HAPPY NEW YEAR

Cool cat in Brussels

A Very Happy New Year everyone. I wonder why a calendar year matters so much to us. Do we really mean all those wishes, or are they simply a way of keeping in touch with our friends and acquaintances?

Just reminding someone that we are still around?

A long time ago, every New Year, Diwali, Christmas, we used to send out cards to our friends. Then the era of SMS arrived and now wishes go by e- mail. Now it is so convenient to simply address a wish to everyone and then press the send option. No numerous signatures, no checking of the address, the postage stamp, or dependence upon the post. No waiting....life has moved on, so fast!

Every year moves us away from childhood to youth, to middle age, and then old age. Every second, every moment, every year that goes by, takes us away from helplessness to being helped, to planning a future and then resting on our laurels or failures, whatever.

Life they say is meant to be lived, every minute. Yet all that we do is squander away each glorious minute. Each passing moment just goes. "Aane wala pal jaane wala hai-the moment that is about to come is about to go away." If only we lived each moment as it is meant to be lived, we will create lasting memories. These will be memories of joy, happiness, and laughter.

When I look around me, I often see people with huge frowns. Smiles are so rare, laughter is even rarer. There is a look of boredom, a look of pain, misery and helplessness on most faces that one would encounter at a public place. It is rather sad to see all the gloomy faces around me. 

If some person looks at our pretty child and smiles or says an appreciative word, we get paranoid, as we fear the evil eye!! Encountering a stranger who smiles, is also met with a cynical look! Pathetic, is the word that comes to my mind, because we do not trust people. We can only see evil in every action. We cannot appreciate innocent human gestures. Our minds are so full of prejudice and suspicion. What has the world done to us, to make us into these fearful hapless persons, who are so far removed from the natural goodness of human beings?

The innocence of childhood, the carefree attitude of youth turns us into cynics as we grow old. I wonder why?? Is it time, or failures, frustration, or simply the realization that our time on earth is now slowly depleting. We are no longer those bright eyed people who could make a difference to the world. We have simply taken a back seat and stopped waiting longingly for our next birthday!

What is it? Come on folks, cheer up, all is not lost. 

Variety of tomatoes at Borough Market London

We have only one life to live. This is the time when I am here. The world exists for me. I was born, I live and the world is full of joy, happiness and pleasures...all for me! The world lays out a plethora of options in front of me. I have to choose, what I want. Pick up the brightness, the colorful, and the best of the lot and live happily forever. The choice is to make life happy, vibrant and beautiful. Love yourself and the whole world will love you. You will get back what you give out. Give happiness and it will come back multiplied manifold. Just share your smiles and happiness. I appreciate this beautiful world which was made for me to use, while I live here. The here, now, is the time to enjoy. Live happily and love yourself!

Look at the innocent smile of a baby. His trusting smile, faltering step, innocence, makes me realize that childhood is indeed wonderful. If only we could start trusting people just like a child, life would become simpler. Every step in life cannot be equal and correct. Sometimes we do make mistakes without realizing it. We cause unhappiness for others without having any such intentions. Let us start forgiving our own selves for having caused that pain to someone. The ones who are hurt are usually those who are very close to us. We therefore need to be magnanimous with our own selves and forgive ourselves.

Move on and see the colorful, beautiful platter of life laid out in front of you and choose to remain happy. You will only find more happiness throughout your way. Look for roses and you will find them. If you only look for thorns that is what you will find. Choose carefully what you want, as that is what you will find. I have heard of an old Afghan prayer, "Ae Khuda, Kharche badha"! This is a prayer for increasing expenses!They believe that if your expenses increase, your capacity for paying for those expenses will increase. The end result will be prosperity!

I wish you all a lot of Happiness. I wish that you only choose happiness, health and prosperity for your own self. All those whom you love will also get these by default, because your happiness is dependent upon their happiness too!
As 2010 is drawing to its end, I say adieu, goodbye,we will wake up to a New Year soon. A beautiful year,a fun filled year, a year even better than the last!

I wish you all A Very Happy New Year, full of Joy, Brightness, Good Health, Prosperity, Peace, Love and Happiness.

Anurag

Anurag was the cutest little bundle of joy that one had seen.  TNN, the very practical  Engineer that I had married, always put a spanner in the works, by declaring that to every mother her child is the cutest! Nevertheless, I still stand by my declaration that Anurag was the cutest baby boy ever! As he was being taken to the nursery, on the 15th of May, he looked wide eyed at all the people who had come to await his arrival. My mother says he actually focussed his eyes to look!

It was a hot summer's day in Delhi and right ten minutes after mid day Anurag was born. He was a child who was the pet of the whole household. For my in laws he was the grandson to carry on the lineage and fulfill all the religious obligations, and pave their way to salvation. To my parents he was a pretty baby toy, sorry boy!

As a baby he would ride from one end of our house to the neighbor’s house extremely fast on his walker. Zoom, zoom, zoom was his buzzword. Later when he acquired a tricycle he would go very fast on it too. By this time he had a baby sister who was quite roly poly. He would insist upon taking Chaitali on a fast ride too. Perhaps that is the reason why Chaitali is still so fond of adventure sports.

