Preeti Shenoy's blog.

The picture clicked recently shows my daughter and my brother Death. It has a way of creeping up on life, when you least expect it and it also has a creepy way of showing up inside your mind. Even the minds of little children. My children were in bed yesterday. I had just finished the marathon story-reading sessions that we have, turned out the lights and was about to leave for my bedroom. My 5 and half year old daughter’s voice rang out “Mama, can I ask you something?” Usually these ‘somethings’ that are asked, are very amusing. So with Pavlovian anticipation of a good laugh inside my head, I said “Ask away” “What will happen to both of us, if both, you and papa die?” My mind worked at lightning speed, to give her a convincing answer. “Well, you can call up Prem mam and he will come and pick you up” Prem is my only sibling. We share a very close relationship. The children call him Prem-mam. He is their super hero. He is younger to me. He is a ‘big-man’ now .And I don’t mean just phys

Click to enlarge “To move freely you must be deeply rooted" ---Bella Lewitsky Good painting is like good cooking.It can be tasted but not explained. Therefore I am not even attempting to explain it.And I am not even sure it is good !(But yes, I like it) It is just an expression of my deep rooted emotions. It is called Deeply rooted. It is a mixed media collage-painting(again!) that I made today. Thanks to my friend Tyler Durden (again!) who continues to find new ways to inspire me. And here are some quotes which say all that I want to, about paintings. " Thirst will parch your tongue and your body will waste through lack of sleep ere you can describe in words that which painting instantly sets before the eye” - --Leonardo Da Vinci " Eloquence is a painting of thoughts." - --Blaise Pascal "Painting is very easy when you don't know how,but very difficult when you do." ---Edgar Degas “For me, painting is

Happiness makes up in height, what it lacks in length.To me, it is like a butterfly.Beautiful.Free.Yours to see, feel and enjoy.Never to possess.If you try to own it, you kill it. I wrote this poem very recently.(On 22nd january 2007.) Elusive Joy Fractured thoughts Dreamless sleep Rootless love Running deep Eternal quest Quiet unrest Recurring memories Seeking to forget Anguish, loss Corroding deep Wanting more Losing sleep Moments march Time ticks on Now it’s here Now it’s gone! © Ps What does happiness mean to you ?

This was not going to be a sad post. I had planned a nice happy thing to write about and had got nice photos too. I usually update my blog in the night, just before going to bed, or early the next day, if I haven’t updated, the previous night. I thought that by the time I write this, I would have cried sufficient tears and passed on my sorrow to sufficient friends, and would feel better-- so that I don’t blog about misery. Alas, that is not to be. I watched my kitten getting killed this morning by a stray dog. I rushed to save it, but the dog had already bitten its neck, deep. It was bleeding and writhing in pain. It could barely lift it's head, off the ground. It's body was convulsing. Violently. It was struggling, exactly like a fish struggles, when taken out of water. I couldn’t bear to watch helplessly and I rushed to get my car keys. But it had already died. Life. So unpredictable. You are there one moment. Could be gone the next. Even if you are not a kitten!(That is on

Click to enlarge I haven’t seen ‘Fight club’ though it has been on my list. Yet, I can relate to certain parts of Tyler Durden. Especially when he says “Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off.” Or when the voice-over says “ This is your life and it's ending one minute at a time .” That is when I feel a bi

There is no escape from Shakira's video and it is on, all the time, on various music channels. Many see it as 'dirty dancing'.I love the way she moves. My children are amused that I actually admire her dance. "Yuck mama--How can you like her?" they echo in chorus. "But look at her dance.Can you do that?" I ask. My nine year old listened to the lyrics.(and he doesnt know Spanish)Then he says "Does Shakira have a mouth on her hips?" He claims he was trying to make me laugh.I did. It took me 10 seconds to figure it out. And I continue to smile when I think of it.

Click on the photos to enlarge .The third kitten is a bit shy and refuses to pose for the camera! Dogs and children for some reason, gravitate towards me! I’m really good with both. I can spend hours in the company of dogs or children, without getting bored. I’m not a cat person. I don’t hate them either, like some people do. Then again, I love most animals and since childhood, I’ve always had a variety of pets, ranging from a rescued bird that couldn’t fly, hamsters, fishes, a rescued kitten, a rescued squirrel, and dogs. I was forever, bringing home, one kind of animal or the other. In one of the places that I lived in, my house was next to a Blue Cross shelter. I was a familiar figure there. Now, these three kittens and their mother have clawed their way into my life, with their cuteness ,charm, cunningness and antics. I have a patio that leads into the garden, and there is a rocking chair there, where I usually read my morning newspaper. The kittens have now discovered the joy of

This is what it said about me when I did the quiz.I do not know how much of that description is true [:-)] , but I was honest when I answered the questions. There are about 40 questions, but you can choose in what order to answer, as they are all attractive visuals.You click on a visual that appeals to you.Then answer,then again choose another visual, and so on till you complete it. The order in which you choose the pictures, also probably ,determine the end result. It was fun!

"Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is a speaking picture"says Simonides.I couldn’t agree more. I love poetry and have read poetry to my children ever since they were babies , and now they love it too. This lovely poem is taken from a book that I often read to them.I love the illustration that accompanies it, as well. Click on picture to enlarge Why do I like this poem? Because, like most of the ones I like, there is a beautiful play of words.It is so simple, such beautiful thoughts, most of all , it makes you think. Don’t you agree? Some Opposites Richard Wilbur What is the opposite of riot ? It is lots of people keeping quiet. The opposite of doughnut ? Wait A minute while I meditate This isn’t easy. Ah! I’ve found it. It’s a cookie with a hole around it. What is the opposite of two ? A lonely me,a lonely you. The opposite of a cloud could be A white reflection in the sea Or a huge blueness in the air Caused by the cloud’s not being there The opposite of opposite ? T

“Each friend represe nts a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” --Anais Nin My cousin diyadear introduced me to Orkut .—Rather, prompted me to try out orkut. I always knew it existed but had never bothered about it.But all the publicity it generated (some negative) made me curious and I decided to join. It did not change my life in any great way, but it helped me reconnect with many of my friends with whom I had lost touch.I have never stayed in one place for more than 4 years, my whole life! (Because of the nature of my dad’s job, in childhood, and my husband’s job now) You move on, you make new friends, keep some old ones.Orkut helped me FIND some. Also it has been an eye opener, because I met some new people through the blogging community. I found their blogs compelling enough to leave a comment. It prompted me to check out their profiles and I was so shocked to see their ages.I would have NEVER g

My five and a half year old daughter came home yesterday,(she had gone out to play) with a wide smile of her face, and mehndi on her hands! (see the picture.) For those of you who do not know what mehndi is, click on Mehndi It is an ancient and a beautiful art form. Completely natural and free of any kind of chemicals.After the intricate patterns are made with the ground paste of mehndi leaves, you have to keep it for at least 2 hours, if you want a deep red colour. It lasts for about 2-3 weeks and slowly fades away. The delighted look on my daughter’s face said it all. She was beaming, her eyes were shining and she was dancing around. “Look mama—Isn’t it beautiful .I am sooooo happy!! ” “It is beautiful, darling. Where did you get it?” “Mama, Renuka put it for me” Renuka is an eighteen year old who lives in the neighbourhood, loves kids and loves mehndi designs. My daughter was a willing subject, to try her art designs. Renuka is sweet.But Renuka also does not know the school rules. T

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.

Sun flowers.The very name evokes happy associations.Or Van Gogh.Or a reminder that your cooking oil has finished! --Depending on your bent of mind. To me, sunflowers always mean Sunshine and VanGogh.I really love his work. They were in full bloom when we passed by.Nodding and smiling.Simply had to stop and click a picture.And gaze in admiration. It made me happy. But, as Anthony Angelo said " Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine" What do you associate sunflowers with?

Let me call him ‘K’ and not give you his name, for obvious and the not so obvious reasons. K has always been a part of my life ever since I can remember. Despite the vast age gap between us(he was so much older than me) we got on really well. The age difference between us never really bothered us. K looked so much younger than his age .He had the energy of a man half his age, and the maturity of a man twice his age! He was that rare, perfect combination. He was also amazingly fit, tall and handsome, with a very striking presence. He was an excellent swimmer. He was the one who taught me how to swim, when I expressed a desire to learn. He would splash water really hard on me, with a swift repetitive movement of his hands and joined my delighted peals of laughter, when I got completely covered in a water jet, created by the sheer power of his hands.(exactly like the picture you see above!) We were like children when we went to the beach. K could run really fast, and I would try to cat

