N = Name Saga

After zipping through the A to Z challenge almost over the half-mark, when N came across, I have to write about my name which incidentally starts with N.

No, in case if you have guessed something, it is not about how I got this name. My dad gave me this name as he liked it…no fancy story attached to it. However, as a kid I never liked my name. I still remember when I was in Class 6^th; I gave my dad the option of changing my name to Neha or Nisha which was obviously turned down instantly!

I hated the fact that no one was able to pronounce my name correctly. Carrying a Bong name in northern belt of India is quite difficult.  I had heard so many versions of my name that it has ceased to amuse me now.  The most common assumption was that it would spell with a ‘V’ instead of ‘B’. Do you remember how Vidya Balan has to interrupt every time in the movie Kahaani when Bongs called her Bidya instead of Vidya…in my case it was vice-versa. Few inquisitive ones doubted my spelling capability and insisted that it has to be ‘Nivedita’ instead of ‘Nibedita’. I had to explain them that Bengali language has no sound like ‘V’ sound…it is either B or Bh.

In school, I heard so many variations of my name in terms of spelling & pronunciation from teachers & fellow students; it ranged from Nivedita, Nebidita, Nibidita, Nibodita, Nebudita and so on!! The college pals were smarter and they shortened it to ‘Nibz’. I felt so relaxed, it was definitely better than to hear twisted sound of your own name!

I can recall one incident, when I was in Class 12^th and appearing for board exams. For viva-voce, we had to face external examiners. I was so terrified in my Physics practical exam. The examiner asked my name. When I told him, he asked its meaning might be to break the ice….I told him that it means ‘dedicated’…He asked immediately, ‘To whom’? I had no answer ready for it so I just said ‘to God’….and he gave me broad smile. The Viva went very well after that.

My office colleagues started with Nibedita but I was rechristened as ‘Nibbo’ or ‘Nibey’ soon. My bosses preferred to call me with last name only. However, while handling overseas client calls it was a mammoth task to tell my name to them and ninety percent of time I had to spell it with phonetic sounds. So, it would sound somewhat like:

I login into a conference call which is spread across various geographic locations of world.

Hi, this is Nibedita Bose from India, site ABC, Operations.

I am sorry, who is there from India??

This is Nibedita….N as in Nancy, I as in India, B as in Bravo, E as in Echo, D as in Delta, I as in India, T as is Tango and A as in Alpha…..and yeah the last name is B as in Bravo, O as in Oscar, S as in Sierra and E as in Echo……..Hmpffff!!! (I always ensured after this to check whether the person on other side was still alive or not!!!)

Another fact with my name is that, I had retained my maiden surname. But, there were many instances when people assumed my last name to be my hubby’s surname. When we applied for my daughter’s birth certificate it came with my name as ‘Nibedita Ghosh’ instead of ‘Bose’, when asked they said that they thought we have mistakenly filled up the form with different surname, so corrected it!!

Many of my office colleagues congratulated me through SmS, after my daughter’s birth. Few of the messages were like: Congrats, Mr. & Mrs. Bose! I didn’t know how to pass on those congratulations to nonexistent Mr. Bose though!

Till now, I have faced so many goof ups about my last name that now a day, I keep my marriage certificate handy for any kind of paperwork involved in Banks or any other offices.

When it was time to christen my daughter, we raked internet to search for a contemporary but easy to pronounce name….the only criteria my in- laws requested that if it can have somewhat related to God. After an extensive search and rejecting almost hundreds of names, we pinned it down to ‘Ishaani’, hoping that it is not easily twisted as my name was.

So, what is your Name’s story?
P.S: After my Teen years, I started liking my name and I love it absolutely now :)

E = English R.I.P

Horn Pales!!!

Mishti Unplugged - Sleep Saga!

Now days, Mishti is put to sleep by SG every night. Mishti still takes milk in her bottle while sleeping, so bottle of milk is prepared, and after changing her diaper, I sneak out of room while SG takes over.

SG: Sleep, sleep Mishti sleep baby…

Ok you want a song…..Imlee ka boota, berry ka ped, Imlee khatti, Meethe berr…..

Imlee ka boota, berry ka ped, Imlee khatti, Meethe berr….. tan a nana tanan ana a

tan a nana tanan ana a ….khrrrr khrrr (daddy snores!!)

