I will be back!

Hello there!

Excited, excited as I am going on a vacation. I leave tonight.I am going here and will also be meeting him!

I get back on October 4th.I leave you with a crystal ball that will answer your questions!(if you don't like the answer it gives, just keep trying till it gives you one you like!) :-)

Good luck! And see you when I get back!

Ps

Another tag.

This time, Vidya tagged me. And I told her I would do it later. (usually I keep up my word!) So here it is...

1. Pick out a scar you have, and explain how you got it.
To be honest I have many scars. Collecting them seems to have become a hobby! Here is my last one.(picture was taken when it was still raw. Now it is a fading scar) Can you guess how I got it? Am sure you will NEVER guess!

*Sorry* Have removed picture as it no longer exists.

2. What does your phone look like? List your reasons to buy it?
This is my phone.I didn’t buy it.It was gifted to me on valentines day, three (or was it four--don't remember!) years ago.I continue using it as I have dropped it at least 50 times and it still functions !






3. What is on the walls of your bedroom?
A painting I did and gifted to Satish on one of our anniversaries.This is the one.





4. What is your current desktop picture?
This one. I simply love it.




5. Do you believe in gay marriage?
Yes.

6. What do you want more than anything right now?
To bring someone I lost, back to me.

7 . What time were you born?
8:40 pm.

8. Are your parents still together?
Nopes—Not in body, but in spirit they are. They would have been, had my dad not died.

9. Last person who made you cry?
Dad.Never thought he’d die this way.


10. What is your favorite perfume / cologne?
Delicious





I also like “love her madly”



11. What kind of hair/eye color do you like in the opposite sex?
Colour of hair or eyes really doesn’t matter. (Colour of the heart does!)

12. What are you listening to? Why?
Listening to the cricket commentary of India-Australia 20-20 match! Because, I am simultaneously following it, along with my husband and kids who are glued to the TV.

13. Do you get scared of the dark?
No. Never--in fact, sometimes I like dark.

14. Do you like painkillers?
Of course!

15. Are you too shy to ask someone out?
Hell, No! I’m 35!! :-)

16. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be?
Vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate sauce—ain't I predictable?


17. Who was the last person who made you mad?
I don’t bear grudges—I tried hard to remember and I don’t!(that proves I really do not bear grudges)

18. List one habit you have that has the potential to annoy people?
I am really frank and sometimes too honest .I mostly speak my mind.

19. Who was the last person who made you smile?
This friend ...And I am still smiling! :-)

The Gift.(Writers Island 1)

Writers Island is a wonderful site that I discovered from Blue’s blog. Every Tuesday they give a prompt. You have to write a story, poem essay or anything you feel apt, on the topic.The topic this time is “The gift”. This is my entry. And hey—it is a true story!
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Really sorry--I have had to remove this post as it will soon appear in a book. Making it available online would have been very unfair to my publisher who has placed so much trust in me. I hope you enjoy the other posts as much as you enjoyed this one. A heartfelt thanks for your support and understanding.Thanks for continuing to read what I write.

A timeless love story

This is a painting I made in February 1996. It hangs on the wall, in my mother’s cottage, in Kerala.
It shows Lord Krishna and Radha. Theirs is an immortal love story that that has inspired painters, musicians, poets and artists for centuries. There are thousands of songs and paintings ,dating back to the 16th century,describing and expressing this love affair .It has an element of adultery too--but oh, the passion! The story is indeed timeless and continues to inspire and fascinate people, even in this age.

I was no different. I remember that day, when I made this painting. I was just 24 then and barely 10 months, into my marriage. I hadn’t had my children. I had accompanied Satish, on one of his official trips, to this beautiful place called Hyderabad. He had taken permission from his company, for me to accompany him. We were staying in a luxurious and posh place. He left for work early that morning. I was free, to do what I pleased-- to explore the city on my own or just laze around. We had decided that once he completed his work, we would go to see some places together—otherwise I would go on my own to some art museums and galleries.

That morning, I was sipping my tea and browsing through the well stocked collection of books and I came across this image. It was compelling, fascinating and alluring. I simply loved it. I felt this intense urge to copy it. It was a small image.(perhaps 8cms by 6cms) I wanted to recreate it and paint it much bigger.

I always carry my art supplies, when I travel. I can never say when I am seized by this uncontrollable urge to paint. That morning I was.

I spent the whole day painting this picture.(The finished painting is about 2 feet by 1 and a half feet) I did not budge till I completed it. I did not even take a break to eat. I was so engrossed in it.

When Satish came back from work that evening, that’s how he found me—huddled over the painting, ecstatic about how it had turned out—and very very hungry!

It has been 11 years since I made that painting. Looking at it, transports me back in time. It definitely is not easy to resist a good love story! ;-)

Blessings big and small--happy ganesh chathurti

Today is Vinayak chaturthi—an important Hindu festival. To put it simply, it means it is the birthday of Lord Ganesh.
In the state where I stay, it is celebrated on a very grand scale. There are beautiful idols everywhere. The whole city reverberates with beats of the drum. People dance in front of elaborately decorated ‘pandals’.There is no equivalent of a pandal in English language—One has to see it to understand what it is. At best, it can be described as decorated raised wooden structure, on which Ganesha is housed, in all his splendour –majestic and towering with offerings of incense, flowers and fruits surrounding him like a sea.There are pandals in every nook and cranny in my city right now.The mood is festive. Today, I read in the newspapers that even in Paris, Ganesh festival was celebrated.
Click here to know more.

On a slightly different note---when it rains it pours!

