Faasle

Yaad bhi aati hain tumhari,

dil be kehta hain baat karoon ,

Faasle magar badh gaye itne

ki baat karun bhi to kya karoon.

Bas Yu hee

Itna paas bhi na aayo , ki tumhe dekh na sakun,

Itna duur bhi na jayo, ki tumhe dhoond na sakun ,

Itne raho mere aas paas he tum ,

ki jee chahe to nazren mila ya chura sakun.

Don`t Worry, Be Happy

I will be Happy when.....

1. I get a bigger house..make that at least a 4BHK with terrace and sea view.

2. My son tops his class...actually make it school!

3. My daughter gets into A particular school.

4. I buy that gorgeous LV bag.

5.I buy that sexy black peep toe shoe.

6.I get a pair of solitares.

7.We go for an international holiday..add the Bahamas or Alaskan Cruise ..

8.I get that job in the top management institute..make it part time with hefty renumeration.

Whoa!! I could go on and on...That`s a tall order for being Happy. And what if I get that LV bag? By then there would be another one that I would start craving for..And if my daughter gets through, I would probably want her to get into the school football team and if I got the house I would then want top-notch interiors..Hmmm spend my life running after Things that could make me happy.

Now , I realise the futility of it all. Happiness is a state of Being. If you attach happiness with a certain event, object, person, achievement then it is going to be elusive forever.Equating happiness with material comforts , luxuries and relationships means inviting trouble. Its like handing over yourself to others. They control your emotions and thus your life.

I definitely don`t want that. So I choose to be happy irrespective of all these coveted luxuries. If it happens, good and if it doesnt even Better. Cheers to that!

What about you? When will YOU be Happy???

None of it matters

Mumbai Voter turnout- 45%....Such a shame!

One of the most popular , rich, urbane city, the economic capital of India , city of dreams...none of it matters. Peace march, candle march, angry outbursts..none of it matters...terrorist attacks, slums, horrible infrasrtucture, roads caving in ,skyrocketing prices...none of it matters..

What matters is the break you can take..long weekend..Alibagh, Lonavala,Ganpatiphule here we come..and the ones with deeper pockets..USA, UK, Spain, Australia..

And it is so so so HOT! The temperatures are soaring and we can`t step out in this heat to like vote or something..Puhleeze..

Such a shame. I am ANGRY..Mumbaikars or is it Bombayites ( whatever) have stuck to what they are great at..APATHY..Mumbai always bounces back and it has and how...we loose, we suffer, we cry , we forget and we move on and then go for a holiday to regain our spirits..vote? For what? For whom? Forget it ! It`s a fabulous opportunity to take that much needed break..Anyways if a couple of us don`t vote it hardly matters...

But it does..And it`s a shame that educated people are the ones who have chosen to ignore their right and power..

Ji Nahi Karta

Baatein hain bahut si ,

Par kissi se kehne ko ji nahi karta.

Ajab se mod par hain zindagi ,

Par kadam uthane ko ji nahi karta.

Jaanti hoon ,tum ho paas

Phir bhi ,haath badhane ko ji nahi karta.

Kya yahi hai Zindagi ?

Jawab jann ne ko bhi , ji nahi karta.

Happy Holi

As I sit by my window and look out at the beautiful palm trees, I can hear loud music playing in the building behind our garden. The DJ is playing loud thumping music and playing all holi songs. Holi ke din dil mil jaate hai, maaro bhar bhar pichkari, holi khelat biraj mein, rang barse ..it gets me nostalgic.

When we were growing up there was no DJ. Mom made Gujhiyas, dahi bada, Pulao, got Gheear ( a big thin jalebi, v crisp and syrupy!). I, on the other hand buy it all.We filled water balloons and filled buckets of water and threw them at passersby and derived great sadistic pleasure in wetting Aunties and Uncles. Different tolis would come and we would splash colour ,water and balloons over them. My brother would then join one of the tolis and go visiting . The toli would thus grow bigger and bigger.Later we would be bathed and scrubbed mercilessly by mom with Mitti ka tel ,and then devour all the homemade goodies. I wonder ,if Mom really enjoyed this festival? She had lots of extra work on her platter. Cooking delicacies, scrubbing children,wiping and cleaning the house every 15 minutes, greeting and serving the colourful guests who dropped by.

