In the name of a knot...For the sake of a knot.

It has been a long time since I last claimed my own space.Had nothing in my mind to share and  I am hopeless when it comes to forcing myself to write.I met an elderly lady as I traveled last month and my brief interaction with that gutsy lady has given me enough inspiration ,to last a long long time if not a lifetime.I translate in my humble words what she spoke in rural Marathi language.As she narrated her life story to me, I fumbled with my responses while she had no dearth of words or expressions to drive home her point. Wish I had jotted down her poetic expressions in her own words at that time.My urban education paled in comparison to hers .She did not have to repeat the oft told-Life is the biggest school and experience, biggest teacher .  

She was married in her teens to a family of fifteen.What was expected of her,she hardly knew.What makes a husband ,she had no clue.
She did her best to go with the flow,for her mother took to bed and the father was no more.This be your family or so she was told,why it never felt like one she often thought so.
She was caught in a whirlwind as years turned decades  .Staying up late to get up at dawn ,she hardly slept as her own world took rest.
Four kids in succession, people frowned .She had no say in that ...did  that count ?
He, who once walked her around the holy fire, never cared to match her steps ever after.
She wanted wings, he chose solitude.
She wanted to sing, he hardly spoke.
She yearned to travel,he tied her down.
Calm she stayed and retained her nerves. Her spirits still high, waiting to soar...she added years a few more.
Never a fight ,hardly an argument and sixty long years of  co existence .An ideal couple, people said .What a marriage it was ,they all admired !
Age caught up faster with him,than he thought.Birds of the nest , all soon flew.Left behind in silence were these two.
She found her voice one day , as she felt being 'heard'.
Now,she talks as he listens..
she sings as he applauds..
and she travels as he trails...
One who left her no choice is himself left with none.
As she guides him across the life- roads ,his gnarled hands entwined ..she thinks of  the ties that did nothing but bind.
Life is one full circle,in the name of a knot ...she just lived each day for the sake of the knot.

QUIET- SUSAN CAIN A BOOK REVIEW

This review of Quiet by Susan Cain comes long after I actually read the book.The reason is that I found the book stimulating enough to deserve a second read .This is the kind of book which always will reveal something new with each read.

Simplicity of a subject depends on how well researched it is.Quiet is one such thoroughly researched book.In fact I was surprised to see the acknowledgement and notes section at the end of the book.It is a sizable part in itself.

The book throws visible light on the vast spectrum of human personalities.We see people as introverts and extroverts but do you know that an introvert need not be shy or a hermit or misanthrope always ? The book tells me that there are four quadrants to personality types : calm extroverts, anxious extroverts, calm introverts and anxious introverts. If this leaves you confused ,think Barbra Streisand as shy extrovert ( larger than life persona with paralyzing stage fear ) Author thinks Bill Gates is a calm introvert ( keeps to himself but unfazed by others' opinions )

Do you think fixed personality traits exist? If not, when should you act more extroverted than you really are?These are some points to ponder and the book goes on to explain with examples about the special situations in which being an extrovert may prove beneficial.Psychologist Mischel admits that personality traits exist but they may occur in patterns.For example, some people may be aggressive with peers and subordinates but docile with authority or even vice-versa.

Extroversion may be the cultural ideal but you can not ignore the quiet guy sitting in the corner ,observing the happenings and making mental notes.He may not 'look' like a leader but may actually ' be' the leader.Yes,it has been proved that there is something called as a soft power which requires sustained attention. Introverts are capable of giving sustained attention .The roots of  this trait lie in the culture rather than conditioning of Asian and Asian American students ,says a study in the USA. Their success is attributed to this 'soft power'.
They are generally quiet but then ,conviction is conviction,at whatever decibel it is expressed !

This book celebrates the power of Quiet .It highlights the value of silence and solitude. After reading this book I have a new found  respect for the people who live in their head.

My take -Excellent read.
                                                                                                                           Pic credit -Google images

Oh My God -Review

 I had missed the famous Gujrati play and had heard many good things about the same,so when the movie based on the same released last weak,I decided to check it out.I must admit that I was a little sceptical about the movie being made out of a play.Such movies tend to get stretched to reach the cinematic lengths,literally.

Oh my God is all about an atheist who has the guts to stand by his belief or lack of it.Many might not say it in the open but may reject the film for its sheer audacity.How often does one come across cinema actually attempting to break the shackles of religion ? All are aware but how many speak up against the commercialisation of God ? How many of us are able to negate the fear of God and religion ?

