smiling at akka early in the morning-simple pleasure!

Commuting through Mumbai streets with your windows rolled up kind of disconnects you from the parallel world on the streets.You swear at the arrogant drivers of the black bugs on the road(autos in mumbaiiya for the uninitiated).The day your driver ditches you esp.when you are a non-driver like me you start blessing the same bugs.Double standards?..you bet!
Sitting in the auto you feel particularly vulnerable specially when it is stationary like in traffic or on the signals which we all know are abundant in Mumbai.
One such traffic signal at Juhu circle takes eternity to change and you are left with no choice but to be aware of the sights and smells around.A group of Hijras,akkaa for me since the incident i am going to narrate now,are regulars there.The long signal gives them enough time to peep in every auto and knock on every car window.Normally,inside the car you choose to ignore them though it is hard to do so but this particular day I felt 'exposed'and as though sensing my discomfort one of them came pushed his entire upper body inside the auto , his face right
against mine and then the unexpected happened;she smiled:)it was the most genuine smile and it came right from her heart.After the initial shock as a reflex action i beamed a smile at her and we laughed out loud.To my "kaise ho" she said "good" and to my "kahan rehte ho" she said "Yahan-Wahan"
Respecting her privacy i left it there and we chatted some more till the signal changed only this time it seemed to be the fastest change ever.A mango bite and an invitation for chai later i sped off only to be in great spirits the whole day.
I make it a point to smile at akka whenever i see her and have started believing that she brings if not good luck,a good day to me.Her smile is infectious and I spread it to my workplace and home.
Exchange of smile with a complete stranger-simple pleasure!

Simple pleasures-kids

I love kids in general.A completely unknown kid's smile can brighten up your day and lift your spirits.No child is born difficult,adults modify their behavior by confusing them with their own behaviour.
My dental office sees many such beautiful harmless looking kids turn into little monsters the moment they are approached by us professionals.One of them once called me 'quite disgusting'I said I agreed with her completely but I could'nt do anything about it since I was born that way just as she was and that we had that trait in common.I gained her sympathies and her cooperation thereon as she promised to treat me while i treated her .She invited me to her wedding last week.Seeing her step into a responsible role with a warm glow on her beautiful face brought tears of joy into my eyes.
Another one of the simple pleasures ..:)

simple pleasures-doing nothing

Ever asked yourself this question earnestly:
What is a simple pleasure for me?The answer changes many times over the years in our lives.For some it could be a holiday and for others a cold day, a cup of hot coffee and reading a book wrapped in a rajaii (yumm..)could be the simplest of pleasures.
Last vacation planned at the spur of the moment saw me with children in tow to my favourite destination london.Children were not so keen with their dad being away on a trip but tagged along nevertheless.What started as one of the many vacations turned out to be the most memorable one.We had all the time on our hands and thekids had me their ever so busy mother to themselves,no dad,no work abso. nothing to do.Complete lukhhas that we were we decided to you guessed it right -do nothing.We would laze around in bed (a luxury),talk,have chai, laze some more, talk some more, giggle,and do more of nothing.If this wasn't bliss nothing else could be..Evenings we went grocery shopping,grabbed a street bite or simply got bread butter and achar to munch in the room .more bliss tucked in the bed.Sometimes we would just walk on the pavement barefoot on the freshly shed leaves.We even sat down to gossip and pose for each other.
End of the vacation we all came back a few kilos heavier but it was all worth it when I hear my kids say that that was the best one they ever had..
More such simple pleasures later..

keep connecting

Got a call last evening from a long lost friend.Nothing could have elevated my mood more than this after post Diwali blues.We just cought on ,without any moment of awkwardness as if we never lost touch.That is why they say that friendships made when you are very young are deep .We talked,we called each others names,giggled like teenagers and laughed about almost anything and everything .It was something I had not done in a long time and believe me it was rejuvinating to say the least.
A few calls later to other common friends and we are on the road to discovering what each one has been doing.Exited!

mymind

wanted to blog for a long time. Did not know how.Finally found my space.This new year I promise myself to come back to it everyday .Lot of e-hurdles later I have reached here .Hope I can keep up the pace alongside daily mundane things.