From Children to Men - happy birthday

Son,
This is a milestone birthday and you are twenty-one.
from a baby with colic to a man of music,
The journey has sure been an exciting one.
Your childish chatter on tape is but a precious keepsake,
The years have flown; you, child have grown,
A man soon to come into his own. 

It was touch and go, but today you have so much to show.
 Life is sometimes an  uphill climb, just continue to smile, be gentle and kind
May happiness and good luck come knocking at your door.
May the good lord be with you wherever you go!

You came to us a good 40 days early. It seemed that you were not going to be with us for long - Nana said that you looked like a tiny black rat, with zero chances of survival but it has been 21 years and you are alive and kicking!
There were many, many moments of anxiety and fear but you little man, put up a brave fight and today we raise a toast to 21 years of 'awesome'. 
A powerhouse of talent you have excelled in almost every field, music being your alpha and omega. You were a tot of 8 when you sat crosslegged for your first music lesson. which left your music teacher in wonder. From the school stage to the choir to the Hard Rock  Cafe's, you have seen it all and done it all as your fingers fly over the keys of the piano or the keyboard. 
We praise the Lord for the talent that he has bestowed on you. Rock on son!!


WE  were blessed a second time - with a 2.75 kg bundle of joy.   

You have your own brand of humour dearest son,
Sometimes tearful and sometimes bubbling with fun
You have won over the hearts of everyone. 

You are nineteen and unique.
Enjoy the last of your teen year, soon it will be  through

Have fun in all that you do,

 May the good Lord rain  blessings down on you. 

A Deluge Revisited

The city is back on its feet after the deluge last week. Water logging, flooding and a few untimely deaths because of negligence marked August 29th2017.  Mumbaikars relived July 2005 on August 29th 2017. The richest municipal corporation in India received the thrashing of its life from all quarters for its apathy towards the citizens and shoddy maintenance of infrastructure.Every time a deluge happens Mumbaikars experience a sense of Deja vu. Will the corporation ever learn or ever care? 

 As always, in these difficult times, the 'good -samaritan' spirit of the Mumbaikars comes to the fore. The numerous shelters that mushroomed were amazing and there have been testimonies to the same. 

 On one hand, we hail the famed Mumbaikar spirit which the municipal corporation seems to have taken for granted and on the other hand if  Mumbaikars practised a little more civic sense the city may not find itself in these hopeless situations. 

Civic sense and a greater responsibility on the part of the municipal corporation would make the city a better place altogether. 

This and That

Indians celebrated 70 years of glorious freedom from foreign rule on the 15th.There was flag hoisting and there were speeches and the usual rhetoric.Th

e working crowd and students enjoyed another break as our Parsi brethren celebrate yet another new year. Navroze Mubarak.
 The rains continue, sometimes quite dispiritedly and sometimes we enjoy a torrential downpour.As I write this the sun is playing peek - a -boo.We are eight months into the year.Preparations are on to welcome lord, Ganesh.The junior sweet tooth in the house is looking forward to sinking his teeth into modaks, the delicacy of the festival.A slew of festivals follow.   So far the year has seen two good Hindi movies, Lipstick under the burqa and Toilet... Ek Prem Katha.  both of which have done a pretty good job in sending a message across. Hindi cinema does have its good days.
 Talking about Hindi cinema takes me back to my college days when there was no online booking and no e -tickets. Blockbuster or flop we had to see them all. The college happened to be located close to a popular picture theatre and as half the gang bunked a couple of lectures to stand in the queue for tickets, the other half trooped in later. When I say, gang, I mean 22. We patronized every theatre in town. Recalling those fun days brings a twinkle and a  tear to my eye and a smile upon my lips.

A Need to Read.

Something that I miss dreadfully from my spinsterhood days is curling up with a good book. Recently a classmate from the school WhatsApp group suggested that the group talk books. Out tumbled the names of books, authors, 'have - read', 'must - read' and presently reading. Many have continued to be voracious readers like while others like yours truly were rediscovering the joys of reading.
My first tangible memory of this very pleasurable hobby was the book 'A basketful of surprises by Enid Blyton that dad brought home for me. There was no turning back.I was hooked. My parents both book lovers supported my passion for reading.  As a child, Enid Blyton was a hot favourite. I gradually moved on to the adventures of the Hardy boys and Nancy Drew.Richmal Crompton's William saw me chuckling away to glory  There was this book shack that dad dropped me off where for many years I kept alive my passion for reading. Together with Enid Blyton and Nancy Drew, the lives and times of Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and the rest of the gang, Little Lotta, Dot, The Flintstones kept me entertained.Comics is not 'serious reading' but they sure are a part of growing up. 

   Dad was averse to Mills and Boon, so during that phase of my life, I played a lot of hide and seek with dad.

