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

So Coool

A bright, sunny ,lazy Sunday afternoon.
I was driving and humming, with my daughter T and her friend N sitting and chatting away in the backseat.I let their constant chatter wash me over and continued driving and humming. Suddenly, got interested when I heard T say.."At least One we should get."
I turned and smiled, “ What do you want T?”









T ,smiling beatifically, "A fracture Mamma.”
"Fracture? Are you mad?"
N :"Aunty ,it is sooo cool.”
"Cool? A fracture? It`s painful!”
T and N both insisted that it was more cool than painful.
"Mamma When I get a fracture , I will get a plaster. And then All my friends are going to write on it. And N will stick that Barbie sticker for me and she will even draw smileys, and a butterfly too!"
N " Ya, I will. And if I get it first, then T will do it for me.I want it on my leg."
T : ' Hmm. I prefer the arm."
N: "And you know Aunty ,my brother is getting braces."
T :"So lucky na? I wish I would get them. Mamma ,don`t you think I need at least plates? See this tooth. Its all crooked.”
"So?”
"Please Mamma ,can I get braces. Please. I want the blue ones."
N : "No don`t take blue. Take green or pink. My brother is getting Blue. My mamma says I can`t get them because theres Nothing wrong with my tooth!"
I glanced through the rear view mirror and saw two long faces!
So unhappy that they have perfect teeth and No broken limbs.
The pressure of being uncool is getting on. Sigh!




pic courtsey : http://www.prevention.com/
www.superstock.com/