All this and much more is explored and dissected in the film . Religious leaders have been put inside the witness box and questioned  by the protagonist. Paresh Rawal,an actor par excellence,has portrayed the character of a non believer in an endearing way.There is subtle questioning  of blind beliefs and rituals through out the movie . Without being insulting, the movie talks about preachers putting up God for sale.

Movie has talked about  hapless victims of a  bizarre   clause printed in a microscopic font by the insurance companies.Companies routinely deny claims in cases where damage is because of so called 'acts of God'. Kanjibhai has lost everything in an earthquake and much to his shock,his claim has been rejected by the insurance provider.Pushed to a corner,Kanjibhai sues God and summons are sent to His representatives on Earth ( Godmen and preachers). A courtroom drama ensues wherein many myths and beliefs are broken .
After initial protests,Kanjibhai ( Paresh ) finds support of masses from all religious backgrounds.

Mithun Chakraborty gives yet another praiseworthy performance as an effeminate God man.In fact audiences will recognize all those real life people who inspired the reel characters . Akshay playing God did not work as much for me.Go Govinda song was a misfit and adds nothing to the film but I find the number catchy and I love Prabhudeva and his moves so I enjoyed it. Sonakshi and Prabhudeva were watched closely right down to their funky smart shoes, ( Now I know why my son begged for those fluorescent green, hideous , ridiculously expensive shoes last month )

Although a fun film throughout,it does have certain minuses too.A big minus for me is the  need of the makers to confirm to the presence of God .I feel they kind of succumbed to the societal pressures eventually and the sad part is ,they did take the help of a  miracle.A huge negative for me! Experience would have been perfect ,if they had stuck to the core of non existence of someone who has never been seen by anyone.A line in the film by Paresh Rawal, "Religion ,either makes man a slave of rituals or a terrorist!" The film could have easily slipped into a philosophical mode or could have turned preachy but thankfully it did not .

My take-An enjoyable family entertainer,worth watching for the subject and remarkable performances by Paresh and Mithun.

Pics - credit Google images.

Printer that left an imprint-HP inkadvantage Blogadda meet.

  The Blogadda #HP inkadvantage meet at Fat Cat Cafe was a lively interactive meet where bloggers met one Saturday afternoon to get enlightened  about printing. We all have printers at home which over the years have served their purpose but are still part of our homes and offices. My oldest HP printer still occupies a corner in my back office. The old faithful Black and White Laser printer is put to work daily by the assistants . Newer printers have been bought ,yet old ones remain....Through this meet I wanted to understand what suited best for my office and home needs.

The meet started with every one coming up with innovative ways to introduce oneself using at least one word out of many given by the hosts. It was intriguing how bloggers came up with funny one liners and paragraphs and poems to introduce themselves. Tweeting was taken to another level,with Sagarika from Blogadda announcing special prizes for funniest tweet,most number of tweets and whacky tweet. There was hardly any dull moment at the meet .

Few questions were put up for the bloggers which they were more than happy to answer. Mr Ghosh from HP  gave a talk on various printers and especially talked about the star of the afternoon ,the printer with the #inkadvantage.At 0.80 paise it seemed to be really at an advantage.

A a few questions were thrown at the gathering for an interactive session. That set all of us thinking about printers back home and at the office .Almost everyone who spoke had a favourite printer to talk about.

Fun began with a Jenga jung of sorts between two teams. After the careful dismantling of the towers and exercising their mental faculties,the winning team got busy tweeting furiously, again.
I have always been fond of At Fat Cat Cafe's food and as always,it did not disappoint me.  

The printer with an edge was the real winner that day . It comes with a few star features as we were informed by Mr Ghosh :

Reliable,time saving results made easy.
Easy mobile printing--from virtually anywhere.
Designed with the environment in mind.








The winner who got the printer could not stop grinning from ear to ear. Mr Ghosh was more than happy to give away the gifts.

Late afternoon progressed swiftly and merged with the evening as we got bust mingling with friends and the enthusiastic Blogadda team. Some candid shots by Magiceye  and  Photokadha were in place.
Evening skies indicated that it was indeed time to wrap up the meet and that is exactly what we all did.
We made few new friends and gelled with the old ones that afternoon over chai , coffee ,food and much more.
It is not surprising that I am looking forward to the next blogger meet almost as soon as I come out of the one I am at ,at that moment. One of the many advantages of blogging ,I must say.

Melbourne Treasure hunt !

