18 October, 2006

Leisure


(by W.H.Davies)

WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—
No time to stand beneath the boughs,

And stare as long as sheep and cows:
No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:
No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night:
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance:
No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began?
A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.


(Picture taken at Warwick Castle, UK)
Do we really have the time to marvel this beauty?

15 October, 2006

Advice to the Ladies

After long I was cleaning out my mailbox and came across this forward "Advice to the Ladies". Here it is...

If you want someone who will bring you the paper without first tearing it apart to remove the sports section. Buy a dog.
If you want someone willing to make a fool of himself simply over the joy of seeing you Buy a dog.
If you want someone who will eat whatever you put in front of him and never says its not quite as good as his mother made it Buy a dog.
If you want someone always willing to go out, at any hour, for as long and wherever you want Buy a dog.
If you want someone who will never touch the remote, doesn't care about football, and can sit next to you as you watch romantic movies Buy a dog.
If you want someone who is content to get up on your bed just to warm your feet and whom you can push off if he snores Buy a dog.
If you want someone who never criticizes what you do, doesn't care if you are pretty or ugly, fat or thin, young or old, who acts as if every word you say is especially worthy of listening to, and loves you unconditionally, perpetually Buy a dog.
But, on the other hand, If you want someone who will never come when you call, ignores you totally when you come home, leaves hair all over the place, walks all over you, runs around all night and only comes home to eat and sleep, and acts as if your entire existence is solely to ensure his happiness... Then................
Buy a cat!
(You thought I was talking about a man didn't you?)

10 October, 2006

The Karvachauth story

Her: She wakes up when the alarm goes off at 4 am, although she has slept only past midnight. With a smile on her face, she proceeds to prepare her sargi, a ghee dolloped paratha, a cup of fenia, cashewnuts, pistachios and a bottle of water. She opens the fridge, takes the dough and milk out. As she scuttles around the kitchen making her enriching sargi, she thinks fondly of her day ahead… the fast, dressing up in bright reds and maroons, the pooja, the sighting of the moon, having her first morsel of the day with her husband thereafter… she silently hugs herself with this warming thought…She turns on the stove, places a skillet to warm and cooks the fenia, as she rolls out her paratha and generously applies ghee on it. She turns the paratha out on the skillet to cook reminiscing about her earlier karvachauths - similar yet special in their own way. She hears the sound of her husband coming into the kitchen. She turns to greet him. “Happy Karvachauth, dear!” They say hugging the other warmly. “Now go back to bed,” she admonishes him gently, “you have a long day at work!” “ Hmmm”, he mumbles, eyes half closed and sleepily turns around, walks into the bedroom goes back to sleep. She gathers her plate, walks into the living room, sits down and devours her sargi. Done, she puts her plate in the sink and decides to go back to bed – she’s so sleepy! Stifling a yawn, she turns in, to find her husband fast asleep.


Him: He is disturbed when the alarm rings at 4 am………hasn’t he only just slept, he wonders. Returning late from his EMBA classes, a heavy dinner, a long day at work - he hasn’t slept well in a week. He hears his wife getting out of bed. He pulls the blanket closer and manages to sleep. He can hear sounds in his head – is he hallucinating? She has forgotten to shut the bedroom door. A tad awake yet half asleep, he can feel the light turned on in the kitchen, the bathroom door closing, the fridge being opened, the stove turned on, the clanging of various vessels…. She’s preparing her sargi he thinks, grinning mentally. He is unable to sleep properly. He bundles out of bed and walks towards the kitchen with heavy steps. She hears him come. They fondly hug each other with a smile, “Happy Karvachauth dear”. “Now go back to bed, you have a long day at work!” she admonishes him in her usual way. He smiles inwardly, nods in agreement to her and turns around. Staggering and sleepy-headed he goes back to bed. The noises from the kitchen continue but slowly fade in his head. He falls asleep.

Same story but two sides….. Felt it was a nice way to describe our first phase of Karvachauth. Happy Karvachauth to you! :)

My foray into blogosphere!

My windowsill has often been the place where thoughts breeze through my fickle mind. Finally, I've found a space to express some mundane musings, inane ideas, amateur ramblings… Hope to be a regular here – though I wonder if a private, closed-up person like me can open up on the internet! So if you happen to stop by, please leave your comments and….. hey, welcome to the windowsill!