Mishti: Ummm….daddy, daaaaaaaaaaddddddyyyyyyy

SG: hmmmm…yes yes…what… Sleep, sleep Mishti sleep baby…

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Another day:

SG: Sleep, sleep Mishti sleep baby…

I think you get bored with songs, I would tell you a story like mamma.

One upon a time….There was a Papa Bear & a Mamma bear. They were best friends and then they got married. Papa Bear worked in Quality department while Mamma Bear work in their anti department – operations.

I had to intervene here. I barge in the bedroom.

Me: What is this? What kind of story is this?

SG: This is Reality based story!!

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Few days ago, Mishti wakes up 15 minutes before my alarm goes off. Very sweetly she starts waking me…Mamma, Mammaaaaa.

I try to pacify her with one eye open….yeah beta….you play with your books (yeah, few of Mishti’s books are kept at bedside as well!)…Mamma would wake up in a while OKkk.

Mishti didn’t gulp that bait and climbs on my tummy saying ‘Tagataga’ (her version of tug-bug of horse riding). I still choose not to wake up. She gets bored.

All of a sudden, I feel some watery droplets tricking on my cheeks. Quickly opening my eyes, I see that Mishti is trying to jostle her empty milk bottle (she takes milk in her sleep around dawn) in my mouth.

Mammma….Dodo…Aaaaa aaaa Aaaaa!

As if she is imitating her bedtime routine with me by giving me milk & singing a lullaby!!!

Shave or Crave!!

It was my birthday few days ago.  This year it was special as my 18 month old actively participated in all the celebrations… be it wishing me at 12 midnight, savoring birthday cake, enjoying Pizza lunch or accompanying us for an elaborate dinner arranged by my hubby.

To make my day special, my hubby tried his best to give me small surprises throughout the day. However, one thing which I really wanted was that he should get rid of his stubble. It might look great for one evening but that’s it….not beyond that! But, being a non-nagging spouse who believes in giving space (!!) in relationship, I was never able to voice my thought to him. I tried passing subtle hints but alas!!..... He turned out to be a geek in understanding those clues.

 My first try went in vain when I commented that SRK looks like sick old man in his latest flick with that facial hair. Nevertheless, hubby didn't bit this bait as well and never even bothered to think why I am suddenly disparaging my teenage crush.

Then, when he took me out for birthday shopping, I suggested him buying an expensive shaving kit as return gift. But he refused any return gift by showcasing his persona’s humble attribute!

After cutting the cake in afternoon with friends my face was smeared with cream & icing of the cake by them. I purposely applied cake on his face as well so that it might trigger him to shave off that facial mane. But, he came out of the wash room glowing with all the cream facial and I even noticed few white hairs gleaming on his cheek along with the black ones. I took this as an opportunity and casually commented that it exhibits his ‘other side of 30’ age to the world. But he ducked this bouncer and claimed that finally he can portray his much desired ‘salt-n-pepper’ look!

Then it was the grand-dinner time. I wanted to look best for the evening so got ready accordingly. My li’l princess was dolled up in a beautiful princess dress. Hubby also took his time to wear his classy attire. Everything was perfect except that stubble. He thought it gave an intellectual look his guise!

Now, before we stepped out, hubby felt that this moment should be captured in a camera. Being a proud father, he took our daughter in his arms and asked me to click a nice snap. He tried to give a cuddly pose by chafing his cheek on her face…..and Fatttaakk!! The li’l lady pushed her dad’s face away with all her might and shouted ‘Oooohooo, Daddy Oohhhoooo’ and ran away. In her dictionary, this elongated ‘Oooohhhooo’ means pain. Now, it was a funny scenario. She kept running away from her daddy and shouting this melodramatic expression every time he insisted picking her up. Finally, he gave up. He glared at the watch and rushed towards the washroom. Within few minutes the man of our house emerged out with a clean shaven look. Our daughter looked at him intently and then jumped in his lap. He also understood that either he has to 'Shave' or 'Crave' for his daughter's proximity. Daddy happy, Dotty happy ……and me also super happy!! 