  I woke up to the news that I had  won the ....its your time to visit Melbourne now contest by IndiBlogger !
 I had to leave within a weak for that promised trip to Melbourne and the culmination of the entire activity would be a 'Treasure hunt ',- their e mail mentioned.Only after I completed the entire hunt solving all the clues en route,will I be eligible for the grand prize they said. Treasure hunt in Melbourne ?

As my flight landed at the Melbourne airport ,I was whisked away by the organisers and  dropped over to my hotel room with an envelope which had the first clue.I had an hour to freshen up and join them in the hunt .

Clue 1-  Hang on a deck for an edgy experience in the sky .

We drove up to the Yarra river in Melbourne .To have discovered something as beautiful as this was nothing short of  a Eureka moment for me.
Located on top of the tower by the same name,the Skydeck 88 opened up  a breathtaking view of Melbourne city below. All this from a cube that hangs outside the tower to offer an unrestricted view.
                                                                               

A beautiful earthen pot caught my attention and I knew in an instant that my second clue will be found exactly there.I was absolutely right!

Clue-2 Get arts,craft fun and  frolic ,be one with the crowd as you get fed on this square !

To my eyes it seemed as if  the whole city had gathered there in the night.Myriad hues under the night sky,the square had come alive. There was no dearth of activities at the Federation Square. As soon as I entered the arena,I was welcomed and taken on to a guided tour on foot and then we cycled for some distance . The late night wanted me to call it a day and that is what I did before a Tai chi master smilingly handed me a Rose with the next clue.

Clue-3 It is filled with hot air, the kind that makes you fly !

As soon as I cracked the clue,I lost my sleep and waited for the crack of dawn. The excitement was palpable in my whole being ,the heart and pulse merely conveyed the symptoms as palpitations. A one hour long vegetarian ,Champagne breakfast tour had been booked for me. I was soon in heaven,  literally ! Yarra valley and its vineyards below ,vast expanse of green against a burst of orange in the sky...this definitely goes down as most memorable one hour of my life. Later,hidden in the bread box,I found the next clue..

Clue -4 Now you hop,off you go....find me around when you are done.Pay me not in cash or kind ,I drive you around  my Melbourne dear!

The hop on hop off  shuttle is the most convenient and fun way to tour and indulge in the attractions of the city. I skipped a few stations I had already had the pleasure of seeing and lingered on at few other ones. 

• Stop 1 Arts Precinct
• Stop 2 Federation Square
• Stop 3 Sports Precinct
• Stop 4 Chinatown Precinct and Theatres District
• Stop 5 Melbourne Museum and Carlton Gardens
• Stop 6 Lygon Street Precinct
• Stop 7 University of Melbourne
• Stop 8 Queen Victoria Market
• Stop 9 Waterfront City, Docklands
• Stop 10 Docklands Stadium and Victoria Harbour
• Stop 11 William Street
• Stop 12 Southbank and Yarra River
• Stop 13 The Shrine and Royal Botanic Gardens

A tiring day came to an end but not before I picked the next clue from my last stop at the William street.

Clue -5  Swim with singing dolls..they dance to your tunes and swim alongside you.

                                                      
  Next day was dedicated to swimming with Dolphins and seals and many more water sporting activities. I spent the evening in a spa ,relaxing and listening to music. 

Treasure hunt successfully completed ,I bagged the grand prize of an all expense paid visit to the Great Barrier Reaf ! It could not get better than this for sure..!

I loved and lived Melbourne...its your time to visit Melbourne now !! 

This post is my entry to the  its your time to visit Melbourne now by Indiblogger in collaboration with  visit Melbourne       

My need for speed !

My need for speed
is great indeed                                                        
But the fear of the drive,                                            
..stays in overdrive

I got the Mercedes
with Vodafone I am in,
Indiblogger that I have been
well placed are my loyalties...

Who but me, deserves to be..          
in that race with Lewis
Let me overcome my fears,

let me be thrilled...                                      


Hey Lewis ,Welcome to
amchi Mumbai !!








This is my entry for #the Vodafonespeedfest  Indiblogger contest

It Happened One Night - Until I could soak no more...

It was pitch dark as she set her foot down on the platform.Darn!Last track again!She had no patience to walk over the entire length of the platform to make use of the foot over bridge. Moreover ,climbing in her pointed pencil heels was out of question ,her feet were already killing her.The next moment,she decided to cross the railway tracks .A huge mistake that she was going to repent for a long time to come.