I was okay till my daughter was born. A sound sleeper. A creature that did not roam around in the night, haunted by thoughts, which sometimes by morning, seem silly. Someone who slept through the night. Soundly. Unmindful of the night-time noises. (and no, my husband does not snore! Am not referring to that!) Then she passed me a contagious disease which new born babies often pass to their parents—Insomnia. And I have suffered from it ever since. I have tried everything from “41 tried and tested methods to cure insomnia” to deep breathing techniques, to Yoga (I religiously practice yoga too—along with my daily work-outs) to just plain counting sheep. The problem with the last being, sheep often turn into cows, and dragons and elves and gnomes, and fairies and dwarfs and other fantastic creatures, and they whiz past so fast inside my head till I cannot count anymore!! And now I find that I attract people with the same problem too! Four of my friends are Insomniacs. I thought my pro

These pictures were clicked by me, on my much written about holiday!There are glimpses of the city as well as pictures I just couldn't resist clicking.I found it all fascinating.Please respect my copyright on these pictures.Thanks! Couldn't resist clicking lots of rabbit pictures. The lotus is the symbol of peace.Here you can see the reflection of the tree above it.It was so alluring--and peaceful to stare at it. Found this flower unusual.Loved the juxtaposition of curves! _______________________________________________________ In the city--clicked from inside the moving car. Another angle of a picture I posted earlier.This one is clicked from inside the monument. Same monument.Another view. A mosque which was on the way.Loved the unusual architechture.

Trust is a powerful thing. It connects two people with an unimaginable force. When you love somebody with your whole heart you also trust them. You feel safe with them—you laugh a lot, you talk, you feel good, you feel loved. You can do something or be quiet together.You can talk about everything under the sun. You are comfortable. Most importantly, you are yourself. You might have known somebody for just a few minutes, yet you might trust them, and it completely changes the relationship. You feel you have known them for ages. You might have known somebody for ages, yet you might not really open up to them. That is because deep down, your instincts are telling you not to trust them. So you hold back. It is so difficult to break away from what you always do and do something completely different. Like trusting, if you have always doubted before. Like carrying a pink hand-bag, and wearing pink stilettos to match, if you have never worn it before .(I did that today—I’ve never worn ‘feminin

Yes—It is cotton. We then came across lots of bits of white dotting the road. Did feel like it had snowed in parts! There were a LOT of cotton fields. Cotton fields --White bits are cotton pods. Click to enlarge This part of India is famous for its really beautiful fabric called “Himroo” and “Paithani”. Himroo is an age-old weaving craft. Himroo in its original form is made of silver and gold. The threads of silver and gold were so fine that the final cloth appeared as "GOLD CLOTH". It is indeed fabric fit for royalty.(Aurangabad was the capital of the last Mughal emperor Aurangazeb, as I mentioned. and the city is full of reminders of this era) I could not resist buying a saree for my mom. It was so beautiful .What is amazing is that it is hand woved—painstakingly. I bought this one on the for my mom You can see a lady, working on her weaving loom, transforming threads of cotton into a work of art. She is an unknown artist.Nobody knows her or appreciates her.There are hundr

We were driving back home from Aurangabad. It was a lovely drive. Scenic, peaceful, both kids asleep in the back seat of the car, nice music playing,Satish at the wheel, and me at my furious-thinking best, with a calm, peaceful look camouflaging my thoughts. Suddenly this sight appeared. It was almost magical. We stopped the car and stared---and clicked these snaps.(click to enlarge) Any guesses what it is? Let me have your answers and I’ll tell you if you are right.Will give you more pictures and the ‘whole story’ after I have your guesses.

The resort where we stayed when we went on the holiday had more than 60 rabbits!They would all be let loose on the lawn in the evenings.The kids were delighted. So was I! Can't understand how some people can be cruel enough to hunt these gentle creatures.

The sobriquet it has earned is “The poor man’s Taj”. However the locals call it the “Twin of Taj”. It is located in Aurangabad and is called “Bibi ka makbara” The resemblance is indeed striking. Having been to the original Taj Mahal in Agra more than twice, I was curious to see what “Bibi ka Makabara” promised. Even though I expected it to be alike, I was nevertheless, astounded by the resemblance. The Taj is of course, so much more beautiful. The Taj Mahal is made entirely of marble. In this monument, the minarets at the side are made of stone, and plaster. Also there is so much beauty inside the Taj. The lovely engravings which are in the Taj are missing here. However, it does have its own charm. It’s a tribute from a son to his mother.Prince Azam Khan , who was the son of the Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb built it, to honour his mother. I found a nice article about the whole thing. Here is the link, for those who want more!! http://www.goworldtravel.com/ex/aspx/articleGuid.{42ce12dd-4b