This post is a part of the 'Shave or Crave' movement in association with BlogAdda.com

WoW - 6

Arrrggghhh…it is 2AM now, and this crackpot has turned me on. At this hour of night what damn entertainment does he expects from me? Can’t I get some minimal privacy for myself!!By the time he would leave me alone and go to sleep, it would be the time for the old man of the family to wake up. Then he would take his turn to avail my services. Gosh…has anybody ever thought how hard the life of a Television is in a joint family!!

Yeah…I am your regular TV which you can find in almost 112 million households in India as per some random survey. I understand my sole purpose in your life is entertainment….but you see; unlike Vidya Balan in Dirty Picture I never have to boast and say ‘Aur main entertainment hoon’. Since the time I have been accessorized with that cable TV, I have lost my sleep & peace of mind. I had heard my forefathers had to serve only for few hours in a day and that too only one channel can be seen on my screen. That vibgyor screen saver was such a relief and they were able to sleep off once it flashed the screen at night.

Remember this one!!

(Image courtesy: Google Images)

But now with 24x7 entertainment motto, I have to juggle between hundreds of channels and that too throughout the day & night. And take my word, ninety percent of stuff aired in these channels in the name of entertainment are utter crap!! Are you able to relate with my plight now? The old grandfather of the house would like to start his day with spiritual channels. Now, that doesn’t matter that he might not have bothered to listen or follow this pseudo-spirituality throughout his life as being busy with daily bread & butter, but he wants everybody in his family to take blessings from that long-bearded ‘Baba’ who keeps on talking with mastered dramatic effects .

Then there are the female clans of the house who take over the battlefield from Grandpa. Old granny loves to watch the ‘Saas-bahu ‘sagas which enhances her knowledge about the various ways of scheming & plotting her family members can do and especially that DIL. But is she aware of the fact that one of her DIL also rely on the same ‘Saas- bahu’ serials (Re-runs this time!!) for her knowledge base while she is taking her afternoon nap.

There are other members like that other DIL who generally prefers to get a quick gist of all the TV soaps from her co-sister and is not regular at keeping a direct eye on me. Then there are some sports fanatics as well in the family, they would bite their nails even watching highlights of that India-SriLanka Cricket match which was played months ago. The young tribe grabs the remote to watch the trendy channels with anorexic, skinny models walking as if their toes are trying to multiply 726 with 35 on the ramp. Few channels want to titillate the emotion of people in the name of reality shows which are anything BUT reality…..Poorly scripted, melodramatic, over the top.

Everyone in the house likes to watch NEWS channels….it is a known fact that these are the best entertaining channels nowadays. You can actually sob, laugh, get scared or be agitated by watching the same channel. But you have to understand their quandary as well, now with a 24x7 airtime their task of showing quality news is getting more thorny and is a mammoth task. So, whether it is ‘Hurricane Sandy on rampage in US’ or ‘Aishwarya Rai’s post-partum weight’, they sell it off as ‘BREAKING NEWS’.

There is the young guy who works in some BPO or IT industry and returns from work late past midnight. He would also take his chance to kill time while watching movies which have been repeated n-number of times or those slimming advertisements which generally flood all the channels after midnight. I rather wonder at their air-time as why would an obese person keep himself awake to just watch those ‘Quick Slim’ advertisements at that hour of night….Don’t they know anything about ‘Target Audience’!!

The kids want to watch kids & cartoon channels all the time. I pity on these kids…..they never can feel the excitement of watching ‘Duck Tales’ or ‘Jungle Book’ on Sunday mornings after a week’s wait.

Anyway, I digress. No doubt the ever upgrading technology has transformed our breed of ugly ducklings into sleek & sexy models…we are slimmer & flatter now. We are hung on walls now unlike past positioned in some corner. Then there are smarter versions of us who are known as ‘SMART TV’. We are able to support so many features now…Blu-ray, HDD, 5.1 surround sound, Wi-fi…..list goes on.

But in midst of all this techno advanced terms and 24x7 over dosage of absolute mediocre shows, I somewhere pine inside my heart to lead the life of my forefathers. That life where my only accessory would have been a shuttered box whose closed doors ensured some respite & peace at least for few hours a day!!

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

It says 'For a minute look around the things near you and then include them creatively in a story', I looked around and saw this flat screen LCD who must have so many stories tucked in its bag!

