NEW YEAR, NAYA SAAL, ONCE MORE, ENCORE!

THE ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK AT PRAGUE, MADE IN 1410 AD.

 As another year goes by, 

We all reflect, 

Upon what we achieved and what we didn't. 

What we gained- was it mainly weight?

What we saw and what we didn't,

Missed the sunrise or sunset?

What did YOU do you good for nothing, god forsaken human?

Did you, didn't you, did you????

Ah! remorse fills me, guilt fills me,

I feel so horrible for having lost time and tide,

As they wait for no man and woman too!

Ah! what should I do for lost time?

Lament and regret and make promises...new resolutions?

The first resolution is to loose weight.... 

Don't laugh, I promise, honest, my word of honour!

Aha! But, Wait, weight, sorry wait!

31st December 2016 is not too far away, 

Just 52 Sundays and we'll be there,

These words will still ring true even then,

As these words just cannot be wished away.

So my dear friend, lament NOT,

Khush  Raho, Mast Raho, Aish karo, 

Zindagi toh milni nahi dobara, 

Isi liye, 

Bus Jio, jeete raho, aise hi, 

Jaise jeena jante ho.

Now for the quintessential message,

"Nit naya din Mubarak,

Naya Saal Mubarak,

Happy New Year to YOU."

It's your life

The world just goes on

Irrespective of you,

You are the only one who makes a difference to you,

Your eyes behold beauty,

Your eyes appreciate light,

Your eyes look at darkness and then decide.

It's your vision, your hope, your own life, 

No one can change you,

But your own strife,

'Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder', 

Were not mere words,

They are in fact the philosophy of life.

For you - Triloki Nath Nagpal - an advance wish.

Nineteen seventies

It's the seventies once again
The most glorious time of our life.
One had stepped out of childhood,
Studies were over, a job was found, a girl was found,
Love was in the air and youth was all around.

There were no sunsets, just lovely moonlit evenings,
There were no day breaks, just another brisk morning,
One rushed in and out, one never thought of Insurance and bills,
One never worried over spilt milk,
A day went and another simply came by.

Seventies were the times when dreams were being formed,
Everything was
"Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight,
Wish I may, wish I might,
Grant the wish I wish tonight!"

Lovely days, Glorious days, Brilliant days, Beautiful ways.
No aches, no pains, no BP, no weight gain,
Those were the seventies with bouffant, churidars and sack shirts,
Those latkas and jhatkas and ringlets at the end of our long plait,
With long big dangling earrings, and twenty rupee sarees.

Drain pipes and pointed shoes,
Dev Anand hairstyles with huge puffs,
Bell bottoms and jeans and huge black shades,
A cigarette dangling with style.
Life was so much fun with adventure and romance and fashion.

Oh did I start by saying it's the seventies again????
Indeed it is the seventies again,
When life again takes a high,
We are going up, up and up, in the fun cycle of life,
It's fun time, glorious time all over again.

Back to Drain pipes, The seventies hair style,
The anticipation of a future untold,
The adventures of looking at glorious sunsets and waiting for the beautiful day break when it will be another glorious beautiful day,

With the person who saw you through from the Nineteen seventies to this "age" of the seventies.

The Seventies

A beautiful future, a wonderful world.

Let me tell you a true story. I used to be terrified of water. I would go to beaches and look from afar. I would refuse to go for boating even in rivers or lakes. Even the shallow boating place at India Gate was a strict no-no. In fact I am one of those who could have drowned in a shower! 

One day in London when I had taken my grand daughter for swimming, and was sitting by the poolside, she said, "Nani, come swim with us". 

I said, "Oh! but I don't know how to swim. " 

She said," Nani, hold my hand, come with me, nothing will happen". 

My little grand daughter was only five years old then.

The confidence of the child made me decide to get over my fear once and for all. I took formal swimming lessons and learnt to put my head under water. I cannot thank Aaliya enough for showing me that I had the potential, but I had allowed fear to control my life till then.

We all have apprehensions and fears of  the unknown. We love to be safe and secure in our own cocoon. Getting out of the secure cocoon is quite a daunting task. If birds didn't push their little ones out of the nest, the babies would never learn to fly. They would sit happily in the nest, waiting for mama bird to get fresh feed for them.

Moving out of a safe and secure and warm niche requires grit and courage. Unless one ventures out, growth is bound to be stunted. The niche is usually snug and so we have to move out and find space for growth. Spread our wings, soar high in the sky, reach out for what one desires. With determination one strides out and finds a whole new world waiting to welcome us. This new world has new people, new opportunities, new challenges. They make us grow and that potential that we were unaware of comes to the forefront. It will surprise you to know what talent had been lying supine within you for so long. 

A human being needs new challenges all the time. 

Keep challenging your own self, take on new opportunities with confidence, and you will realise that the world is at your feet.

Happiness is not a word, it is a feeling. This feeling comes when we meet our own expectations and realise our own worth. 