Yes, I have sunk my teeth into all genres(except for science fiction) reading by day and late into the night.Reading was a pure delight. Then I tied the knot, the boys were born in quick succession and life was never the same again. Raising my kids and keeping house left me with very little time to indulge in my favourite past time. Over the years I did join a local library and introduced the boys to the world of books while trying to pick up from where I had left off. Thanks to a friend, I began reading Maeve Binchy. Jason, my older son turned out to be a bookworm,   but for the past few years, the soon to be 21 has not looked at a novel. "I am into text books," ma he quips.
Here I am, scouring the e- tailers for good bargains. I've taken a fancy to Ruskin Bond- I need his quiet humour in my chaotic life. 

Friendsmaynot be forever

This post may contradict an earlier post, 'Friends are forever.' I am 53 and have I lost any friends along the way? I read this rather interesting article about 'losing friends along the way' The writer received a forward that said, 'if you are not losing friends then you are not growing up.'
 No man is an island and friends are an elixir to life. Life happens, you make friends and somewhere along the way you begin to lose touch with some of them, you find that you have very little or nothing in common, your goals and dreams differ, you walk different paths in pursuit of your goals and dreams and you make new friends along those paths.  Hence in order to achieve your dreams and goals and to grow says the writer losing friends is inevitable. "In order to move on, you need to outgrow people and situations.'You don't need to break friendships, you stay in touch but just about. 
 My significant other swears by the fact that your only friends are the friends that you made in childhood and the college gang that you hung out with.By and large that belief contains many grains of truth.  There are however exceptions to the rule as chaddi-buddies are also known to have drifted apart. 
Social media has helped us find long lost friends, made reunions happen but many on our friend list remain faces and names on the list with no action or interaction. Some virtual 'friendships' are most disconnected. 
Count your friends when your life has been engulfed by storm clouds and you are sinking into the depths of despair. How many will help you weather the storm? Of those that hung out with you how many will hang in with you helping you weather the storm? I am thankful to those who have hung out with me in good times and bad. 
 "A friend in need is a pest indeed'

Another good read - How can you learn to love your own fate? believe in AmorFAti and embrace life as a warrior. 

Amor Fati, says Nona Walia is a latin term which means that you don't just accept your fate but you learn to love it. 
Life is no bed of roses, The roses come with thorns. impossible as it may seem you would do well to embrace and accept the thorns, find the silver lining and take the bull by the horns. .Experience has taught me that complaining and brooding change nothing except for making matters worse.Complaining breeds bitterness and resentment which is not good for health.  Bad things are bound to happen - just let go and the bad things will be gone. Am I right or wrong? 

53 and counting...

It is a quiet Sunday afternoon. I have just woken up from my siesta and thought that I would pen a few lines on the eve of my 53rd birthday.So what do I have to say for myself? 

I was a few kilos lighter last year at this time. The jeans  I wore last year on my birthday are a little too snug for comfort this year. Ah! but isn't that what life is all about? you lose some and you win some!I was in conversation with a college friend whom I have not seen for thirty plus years and we thought that the gang should meet up before ailments get the better of us. Our spirits are up and age is just a number. 
This one year has been none too eventful. Mostly boring house hold chores, mundane stuff but in between, I have managed to crack an article writing course that I had enrolled for 3 years ago and have rediscovered the joys of being a bibliophile in the last  12 months. I consider that quite a  feat for a boring old homemaker! I am presently enjoying Ruskin Bond's subtle humour. Turning pages after all that scrolling is kind of rejuvenating. My very newly cultivated hobby - a potted garden is(tending to precisely 3 pots as of now) seeing me on cloud 9. There is that green and white croton, a Hibiscus plant and a Mogra plant. The huge pale pink and peach hibiscus blossoms are truly a sight for sore eyes.The croton perched on the ledge is a balm to the soul.My better - half gifted me what most women never ever have enough of - clothes and a visit to the salon. 
Here's  to another year of growth and expansion of only and only the grey matter and yes my potted

garden

Not Quite the Garden of Eden.

After a 2-week computer malfunction, I am back to hammering at those keys. The rain  - gods are officially in town but we are still to bear the brunt of the full monsoon. The skies remain overcast with short, sharp intermittent showers.
The Monsoon brings with it, the colour green and the greenery seems infectious. Friends have been posting pictures of beautiful flowers and luscious fruits and I decide to try my hand at gardening.  Mom was an avid gardener many moons ago tending to an array of plants and taking pride in some bright and beautiful blossoms. I was not the least bit interested but today at  50plus am an aspiring green thumb. I live in an apartment in a big, noisy city and so have to make do with a potted garden. I bought two seasonal flowering plants - I am not even quite sure of their names.I was helped by the 18-year-old to set up the potted

garden.He has inherited grandma's love for plants.He has planted a tiny mint plant. The lack of space does not allow many pots or we must get down to some serious organising in the balcony.   There were pretty white flowers on one and yellow on the other. Sadly the plant with yellow flowers died  I did feel more than a tinge of disappointment.The other plant seems to be doing well. but what's that they say? "try try never say die!"Hopefully, I will be able to post pictures of my potted garden one day!