So many people are being really kind to me—and I’m feeling happy about it. One should always be thankful for kindness and blessings—big and small.

First it was Akanksha who nominated my blog for schmooze award.This was sometime in August.

Then Rayne from Crunchy bits nominated my blog for Outstanding blog of the week. Apart from her blog she has a fabulous story site “So many stories”

She said something really nice about me—click here and scroll down to week of August 27th, if you want to see what she said.

Then Marja of ‘Dutchcorner’ nominated my blog for ‘totally fabulous’ award.

And today I had a nice surprise when Gillian of ‘Indigo blue’ mentioned my blog for Blog day award. Blog day happens just once a year—and I feel honoured that Gillian mentioned me.

Mentioning all these awards was long overdue—but somehow I kept putting it off, as I had so much to share. I still do—but I guess those will be in posts to come.






Today I bow my head to Ganesh ,the remover of all obstacles.(i loved the symbolism explained in this picture.Click to enlarge.If it does not enlarge click here ) I wish you a happy Ganesh chaturti—even if you do not celebrate it, may all the obstacles in your path be removed.

Surely—that is something nobody can deny wanting!

Do you wanna partner?!!

One of the fringe benefits of having kids is that they are a great de-stressor (when they aren’t stressing you out that is!)

Yesterday, my two, invented this ridiculous game, which had all of us, rolling on the floor with laughter. The game involved a current bollywood number which is topping the charts. The song is choreographed in such a way, that the dance steps involved itself, makes one smile. It stars one my favourite stars-- Salman Khan (I find him really good at comedy. My husband insists that it is only his well toned body that appeals to me!) It also stars Govinda who is well known, in India, for his comedy sequences.

This is the song that I’m talking about.



The rules of the game were simple. All of us had to dance in turns, to this song individually. (and copy the steps in the song!) Suddenly, any one of the audience, would shout 'freeze' and we had to freeze at once, in that very posture. If you laughed or moved you were out!

None of us lasted more than 10 seconds!!
Getting out was really worth it! And I’m laughing uncontrollably, as I type this. If I wasn’t laughing so hard, I’d have clicked pictures. But if you watch the song and imagine me and the kids dancing like this and freezing, I think you’ll agree that the pictures wouldn’t have done justice!

From the heart

Hi there,
How are you all doing? I got back yesterday (see previous post) and this is a picture I clicked in kerala at my mom's house.Somehow it seemed apt for what I'm going to tell you.

This is a note from the heart. A heartfelt, deep and a sincere thanks to all those who cared enough to leave comments on whatever I wrote. A big thank you, to all those who wrote such encouraging words. A big thank you to all of you, who continue to read what I have to say.

You have no idea how much your words have helped me .When I first started this blog (click here to read my first post) I had no idea what to expect. Many people , whom I thought were good friends, suddenly became very busy when I called to tell about my loss. Maybe they had no idea what to say. Till then, I had always been the laughter generator, the life of the party, the clown, the bubbly, enthusiastic, jovial, ever smiling, ever ready fun person. Suddenly I wanted to share something a bit more deep. I was hurting, I wanted to talk—and to my total shock, many turned away.

I realized then, that I had indeed been naïve to consider them friends. I was just amusement for them—and till such time I was witty, clever and smart they wanted to be with me. But they couldn’t handle my sorrow (perhaps it was too deep).

In desperation, I turned to blogging. Looking back, it was one of the best things to have happened. I met so many genuine people who have gone on to become good friends in real life. The encouragement and comments I received from all of you helped me tremendously. It did not lessen the pain—but it made me realize that I was not alone and there were many like me. It helped me understand better. All of you helped me reach out.

Thanks for caring. Thanks for sharing and above all, a big thank you for being there.
I shall visit your blogs soon.
With love
Ps

A journey.

Kerala, known the world over as God’s own country, true to its well earned sobriquet, is a magical place. I must have been there more than a hundred times --(as my dad and mom both grew up in this place) as a child and as an adult. (Had written a post about it once. Click here to read it and click on 'kerala' for official website) My mom, still lives there, in a very picturesque cottage, surrounded by a lovely garden that she tends to, herself. It is picture perfect, serene, peaceful and an oasis for city wracked nerves. Here are some pictures. (yes--that's my mom,kids and me in the pics)

This is however, the first time, that I will be going there alone. All by myself. No parents, no sibling, no husband, no kids. It is a journey I have to make. And I want to make. I’m going there to meet my mom and spend a few days with her. I don’t want her to be alone on September 7th.It was last year on this day that my dad died. It has been exactly a year since I went back to Kerala.

In a way, I was running. Each and everything there, holds too many precious, happy memories. Each turn that the road takes is going to remind me of something my dad said or how he once drove on these roads. Many of the trees that he planted there (and they have a beautiful garden) is going to painfully remind me of his loving hands that tended them. The river where he taught me to swim, the small shop where he used to buy me lemon sodas, the rubber estates where we used to have our walks, the kids to whom he used to teach conversational English—I’ll have to face all of it.

The place where they stay is a tiny village and my dad was a well known figure there. Whenever, we ‘city dwellers’ visit, there is always excitement and curiosity generated.

Nobody there understands or speaks English, and my kids and I are always, a ‘novelty’ when we visit. The people are very friendly and sweet. They had gathered in multitudes when my dad passed away and had helped so much. At that time I was in no frame of mind to even talk.This time I will have to.

I used to think that one truly becomes an adult when one has one’s own child. But now I feel that somehow, you grow up, when you lose a parent.

I did.