The 'Just Married, Please Excuse' Contest

Since yesterday when I bumped into this contest by Yashodhara whose debut book has been launched recently, my blogging fingers itched to jot down few of the weird moments of our married life. Also, how can I not mention the highlighted words which caught my attention like “Mamagato”, “Gurgaon”, “free copies of book” and gave me a bleak hope that being a blogger from Gurgaon might act as an added advantage in my favour. (errr kidding….huh! :-))

As I go through Yashodhara’s blog and keep reading her previous posts, I regret why I have not been at her space earlier….Anyway, better late than never!

So here I try to recap few incidents related to our marriage and just after that.

Our marriage ceremony was packed with ‘comedy of errors & misunderstandings’. All Baraatis dispersed & went back home leaving few young cousins and an aunt of SG behind even before the completion of marriage rituals due to some stupid misunderstandings. The groom side priest took advantage of the situation and left hastily after them citing some weird excuses without completing all the important rituals….like Saptapadi or Saat pheras was skipped completely!!

In the midst of all these confusions, while my side priest was conducting the ritual of ‘Sampradan /Kanyadaan’, another funny incident happened which we noticed only when the video recordings were seen later.  SG’s knowledge of Bengali language is quite limited…while he can speak it mixed with a perfect north Indian accent, he, kind of struggles and gets confused if somebody speaks in fluent Bengali. So we saw in the video that SG was trying hard to follow instructions from our priest about when to repeat the ‘shlokas/mantras’, when to fold hands and so on. When the priest asked my dad to repeat after him the mantras of Kanyadaan, he also instructed SG to keep his hand on mine. GOD only knows  what SG understood & the next thing we saw him repeating the mantras of ‘Kanyadaan’ after the priest. So, in case we take all these rituals seriously( I generally don’t..!) it indicates that my dad performed my ‘Kanyadaan’  to SG and the ‘SG’ did my ‘Kanyadaan’ to GOD knows whom!!

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This second incident falls completely in the category of ‘Just married’ if in case the first one fails to make the entry because of the fact that we were still not ‘completely’ married then.

At the time of my ‘Grihapravesh’ in SG’s house, we had a seriously stupid ritual where I (bride) had to hold a ‘live’ fish kept in a bowl of water with my hand for couple of minutes!!! 

Here I should mention that I am a scaredy cat....I am very scared of any living being (except human) on this earth. Forget about dogs or cats, I cannot even run fingers through furry coat of a cute rabbit or birds or even pat an innocent cow. A mouse or mole in vicinity can bring out the most ‘versatile’ dance out of me!!! 

Anyway, I digress. Now, when I had to hold that slimy moving fish I was petrified. Being a new bride, I was even not able to refuse to participate in it outright. I tried to put my best brave face forward, but, the very moment my fingers touched that fish which wriggled away splashing water, all my acting skills botched. I shrieked, jumped, shouted and people even witnessed that ‘versatile’ dance by me duly applauded by my perfect hubby in the background!!

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The third incident happened just few days after my marriage when relatives had dwindled back to their home and we were just enjoying our marriage vacation at my in-laws place.

One evening I wanted to eat Momos, but in that city we don't get roadside stalls to buy  momos easily like we get in Delhi NCR. I thought of bugging SG about it and also test his ‘hubby skills’ to fulfill wife’s abrupt demands.

As SG was in FIL’s shop that time so that my FIL can take some rest I tried calling him on his cell phone. When I realized that he has forgotten his mobile phone in his room, I called on the landline number.

(The conversation happened in Hindi)

Me: Hello, Ghosh!! (Yes, I used to call him with his last name)

Other side:  Haan..Kaun? (Yes.. who is this?)              

Me: Sun na….Yahan Momos milta hai kya?? (Listen…Do we get Momos here?)

Other side: Kya…kya chahiye ?? ( What…What do you want?)          

Me: Arre…Momos !!! yahan pe momos kahan milega!! ( Momos!!!....Where can we get Momos here!)

Other side: Jee…ye to hamari dukan me nahin milega…aap kahin aur pata kar lijiye. (This is not available in our shop…you enquire somewhere else.)

Me: ????

