobody in my school or coaching centre or my college. With my below average looks, plump body and average academic performance I was hardly to be noticed and kept a low key in any public gatherings. Sometimes my confidence level would hit the ground when I see other girls/boys of my age proving their mettle in academics or sports or other extra curricular activities or might be in wooing boyfriends .

Anyways, coming back to that incident, it was another regular day when I was on my way to BCA classes. That time I generally used to drive my two-wheeler to college but for some reasons I was using public transport that day. So, I took the shared auto which would drop me till a certain stop after which I had to take a cycle rickshaw. In Allahabad ( my home town) these shared autos are any female's nightmare and a perfect environment for sickening gropers or eve-teasers. So, I was sitting at the window-corner seat when a very well-dressed young man boarded that auto from the nearby engineering college stop and occupied the seat next to me. He had a big bag with him which he kept on his lap.

Soon, he started the conversation with me by asking the shortest way to reach railway station. He told me that  he is from Delhi, had come for some entrance exams in my city and would be boarding his train the same night. He was kind of a talkative person and started talking how small my city is and how the conservative mentality of Allahabad is suffocating. Although he was a stranger but I also chatted with him to kill the time. But, after some time I realized that he was way too close sitting next to me in spite of less passengers in that auto ( 3 guys were sitting in the seat facing us and only two of us are seated in other seat which is generally meant for 4 people).  I ignored this, and then again after sometime I felt his hand on my body when the auto took a sharp turn. One part of my brain started sending alert signals but the other part asked me not to over-react and be quiet. I put my folder in between us but it was of no use.That sicko very proficiently used his bag as a hideout for his loitering hand and groped me ...this time his hand was on my breasts!!!

Moreover, that leach is continuously talking with me while doing so!!.My stop was approaching,my brain was  working peculiarly, I pushed his hand with my elbow, got down at my stop, paid fare to the driver and then I just said to that guy 'Listen'. As soon as he peeped out of that auto door, I slapped him!!!.....Yes I hit him on his face....He was dumbstruck. The auto was about to move but the driver stopped ...the other passengers were astonished. This slap was quite unexpected from a small town docile girl. I asked the auto driver to move on and went away to get a rickshaw. Trembling with anger and the outburst I took the rickshaw. I was still not able to believe that I have hit somebody. Other than hitting innocent blows during sibling fights, I had never ever hit anyone in my life.

It was not the first time I faced this sexual harassment but I don't know what triggered to replace my usual mute 'ignore it' reaction to this violent outburst. As my anger settled down a very feel-good feeling engulfed my mind. I was feeling so better than those incidents when I chose to keep quiet and was scared of being judged and labeled in case if I raise my voice against these sexual harassment.

As soon as I reached home I called( it was land-line phone connection days....) both of my best friends and told them about it. When my parents came to know about this they just told me that I could have not been violent but raising a voice and public disgrace would have worked. I felt happy with the fact that they were not advising so because I am a girl but were just concerned about their child's well being ( My mom said what if that guy had been a localite and retaliated with a big gang or acid attack!!!). Anyways, in the evening both my friends came at my place and congratulated me. One of them ( who is at present my hubby) got pastries for me to 'celebrate'. Soon, other fiends also dropped by and we discussed & discussed that matter.I felt at the top of the world.

After this incident, I never kept quiet while being groped or harassed or even being treated biased. Sometimes with an elbow push in DTC bus, or with a stern stare till the time the other person feels uncomfortable or with being vocal and candid about my right to information at my workplace I carried on. My personality also went through a drastic change gradually after this incident with my new found confidence. From an earlier Ms. nobody in college I became Ms. Indispensable in my professional life. I handled double of my work- responsibilities with sheer confidence & presence of mind. I enjoyed being myself. It is not that my looks have improved or I have acquired this zero-sized figure or shone in academic field....I was the same person but now equipped with my persona who is not scared to express her opinions, likes & dislikes ,ambitions or thought process and above all is able to give it back if any 'nonsense' comes her way.

As today I continue to celebrate myself, just being 'Me' ( which I know is very unladylike as per the stereo-types)....still I regret why I had not slapped all those molesters, gropers, flashers or eve-teasers who have earlier trespassed my personal space earlier with their heinous activities. 

Mishti Unplugged....!!!!

Mishti completes her 8.5 months today. My Li'l lady is quite aware of her separate entity now and off & on showing off her own likes & dislikes.

She just looooooooooves music. Any music, jingles or songs catches her attention. So like a manipulative mom I use this music weapon for feeding, diaper change and sometimes to sneak out the "me time". Yes I admit that I do make her watch music channels to relax or blog or read.....I do not feel bad about it as handling Mishti all day alone sometimes is too taxing. Coming back to songs her favorites are "Ek main aur ek tu", "Aunty Ji", "Ooo La la" (yes still she is hooked to this cheap number),"Make some noise" "Chikni Chameli"...............the list is long.

She is very fond of few TV commercials as well. She even giggles while watching them and if anyone is obstructing the view of TV then she literally cranes her neck and arches her body to get a glimpse of the screen. Her favorites are "Oreo....Papa ye oreo open kar ke do na" , "McDonalds.....Happy B'day Dubey Ji" and many more which right now I do not remember. Also, those few animated characters of 9XM channel...Chhote - Bade, Bheegi Billi & Betel nuts are also watched by her with lots of expressions & smile.