She crossed the first track and looked carefully on either side for any signs of an incoming train.There was none.She walked ahead balancing on her pencil heels.Spotting a huge puddle glistening under the Red of the railway signal,she stopped in her tracks briefly.Some thoughtful soul had laid down two concrete slabs across the puddle to cross over,she observed .Reassured,she put one foot forward and stepped over the slab. In a flash, to her extreme horror,she found herself in a deep ditch.Her nostrils were filled with the worst stench she could ever imagine .She tried to hold on to the edge of the ditch but the  lose earth caved in and with each effort to come up,she sank deeper and deeper inside the muck."Help!" she croaked .Nothing came out of her voice box.The whole world froze in front of her eyes as her voice deserted her in panic.She managed to reach the second railway track somehow,wading through the gutter and suddenly saw a long distance train approaching.It hurtled past making her head spin.Her heart leapt in her mouth at the narrow escape and a terrible ringing noise in her ears made her dizzy for a few moments.The downpour was heavy now, accompanied by thunder and lightening.Grabbing the railway tracks,she hauled herself up with all her might.She kept throwing furtive glances towards the far end of the station, for any incoming train.Drenched to the core,trembling with fear,her body and her soul could soak no more..

She dragged her tired, feet on the rough earth .The dainty high heels were missing, her soles were sore and her spirit dim from the death defying experience.She tried flagging an auto rickshaw as she came out in the open,to take her home.Two rickshaws one after the other , slowed down as they approached her but sped off soon after they saw her.She soon realized why.She begged the next one to drop her home at triple the usual fare.Money talks and people listen.But the night was still young and her ordeal.....far from over! As she closed her eyes and rested her weary feet in the rickshaw, she felt the screeching of tyres as they went around negotiating  a sharp bend in the road.Next moment she found herself on the road beneath ,with the toppled rickshaw around and on top of her .Too stunned to react,she stayed put .She had given up by now,she was drained out  and ready to face whatever came her way. It was more than she could endure..she could soak no more !The happenings were beyond her comprehension .It was more like she was playing hide and seek with death.The driver emerged in seconds from the rickshaw and she felt a number of hands extracting her from the rickshaw. All emerged unscathed,including the rickshaw.She wondered why she had never believed in miracles, ever !

Once home,she rushed past whoever opened the front door and shut the bathroom door behind her.She was stinking and the stench was unbearable.Unmindful of the banging hands on the bathroom door,she continued her efforts to free herself of the offending dress which was clinging hopelessly to her body.Her favourite dress had to be thrown....She was surprised that she thought of that,it ought to have  been the last thing to cross her mind. She tried to wash away the muck, from her body and the experience from her soul as she stood under the shower.The knocking on the door was frantic now..She let them know that she was fine and spent a good 45min under hot water. 'The clothes,had to be rinsed at least, to rid them of the odour ',she thought.She adjusted the setting of  the washing machine and added  Surf Excelmatic in the receptacle.She added a fragrant antiseptic liquid to the final rinse receptacle before starting the wash cycle. No soaking required,they had claimed. This was beyond soaking and frankly she had considered the dress discarded already.

Once out of the bath,she sat down with a cup of steaming chai ,narrating the dramatic events of the night.She skipped the dangerous details of the use of  the railway tracks as the anchor or the narrow margin by which she missed the passing train.The family found the whole thing to be funny!! There were peels of laughter from all around interspersed with words of admonition from seniors,followed by more giggles.'If only they knew' ,she thought before joining in the fun.She was surprised that she actually could laugh and joke about it.Never again shall I cross the tracks ,she promised herself. A grave mistake,that could have put an end to this dream life she had had, as a gift from beyond.

She woke up very late the next morning .Armed with her morning cup of tea and news papers , she settled down. She heard  her maid call out  to her-'Didi, I have ironed your silk dress too' ."Huh! that one ?Throw it Rama "-she said. By that time Rama had walked in with the dress ,bewildered at the command. The dress was spotless! "Did you soak it and wash it again before ironing?" She asked. "No,I did not.I just removed it from the machine and ironed it. Why would you want to throw the dress ?It is so pretty ..Rama mumbled. Why indeed ?
Surf Excelmatic had worked ! Soak no more and shoak ( शोक )  no more !

The cleansing of clothes was practically effortless.She could not say the same about her terrified being.The night was hellish,dotted with nightmares.It will take a long time before she could put this episode somewhere at the back of her mind..hidden.


This post is my entry for the Indiblogger Surf Excelmatic #Soak no more contest.If you like this post, to vote for it, please drop in  here .Thank you .