The holi that we celebrate now. My children play in the garden with pichkari and water pipes.Followed by Rain dance, DJ, Samosa, jalebi, kachori, soft drinks ( All sourced out ) for adults-Beer,breezers, bhhang. We don`t visit anyone neither does any one even dream of coming to our house. (Remember no house help on this day. So no one even wants to look at a visitor ,let alone a dripping colourful one!)We all chip in and meet at any one friends building compound, dance,eat , play a bit and go back. Though all our children are allowed to fill water ballons they are not allowed to throw them at others. Only at their friends below the hips!

And though with times celebrations have changed too,what remains constant is the thrill, joy, happiness we feel during various festivals. So Happy Holi to you all. May this Holi add more colour and brightness to your lives!

Ps..now they are playing ..saat rang mein khel rahi hai dil waalo ki toli re...Rang de gulaal mohe aayi holi aaye re

pic courtsey www.indiacultureblog.com

RANDOM

I got tagged by Deeply Dip and Shalom.
Now , the rules..
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

So here I go with my list.

1. I don`t know where to start from! Any and everything I do,the initial step bothers me. Once I start there is no stopping.

2. I love to sing though am not a great singer.

3. I used to and still find classical singers Aalaaps very hilarious. This despite the fact, that I learn classical music and sing Aalaaps too and know how much effort they require.

4. I want to learn to play piano and own a grand piano someday.

5. I want to learn at least one foreign language, Marathi, One language from South India, Awadhi,write Sindhi and Urdu and also Sanskrit.

6. I love to sing Lullabies to my children. When my son was young ,he would suck his thumb and look at me with such adoring eyes and finally sleep. My daughter on the other hand would stare and after 30 seconds tell me, "Mama. Stop. I want to sleep!!"

7.I remember the lyrics of songs I love and have to sing along when I hear them.

8. Although I love music , I don`t know much about western music.Just a few popular Rock bands.

9.I have 2 left feet.

10.When ever Me and my sister get together we sing all our favourite songs ,hymns, school song etc.Sp 2 hymns, Like a sunflower and Spirit of God in the clear running water..

11.I have a different nickname for my children almost every month. At different times I have the weirdest names right from Babbu, bubblu,shona,shonu,Babu, to Shyamlal, Champak,Jebu, Jebla..you get the drift. My kids now respond to my tone, the name just doesn`t register!

12. Although I have read most bestsellers and lots of fiction , I hardly remember any of it! It is a rare book that makes an impression or stays with me.

13. I love book stores but Never buy fiction books. I`d rather borrow from a library.

14. I love fashion and generally am very clued in about the trends. I may not necessarily follow them.

15. I love footwear and at any given point of time will definitely have one in these colours each. Silver, Gold, Black, Brown, White, Grey, Red, Blue , pink, Beige. Currently am looking for green and yellow!

16. I also love to carry different handbags.

17. I like to experiment with hair colour. I just changed from ash blonde to dark brown and don`t recognize myself!

18. I like to cook occassionally and am good at it. But everyday cooking sp making chapattis is a big No No.

19.I love to buy and hoard stationery items. Fancy pens,Stickers, Fancy Envelopes,gift wrapping sheets, bows,ribbons etc. But I hate using them and passing them on!

20. I like to shop not only for myself but also for my sister, neices, sisters -in-law,their children, my mother..actually Shopping for any and everyone.

21. I am very finicky about clean feet. That`s the first thing I notice and absolutely hate it when someone sits on the bed with dirty feet.

22. I have a fetish for footwear and am forever screaming at my children because they run about barefoot!

23. If I have to take a decision I will ask every and anyone for an opinion and go on and on and in the end do exactly what I had thought of in the first place.

24. I like to do Yoga. I just cannot go on a treadmill or stepper.For me Gyms are great hangouts. Period.

25. I am a little Eccentric.

Pssst... Gosh 25 done and I still have lots to say! Remember I find it tough to start but then I can go on and on and on...

I want to tag the following and hope to know them all a bit more.
Smriti , Iya , Sunshine , Balvinder, Hobo , Piper , Bhai with Chai , Aneri , IHM , Mampi , Renu , Sandhya , Just Call me A , Nisha.