Then suddenly I realized that it was my FIL’s voice which I mistaken for SG. And how can I forget that SG is not the only ‘Ghosh’ here but I am surrounded by the whole ‘Ghosh’ clan.  I hurriedly hung up and cursed my stupidity for this ’face-palm’ moment!! When SG came to know about it…..like a perfect hubby, he shared it with everyone in the family embarrassing me to the core.

While writing this post, I felt that walking down this specific memory lane is quite fun. Thanks to this contest for letting me revive this enjoyment.

Maa ka Dupatta Laoongi Wapas...!!!

I had already mentioned in my blog that Mishti is a great fan of music....and if it is teamed up with animation...it becomes 'Sone pe Suhaga'. I have to keep myself updated with new videos as she tend to get bored with them soon...means she would still listen and sway her body but the utility from my perspective (making her eat food!!) reduces to a large extent.

Check Out this Video(esp at 2.08 mins):

Mishti likes this video clip a lot ...giggles &  even shrieks with the crying cat in the animation. But this girl is such a copy-cat and I am quite amazed with the speed these toddlers pick up what they see & hear....So, whenever it shows that part where 'Chulbuli' clench her fist and determines to get back her mom's 'dupatta' from mischievous wind....Mishti also does the same!

Now, even if the video is not there and any of us say "Maa ka Dupatta Laoongi Wapas", she stops and clenches her fist near her waist...and it somewhat looks like Amitabh Bachhan's famous body language when he says "Hain"!!!

We are loving these antics of li'l lady so much that we are repeating that phrase often and like a pro she is also repeating her act!!...Little does she know that her own mom has only two salwar kameez which requires 'Dupatta'...and which she rarely wears, otherwise she is just comfortable in her Kurtis, tees & tops!

P.S. I am bit off blogging nowadays as I ordered & received two books from Homeshop18 recently. I found this site better than even Flipkart...actually I matched prices of few books and found Homeshop18 is far cheaper.

And yes, those two books are although not so latest but I found them interesting through Smita's book review page.

1.) Secrets & Lies

2.) Bombay Duck is a fish 

Angry Birds....

Mommy & Daddy enthusiastically rushes to select the design for Mishti's first birthday cake. After locking horns over 25 odd designs, only few were short-listed. Barbie & princess themes were readily turned down to avoid gender stereotype. Finally after much discussion 'Angry bird' was finalized. Their reasons for this choice(If you think these reasons are weird then you are almost right !!!):

Mishti giggles when she listens to those shrieks & screams of 'Angry Birds' while anybody plays this game.

With a pair of dark & arched eyebrows (inherited from her dad !!!) and rolling eyes Mishti resembles 'Angry Birds' sometimes. 

The cake with this theme looked quite colourful & bright.

Bit uncommon choice for a one year old's birthday...but then does anything till now proves Mishti's parents' choices as regular and standard ones!!!

Once the theme has been finalized, the money-talk starts between Daddy & the lady who owns the bakery, over the phone. Daddy found her a snob and very unprofessional who refused to deliver the cake at the venue (only 3-4 km away) & insisted on extra payment for that service. She was kind of throwing her weight around.....(but with her ability to bake cakes, throwing weight comes to her naturally...isn't it!!!). They leave the shop without confirming the order.

Anyway, bad mood was contagious that day. Daddy passes it on to Mommy to redirect his anger for that baker's lady. Mommy reverts with same spirit . Soon, everybody witnesses two live 'Angry Birds' fighting with each other...obviously in this case the weapons were sarcastic comments & hard words.

So, now you see, how effective these 'themes' are. Not only kids even adults get influenced by them so easily!!!

(Image courtesy: Google search)

(P.S. Next Day, Daddy coyly ordered the same cake over the phone after talking to the real owner of the bakery who is mother of that unprofessional lady . She was very courteous and professional.)

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.

Just Like That........Prema- Gyan

 

My maid Prema asked me why I don’t apply ‘Kaajal’ in my baby’s eyes. Now a days, She has taken up the responsibility of showering her advisory tips as she finds me & hubby most of the times coping up with new parenthoodhood all alone.

So, I told her that it causes infection and to avoid more debate on the topic added that doctor has asked not to apply ‘Kaajal’. She put forward her counter logic and said that you guys were also grown up with Kaajal in your eyes, did you have infection? Eyes look big and beautiful with Kaajal (What beautiful….my childhood snaps shows how horrible I used to look with broad & smudged kaajal all over my face!!!!).

