caw caw at my window

"What are you doing?" asked my mother-in law- as she saw me leaning over the kitchen window."Oh just two slices of bread...the kids don't eat these..they are the first and last slice of the loaf.I was keeping them for the crows.They eat it." I informed her.She was slightly taken aback."You put bread slices for the crows?" "Yes,"I said,"Why is there anything wrong with that...with bread selling costlier than cakes,it would be shame to dunk into the dustbin......."Ok," she elaborated,"traditionally crows represent our ancestors and our ancestors never fed on bread.Don't do that.You could anger them!!!!" Ah I said.......of course we had a proud lineage.Just consider the people in question...my husband's paternal grandfather...the village priest:the most respected man around.Next my husband's maternal grandfather...a prosperous hotelier of his times.Chariots adorned his compounds.Then my paternal grandfather, the founder principal of the SIES group and my maternal grandfather, a business baron in Pune.Oh did I suddenly feel small and humble suddenly being surrounded by such luminaries..but why the grandmothers never came down as crows continues to puzzle me......anyway coming back to my story.....,"so," she declared "you need to feed them rice or at least something South Indian...an idli , a dosa etc but not bread...."
Ok so lets not anger the ancestors campaign had begun.The next morning after steaming the idlis, I religiously placed one on the window sill.
The first crow flew down...ah possibly one grandfather has come...he looked hard and long at the idli and went away.He came back with another one..goodie...one more grandpa has come.They both now stared at it.Was the shape wrong? Was it overcooked? Was it undercooked?I was as nervous as a new bride!!!!!
The third one came along.They almost seemed to be having a meeting.They kept looking at the idli and then flew away to their perch. None of them touched it.I thought they are probably waiting for grandfather 4 to come along too.A good ten minutes were spent in just checking the idli.I was almost a nervous wreck.
"My colleagues at the office would have devoured this by now.Whats taking these guys so much time......then they began CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW...all three of them.
I decided to be naughty and slowly slunk in the regular slices of bread and VOILA there was a flurry and the slices just vanished
Even as I type this out,the poor idli waits to be savoured by any willing forefather!!!!!!!

Destined .....never to be....

The sky was dark....
The crescent moon beckoned her into his outstretched arms
The chaos of the night had gone....
The tumult of the morn was not yet born.
The moment was theirs...destined never to be......

one little finger

One little finger was her voice to the world.

She towered tall and I was the dwarf.
She laughed loud and I was the joker.
She raced ahead.I just gasped at where I stood.
She spoke her heart out and I looked within.
She questioned the world and I had no answers.
She dared to soar and rise high.I was yet in my cocoon.
Did I have it in me,the grit and the determination?
Life threw challenges.
She played on.
Did I?
On a wheel chair she ran the whole mile.
On my feet had I even begun?

My tribute to Malini Chib,the author of One little finger

a random meeting

A random meeting.I suddenly spotted him by the coffee table in the crowd.I inched my way towards him just to check.Was it really him? Yes it was!!!! 20 years had passed and there he resurfaced into my life again....I sat down beside him.Neither of us talked.I just looked away not knowing what to do or say.Impulsively I let myself slip my hand into his.He still said nothing.His eyes stared into my soul.He seemed to be asking,"Why?"."Why did you go away?",he questioned.I had no answer.Can't I come back into your life?,he seemed to be asking."No,Not now.Too much time has passed in between.I have changed from what you knew me.I don't need you in my life any longer.",I said.I looked away trying to hide the miscreant tear that threatened to flow out and let him know of what I felt.I don't have any room for him.After all he was a gypsy from my youth .It was now time for him to move on.He could not stay.I could not let him stay.Oh!!! the sorrow of parting with a book once loved and cherished!!!!!!

a mother

Ganapathy Bappa Morya....
Mangal Murthi Morya....
Undhir Mama ki jai...
These were the words that rang loud and clear in my ears for the last three days on my trip to Ashtavinayak.Ashtavinayak is a tour that covers eight ganpathy temples in Maharashtra in and around Pune.

Eight Temples in three days!!!! My My thats some change in me I thought as I sat in the bus going from temple to temple.
What made me run to these temples?
Where were my convictions that I needed no God to look after me.
Where was the Priya who used to proclaim that God was a concept needed only by the emotionally weak?
Had I changed into a weak person?
Had I become dependant on unknown forces for things to move?
Where was the me that believed that everyhting in life is self motivated and all actions are a result of one's thoughts?
where was the radical me that poohpoohed any religious jargon?
Where was the practical me who laughed throught prayers when my mom asked me recite them?
Where was the intellectual me that ridiculed my freinds when they prayed to score well in the exams ?
Where was the pragmatic me that said that all these rules and regualations were meant not to enhance one spiritually but to tie one's freedom down?
What happened to the me who thought that Gods and their powers worked only in Amar chitra Kathas ?



Where ,I thought,I searched within and without and i got only one answer.
I had vanished into a mother...........

Mumbai's moments of bliss.........

The early mornings in Mumbai are the only semblance of peace that this city has to offer(unless you count in a very late night ride over the Rajiv Gandhi sea link)
As I take my routine morning walks,a number of pleasant images strike my mind.
Very young kids ambling down to school,tagging on their parents,eyes half opened ,wondering why they have to endure such an early morning!!!
Young boys and girls rushing to the school,sometimes narrating the previous evenings tales,else sometimes going through the last few pages of revision before a test.
Young urban couples for whom this might be the only quality time together.
A group of old men who have a good laugh at the tea stall.
The newly enlisted group of policemen all in crew cuts ,enjoying a cup of tea before they begin their daily drill.
A few more 'trying to lose weight' walkers like me!!!!
And finally the glorious sun announces its arrival somewhere in the horizon.......
Mumbai has its moments of bliss

CATKATBATASH

a tornado appears from nowhere.....claims to research on artificial intelligence ,creates a male Katrina that can rock not only the US, but almost the entire eastern hemishpere.Now this Male KAT is obviously emotionless just as much as its creator ( whom I call CAT)is brainless.but get the emotions into him and KAT and CAT both have the hots for a lady flame who sways and sashays down every road as if it a ramp.Lady flame leaves the ASH behind wherever she goes and ASH is all too eager to kiss not only CAT but also KAT.CAT and KAT love ASH .KAT talks to mosquitoes to profess his love while CAT buys jewellery but so does KAT and ASH loves what KAT bought because he is created by CAT whom she loves..........and to get ASH in his life KAT becomes evil....love can be dangerous so finally KAT beocmes BAD goes from being KAT to BAT...BAT multipies on his own and creates hundreds of other BATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!CAT wants to destroy BAT and save ASH from BAT.ASH doesnt mind seducing BAT ofcourse inorder to help CAT.....CAT disguises as one BAT and then ASH doesnt know who is BAT and BAT..Real BAT sheds blood and sweat and finally destroys all the BATS who combine to form SNAKE........and Giant ROBOT..............



No marks for guessing........what I have gone thru