She specifically does not like moong dal and spinach.Any form or any recipes in which I hideously put these two items she figures it out and spits out after few bites.

She loves to eat what we are eating and is able to show such expressions during our mealtime that any normal person ( like her dad & mashu.....esp not me) mellows down and give her a share. Now a days she is even chewing bits so coarse food is not a problem for her. So anything like palak paneer, aloo methi, spring onion subzi, macroni, burger fillings has already been managed by her.

She like fruits... :-) . Apart from apple & banana I had made her taste Keenu ( big oranges). 

Still she wakes up twice or thrice during her night sleep and wants milk.

She is not crawling yet but she is able to move herself from one place to other by rolling, dragging, head-pushing. So, now her play area is a mat on floor.

She now insists on grabbing any support specially if anyone is sitting next to her and gets into a kneel down position or sometimes even tries to stand.

Still she is gumming everything be it her toys, books, phone or any xyz itemwithin her range & reach.

She loves pulling other's hair out of scalp and nobody is spared ( dad, mashu, me, stuffed dog & dolls) from her fine motor skills.

I am trying to introduce a sipper to her and gave some water in it to her.Initially she chewed the straw and then sucked the water a bit but instead of retaining or gulping the water in mouth she spits it out. Also she found the cap of the sipper more interesting to chew than the straw.

She listens to stories and generally gives full attention (with big eyes wide open) to it when I tell them animatedly. Her favorites are "Elephant & stone" ( courtesy RM), "Rabbit & Tortoise", "Lion & Mouse".

But for sleep she prefers my out of tune singing rather bedtime stories. So the "loris" are "Lal Jhunti Kaka Tua", "Lakdi ki Kathi", "Kolaveri di....yes I found this tune convenient to my rhythm challenged voice", "Arre re arre ye kya hua, Dil to pagal hai, Chanda re, tujhe dekha to.....( are you getting the drift....all my teenage time songs 'blush'!!!)"

When in mood she babbles to herself and shout lungs out ( sometimes it sounds as if we are choking her!!!)

She is very skeptical about her image so in front of camera she chooses to maintain a dignified look rather than her usual flashy smiles & giggles.

With two teeths visible she now learned to use this new found weapon. ( victims are the obviously me, her dad & mashu).


She recognizes her name...Mishti & Ishaani both. She also takes her hand out of mouth when I say NO!!!


She is scared of me when I open my hair( generally it is a pony ( or whoever's) tail). She refused to look at me and continued to give me attitude ( generally she gives it to strangers) whole evening when I deliberately came in front of her while combing and swayed my hair!!!!

We bought few nice frilly frocks & dresses for her as we would be attending couple of marriages in Allahabad. I also got one patiala salwar suit (!!!) stitched for her. Also she has been gifted a red Banarasi saree by my aunt ( would be bride's mom) which she is supposed to wear on that wedding day....she would be the "best girl" after all. GOD only knows how I am going to manage My saree, Mishti and her saree all at a time!!! . For Mishti as well this would be an unusual experience with so many people around. Hope everything goes well!!!

Is my Mashu a Makeover artist?

Innocents looks are genuinely deceptive!!

Uff...close this book and then I can chew it properly!!!

Just Like that.......Piece of MInd!!!!

To neighborhood ladies:

I need not to justify myself why I do not come down and join your gossip group everyday. If I am not interested in discussing and chatting some silly topics throughout the afternoon with you, that does not give you any right to judge my social skills. I accept that you might be very good homemaker than me and I have no problem to it. Although difference lies there as you have maids even for cooking and handling kids while I handle all my household chores and my baby alone single handedly .... ( hubby & sis is there in evening though). I love to spend time with my baby with her toys & books instead of taking her out in pretext of strolling but actually gossiping & gossiping with other ladies.

Kitchen adventures...

So out of sudden this cooking bug has bitten me just a month back. With reference to various cookery sites I march on to my new found achievement. Few recipes which I had successfully managed...errr prepared are:

Vegetable Thepla : These were real hit....I even dared to give it to one of my neighbor as a return gesture of delicacies exchange.

Palak Paneer : I never liked this dish in general...means had never tried it even in any all veg dinners. Also, I literally threw up when I had it our office canteen!!! But as SG likes it and also he gave me the courage (don't worry, if cooked well it tastes good etc....) , so I gave it a try. It also turned out to be yummy. 

Bhuna Kukda : He... He I found this name quite funny...... :-D. It turned out be real hot and spicy. But I good point is that it took less time to prepare than other chicken recipes. Just added one variation that I used ginger and garlic paste instead of only garlic paste...( was bit apprehensive about the raw smell of chicken as no onions are used in this recipe).


Methi Chicken : I love this methi....give me anything out of it...methi aloo, methi parantha.... This is again very easy recipe. Also, I felt that chicken tastes better & soft if pressure cooking is done.

Fyi...I never loved to cook ....but somewhat I feel that being at home I can utilize the time and learn new things and just like I used to achieve my monthly targets in my professional domain , now this sudden spree of cooking is giving me the similar sense of achievement!!! Let's see for how many days this bug remains in my system.