Anurag with his walker

Anurag was always fond of friends. As a small child he would love to play with the neighbour’s children and eat with them. I used to serve his food on a plate and give it to the neighbour to make him eat there. Once after such a meal, Anurag came home and asked me why I could not cook like the neighbour aunty!!

He started going to school riding a cycle in Chandigarh. His school was hardly two kilometers away, and the traffic was negligible. I used to watch him till he reached school from my back verandah. This practice of watching him from afar continued even when he went to College. We had strict instructions not to visit his hostel. He must have been terrified to see emotional parents coming with loads of goodies for their son languishing in a hostel! Therefore Banaras, and Lanka all remained a mystery for me! 

Whenever I remember parents teacher's meeting of school, for some strange reason I always remember the 'Venn diagram’. Perhaps because till that time, I could teach Anurag and follow up his studies. Maths was however my Waterloo and I had reached it! Anurag was always a good student and quite regular with his studies. He and his sister saved all the calcium sandoz tablets that were given to them to eat and planted them in the kitchen garden, waiting for trees of calcium to grow!They also threw away glassful of milk down the drain! Sandwiches and unfinished cheese cubes given to eat on the way to school was also dutifully thrown away, as soon as I was out of sight!

Anurag was always a good student.Every year we were the proud parents who were invited by DPS(Delhi Public School) RK Puram, to attend the Scholar's Badge ceremony. This was an exclusive ceremony, for selected students and was addressed by eminent people. I remember one year it was Madhav Rao Scindia, the next it was Natwar Singh. They were great orators and it was a proud moment for us to see Anurag go to receive his Scholar's badge year after year! 

 Sports, and  reading were Anurag's forte. Tennis,was the game he excelled in. He learnt to play and was coached at The Secunderabad Club, by the legendary Shiv Prakash Mishra who played qualifiers and Preliminary matches at Wimbledon and the US Open during the 60's. Anurag represented his University in matches.

When he passed out from IT BHU at the age of 21, I was very keen that he pursue further studies. He dutifully gave the Entrance exams for GRE and scored 99 percentile. He got invites from a number of Colleges of USA, but he was keen to take up a job as soon as possible and then go in for further studies with work experience. Perhaps he did not want to burden us with expenses of his studying abroad. 2 years of Infosys were followed by 2 years at IIM Bangalore. Anurag has always been a responsible, caring and loving child, who never gave any anxiety to us.

Sharing space!

Chaitali and Anurag got along like a house on fire. Yet there were major complaints that Anurag pulled her hair, or teased her or called her fatso or moti. There was nothing new in this, as this is the story of every brother and sister in my country. Anurag would be scolded or even beaten for these complaints.Anurag being my eldest child got a lot of undeserved beating from me, for which I have never been able to forgive myself. Maybe Anurag will need to forgive me for all those unjustified and inhumane beatings that he got from me. Then I may be able to forgive myself and get over this guilt complex that I harbour.

There is an old saying that a son is a son till he gets a wife, a daughter is a daughter for life. I do not agree with this at all. My son is my son and my daughter is my daughter. Both my children are very devoted, loving and extremely caring. I have actually gained a daughter in Jharna, my daughter in law, and a son in Raja, my son in law. They too are as devoted, loving and caring as my own children. I could not have asked for anything more in my life.

 A son is often misunderstood because boys hide their emotions, they try to appear macho,indifferent and practicle. The truth is that they too are emotional, loving, caring and devoted. A lot of men are indeed indiferrent and try to keep themselves away from brewing storms, but there are others who take the initiative to ensure that brewing storms are nipped in the bud! Some like Anurag are generous, loving, caring and sharing. They do not go around in the world with illusions of being some mighty gift to the world. 

 As a child Anurag introduced a lot of new words in our vocabulary. Pindada for pajama, pachchach for chammach,dusara wala pachchach for the ice cream spoon! He started calling his nani as Anni, and the word has stuck. All my mother's grandchildren call her Anni and not Dadi. Anurag stayed with my parents for a good portion of his childhood and was therefore a great favourite of everyone.

When at the age of seven he went on a school trip to Jaipur and Agra, he came back with classic observations. Agra and the Taj were summarily dismissed as a tomb where Shah Jehan and Mumtaz were buried. Jaipur was found interesting, as he liked the famous cinema hall Raj Mandir, where he saw "Naseeb" and learnt to eat curd with Aloo ka paratha!

My most glamorous golfer!

Anurag is now an avid golf player. I love to see his devotion to the game. He always watches Golf on TV and so his little daughter Aaria too is getting groomed into the game. She already owns a couple of golf sets! She will be a sports person, I guess! A fashionable one to top it all! Aaria is a great fashion diva, with numerous sun glasses, clips, bangles and clothes! She is all of two and a half years old! The fashionable portion will be thanks to her mother, Jharna.

Anurag, my most precious son, is a boon to me. As Julie Andrews sang in 'Sound of Music', "Somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good." I do believe we are rewarded or punished in this very life. This is one life that I have and I have been amply rewarded in it! Thank you Anurag, for being my son! I am indeed proud of you!