JHARNA - A SPRING!

JHARNA IN THE MIDDLE

Jharna, the word itself sounds sweet. The meaning of the word is sweeter. It means "spring". No, not the spring season, nor the spring as in a sofa, but the spring of life, as in a small stream of water flowing naturally from the earth. My daughter's name is Chaitali which also means Spring, this one means the Season of spring! Coincidences make life so interesting. A daughter and daughter in law both having names which mean spring but in two different ways! The amazing English language!Interestingly, both the "springs" are as alike as two peas in a pod!

My name is Varsha, which means rain, my mother in law was Saraswati, the name of a river, and my daughter in law is Jharna. We all have names connected with water, one of the essential elements of nature!

Jharna came into my life in that relationship where we allow a person to become our daughter “by law”!  It is a strange way of inducting a family member! Perhaps the nomenclature makes it sound very distant and impersonal. The fact remains that these relations called the 'in law' ones, remain very personal. 

ANURAG,AARIA, JHARNA

Jharna is an MBA from Delhi, who went to the USA after her marriage, and completed an Interior Designers course there. That was the line she chose as per her interest. Now she works as an Interior Designer in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Jharna has found what she wants to do in life. A friend of my son says, we all have a "song" hidden away in our heart. We have to find that song. Within each one of us is hidden a secret desire, a wish. This secret desire is never disclosed to anyone. We are scared to voice our wish. In fact these desires are kept hidden so safely that sometimes even we do not know what it is. Height of secrecy I must say!

Well, so sometimes some of us just stumble upon some thing that we wish to do. Then, we find the time to do it. Very hesitatingly we share those thoughts with someone else. The fear is that other people around us may not be able to appreciate what we wish to do. There is also the question of our own fears.

Encouraging new thoughts and ideas is an art. Very few people appreciate  new ventures of others. Usually radical ideas are frowned upon. Most of us live within well defined norms of society. Deviations, new angles are not accepted easily.

In a world where every movement, action, and life's plan is usually determined by forces of the family or society, Jharna found an interest in raising funds for charitable causes. She has presented programmes on the radio on special occassions. She conducts, organises and manages a  lot of events, even fashion shows, and is an M C for most programmes conducted at Nashua, and its neighbourhood. She  is associated with a lot of fora of the Indians at New Hampshire state. She is totally involved with every activity of interest to Indians. Wherever there is an Indian activity, Jharna is sure to be seen there.

TWO BEAUTIES!

All this while looking after her daughter, taking care of her home as well as her career.

 She reached the Final round in the Competition of Mrs. India International at Atlanta in USA. She was selected in the Top 5 and has been crowned Mrs. India, Nashua! She is as beautiful inside as she is from outward appearance.

For us, both the sets of parents, and her entire family, she is THE winner. Having the courage to enter this Competition, wondering how people would react, facing a number of interviews, becoming a finalist, is a great win. We have a beauty queen amongst us! We are very proud of her!

I and my entire family, all my friends, friends of friends, my colleagues, their relatives and friends, my relatives, their friends, in fact so many people have reached out.  They have voted, sent best wishes, raised our hopes, touched our lives, and shared their concerns. I am extremely touched. My life seems very beautiful. We are all one, we are all together, we are all rooting for our own contestant. The world has become so much closer. The people have come closer. The world seems a better place!

I want to personally thank everyone for taking the time to come closer to us. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.

MY LANDMARK DATE!

1ST BIRTHDAY

There are certain dates in every ones life which stand out as landmarks. They are dates which mean a lot to US. 15th of May is one such date which stands out in the calendar of my memory.

Although a long time has gone by, a lot more things have happened, more landmark dates have been created, yet this date stands out as an extremely important date for me.

I remember the events of that date as if they took place only yesterday. In fact my memory is so sharp that I can actually replay the whole scene in my own mind like a film.

NOW

THEN

I love this date and always think of it fondly.

Dates are memories and memories are what life is made up of.

Time passes, we move on, before one realizes it youth turns to middle age, and slowly one moves towards the position of being a senior citizen.

In these days when 60 is the new 40, people of my age actually have to keep reminding ourselves that we are now senior citizens. We keep telling ourselves that we need to slow down. Really? Do we need to?

Those who need to, will feel it in their bones. Those who can walk a mile without a trace of fatigue need not slow down.

As my little son Anurag grew up, I too grew older. It was on the day he finished his 12th class finals, as I was going back home from State Bank Staff College, Gurgaon, it suddenly struck me that my little son was no longer going to be the little boy who would keep asking me things, who would keep seeking permission.

16TH BIRTHDAY

I realized that he was now ready to step out into the world. He would from now onwards be on his own and would be able to take decisions on his own. From now on he was of the world and no longer just my son. My heart actually missed a beat. I had not realised till then that so many years had gone by and  so much time had elapsed.

I had  not realised till then that happy times just fly past very fast. All that remains are memories. I remember all those many years, when feverish activity was part of my life from the 1^st of May onwards. I would be inviting people, arranging the party, buying return gifts, getting new clothes stitched, getting stuff for the party, cooking, decorating, and then waiting for the guests to arrive. Even in the scorching heat of Chandigarh, then the milder evenings of Hyderabad and then the extremely hot evenings of Delhi, Anurag's birthday used to be a big event. We had so much fun. The looking out for gifts and handing over the return gifts and the great excitement to open the gifts, was what fabulous memories are made of!

NASHUA 2011

In the last six years I was always in Nashua and celebrated the day  with Anurag, Jharna and their gorgeous daughter Aaria. Jharna and I would think of gifts to get for Anurag, but this year I and TNN are in Delhi. Although we are separated by thousands of miles, many seas, oceans and land, yet as the mind travels fast, we are with Anurag. 

Our wishes are always with him. Anurag is the best son that one could wish to have, I and Triloki are extremely proud of him. Chaitali his little sister thinks he is the best brother. My mother thinks that Anurag is the ultimate. Indeed Anurag,for us you are the BEST!

Many happy returns of the DAY Anurag. May you live to be a hundred and three, it's a hap, hap, happy birthday, a hap, happy birthday to you. 

NASHUA 2010.