Then she shot her masterpiece: Apply Kaajal every day, but the days you have to visit doctor rub it off & clean the face of the baby.....so simple.....:-) !!!!

Lost It.....

Being branded as a real “spaced out” person who is always careless or rather forgetful about her belongings is the inspiration of this post. Till now throughout my life, I have lost so many things that now I don’t even remember the actual count. The list includes Tiffin boxes, water bottles, jackets, mufflers/scarf, hair clips/bands, wallet (!), specs, cellphone(s), footwear, pens and not to mention ‘n’ number of hankerchiefs.

Although I have my side of story as well attached to each of these loss but none of them qualify enough to prove me innocent or vigilant.

Tiffin boxes, water bottles: I do not remember anything specifically related to them as it happened in my initial years of school (But…errr you know that morning shows the day!!!).

Jackets, mufflers/scarf: All this kind of stuff I lost during my early school years but one incident I do remember when I lost my jacket. We used to tie the outer most winter wear to our waist in the afternoon as it used to be hot in comparison to morning when we were sent to school packed like a polar bear. While on my home in my rickshaw I slept off and woke up when I reached home. My jacket was not there around the waist…I still believe that somebody managed to pull it off while I was asleep (not my fault…you see!!!)

Hair clips/bands: Again all use less stuff which uses to itch & irk me so much. So it happens like…taking it off…..lies there unnoticed….somebody sneaks it away (again see…not my fault)

Wallet: This happened when I was in my college and I along with my sister went for buying some gifts & sweets for the occasion of Bhai-Duj. I was the pillion rider so all the bags were with me. We bought something at the first shop and then I remember keeping my wallet in my bag (alas…wallet liked the ground more than the bag!!).

Specs: This happened in train as I generally avoid wearing lenses in a train journey but this time as we were going for a wedding ceremony so I decided to be bit glamorous(:-o)by shedding my specs . I forgot my specs hanging from a loop near the berth which I kept there before sleeping and as I woke up late so got ready to deboard the train by quickly by brushing hair & wearing lenses.

Cellphones: I have lost two cell phones till now. Both of them are stolen so now you know what an easy prey I am for the pick -pocketers .First one was my hubby’s camera phone which I was using and victoriously clicking snaps during Durga Puja. Again I clearly remember keeping my phone inside a small pocket of my bag but later found it cut as if by a blade.

Second time I lost my phone on my last birthday when I went shopping to a busy market and was checking my phone often for answering birthday wishes. Somebody simply picked it away from my blazer’s pocket …..You see again, how I can be blamed for another person’s “haathsafai”.

Footwear: This happened when I was about 6-7 years of age. I wore my new shoes in Durga Puja which were obviously pinching thus I took it off while my parents were not noticing and was playing barefoot. Some street smart person took those away (What can I do in this case….??People are always so smarter than me).I was so scared that my mom-dad would scold me so informed my grand mom first. She was such a darling that she took me to the same shop (BATA) and got another pair of same shoes. We spilled the beans in house few days later when was fully convinced that no repercussions would happen.

Pens: After I lost few good ones, I stopped buying expensive ones…Reynolds & rotomac worked fine with me.

There are few items which I lost and also found luckily. Once I forgot my school bag (yes…you read it correct I forgot my school bag in the school….you can doubt my academic qualifications if you want to…I won’t blame you!!!) and then when I realized called the school office which was luckily open as some preparation for inspection was going on and got it secured. Then, I had lost my gold ring and found it later in my strolley bag. I forgot my cellphone twice in the ladies washroom and housekeeping staff returned it back.

Thus this above post clearly portrays how I am blamed for other’s smartness….Isn’t it!!!!!

Dus Bahane....

Handling a team of around 20-22 people was my core job during last 2 years as a team manager. These couple of years taught me lot of amusing things. Starting my role as a novice & confused team leader, I gradually evolved into an effective (..??) team manager who was even able to handle other teams (proxy supervising) along with her own.

I would like to give you a preview of various excuses or alibis I encountered for leave extension, unplanned leaves or in simple words not coming to office. Sometimes these leave request would be genuine one but with sheer experience I was able to bifurcate the fake ones. It used to be a tough call as denying any leaves had its own repercussions ranging from low motivation, emotional attyachar, negativity spread & non-performance.

Let’s have a look at them:

Sick or illness: It can be of self or any family members. The request should be understood as below:

one day off = upset tummy , high or low BP, giddiness             

3-4 days off = viral fever,

at least 15 days = jaundice, typhoid, measles, malaria

A guy of my team (Mr.M) informed me about his fever on phone and also dropped hint that doctor is suspecting typhoid. When I discussed this issue in my team meeting and asked everyone to trim their planned leave request as Mr.M might need bunch of leaves, I came to know that Mr.M was enquiring with many people about the symptoms of typhoid just a couple of days ago when he was perfectly fine (nice homework....)!!!!

Accidents or death: It sounds so heinous to fake this reason for a leave request. But, I even faced this also. One of my team members G had a bagful of imaginary uncles & aunts whom he used to take out of the bag for the sole purpose of their demise and thus asking leave to attend the funeral!!!

Conveyance: This was generally quoted when people were expected back from long leaves and the handy reason put forward that flight, train or bus cancelled or unable to get tickets in any the above mentioned means of transportation. Surprisingly, this crunch situation would arise only while coming back but never at that time when the person was going for the vacations!!!

Weird: All of these happened in reality to either me or my fellow team managers.

·         My room-mate locked the door from outside and left for his office with the keys. Also, friend cannot come back within next 10 hrs.

·         I am couple of pegs down, and would lose my job if I come to office in this state so you have to grant me the leave.

·         Watch out for this one...came from a girl. I have developed rashes all over my body; unable to wear clothes (…!!) She used to be a regular defaulter and similar amusing reasons erupted every alternate week.

Right now, I am not able to recollect more but can bet that there were many more completely whacky excuses which came across me in these 2 years.

Just Like That........Surprise

A TV commercial of a leading jewellers shows a couple where the man teases the woman who is getting ready by saying her neck is bit crooked and then gifts a beautiful necklace as surprise gift!!! Did someone noticed that the matching ear-rings of that surprise gift are already dangling on the woman's ear from the start of the commercial! What a surprise!!!!

Ye haath mujhe de de Thakur……

Hands and fingers are the new found interest of Mishti. She blissfully plays with her own hands, or rather tries to have a fist-fight between her right and left hand!! We found a new activity to keep her engaged: give her hands the grip of her toes and she would exercise all her stamina from both ways, hands trying to hold more and toes trying to release themselves.

Her count of activities includes:

Stuffing all fingers in her mouth and then make funny faces to make people believe that they are indeed tasteless and she is just doing it for timepass!!!

When in mood, she would talk (obviously in her own language) endlessly by varying her pitch and tone. If you respond her in same way, she increases her volume and adds more special effects to her conversation by screeching and sighing sounds.

 She makes bubbles with her saliva, and if founds someone noticing her then would increase the activity with more vigour.

Rolling over and sleeping on her tummy only (sometimes bums on air). She is doing this since was 2.5 months old.

She gives biiiiiiiiggggggg toothless smile to all those whom she finds eligible (Please don’t ask me the eligibility criteria, unknown to me).

She has developed a firm grip now and applies her strength on everything without any discrimination. Her favourites are still her mashu’s hair, our fingers and strings of her cotton nappies.

Trying to taste everything in sight be it her toys, her t-shirts or frocks, fingers (be it hers or of anyone else’s), newspaper (yeah…one day she even tried that)!

This month she enjoyed her first Durga-puja and also we got her Annaprashan( ceremony for first morsel of solid food taken by an infant) done from Kali-temple.

She is becoming a constant attention seeker (look who is talking…J) now making it quite a challenge for me to cook , do any other household chores, or do anything which does not involves her while she is awake.

As per all the parenting sites. Books & forums, I try to tell stories to Mishti which she listens for few minutes and then shows no interest. I started with the story of tortoise & rabbit and another self –scripted one with Mishti and her toys as various characters. Also, I am refreshing my knowledge of nursery rhymes now (honestly, I even googled some!!!). But it’s real fun rhyming for her my favourite poems from Sukumar Roy’s Abol-tabol …I feel so nostalgic!!!!