So my dear reader, take that plunge, spread your wings, just outside of your secure zone is a beautiful world waiting for you. 

All the best!

TODAY AND EVERYDAY

My wish for you  is that you always remain happy,
Spread good cheer around you,
May you always see a happy face,
May you always be surrounded with love and peace,

Life is so short, we are here today gone tomorrow,
We disappear from the surface of earth,
We remain  in memories for a short while,
Why fret and fume and then ruminate?

There is often no time for goodbyes,
So live life as if it is your last day,
Spread cheer, happiness and goodwill,
So that you always see,
Bright beautiful happy faces around you,
May you listen to birds chirping in the trees,

And allow peace, good cheer and love envelope you in all your days.

ON FRIENDSHIP DAY.

Friends are those who are always there,
They offer their shoulder anywhere,
They look out for you in your naughty deeds,
They warn you of dangers which you never heed,
They tease you to death, the reasons could be many,
They laugh with you, at you, and spread good cheer,
When a friend is there, you have no fear.

Its fun to look up an old friend after fifty years and say,
Oh dear! where did time go, wasn't it only the other day?
You catch up with info of times gone by,
Of deaths and births and the time that flew by,
Your first friend was your mother, then your father,
Your brother and your sister,
Your spouse, your son and your dear daughter,
They are not just family, they are friends as well,
They love you, watch out for you, and fight without fear.

Your friend is with you even if miles away,
Your friend is with you in your mind resting away,
Catch, up, meet up, make that phone call,
Meet your friends, get together, do not wait for fall,
Life is impermanent,
Love lasts forever,
Do not keep it locked away,
Say it, express it,
Are you sure there will be a tomorrow?

Waiting for you David

The Goliath of cancer is spreading its tentacles

It moves fast, 

It moves wide, 

It moves in surreptitiously,

Without making a noise,

When will David arrive,

When will David strike?

One day we will be rid of this Goliath,

There is hope till there is life,

David we are waiting to hear your fife.

THEN AND NOW

About three decades ago, I was a full time working woman with two growing up children. I would ensure that they got ready on time, had a sumptuous breakfast and left for school on time. Often the breakfast would be eaten on way to school as they went by cycle rickshaws. It was only much later that I came to know that the full breakfast wasn't eaten but some of it was thrown away on the side of the road. At breakfast time I would also religiously hand them over a calcium sandoz tablet each to build their growing bones and be fortified with the much needed calcium. I would look at them happily and then go off to work. This satisfaction and happiness was one day shattered, as I went to my garden at the back  of the house. I happen to be an avid gardener and love to see my plants and shrubs thrive. We used to live in Chandigarh then and had a lovely 1 kanal house(500 sq. yards), with a lawn in front and also a kitchen garden at the back.

So that particular day as I tried to do some digging in my back yard, to my consternation I found what looked like calcium sandoz tablets planted in the soil. Looking back I only remember my surprise and fury, I do not remember what followed next. Like a fond and indulgent mother in hind sight I would love to think that my two children must have given me those long beautiful puppy like expressions and said with all innocence,"Mummy we wanted to grow a Calcium tree", but the practical woman with a no non sense attitude that I have, I am quite sure I would have given them a little bit of spanking. In those days parents could raise their hand on those innocent munchkins. Here I must confess that I was the wild one who raised her hand, my husband was the gentle person who never raised his hand.

Now, after I have nicely retired and am a full time at home lady, I find myself in similar circumstances. I have two recalcitrant kids at home. One does take his medicines regularly, often getting up mid way between meals to go and gulp down a pill that was supposed to be eaten before meals. The other one quietly throws away one or two pills in the dustbin in her room. Once this was caught, she started flushing them away surreptitiously. The help who looks after her, says that she gets a telling off every day when she puts the tablets for this child to eat. I have complained to the Doctor about this selective medication, but he too gives me an indulgent smile and changes the medication very kindly.

When my kids were small, I used to push them out of the house, so that they would get some fresh air, exercise and Vitamin D. Now I have to push these two children also with instructions to please leave the air conditioned room and walk in the open to get some much needed exercise and fresh air. To get them going, one person has to be told to go for a long drive, because the walk upto the car is the only exercise that she gets This way the eyes which are normally glued to the TV also get some much needed rest. The other child says, "Stop telling me, don't I do things on my own, without your telling me?"

In the good old days,my children would have loved to throw tantrums at the food that they had to eat. Sadly for them, I was a rather strict mother and they had to eat whatever was cooked, although I did try to get the stuff that they liked cooked. In the "Now" scenario, there is a repeat performance. The change in this scenario is that one kid has a few  restrictions which he never agrees to, yet I  want to impose my less oil, more healthy regime on the diet. What follows is a constant complaint by one that there is too much oil and the other says, where is the oil and where is the salt?

I really wonder does anything change? The more things change, the more they remain the same!
One simply learns to deal with the issues de novo everyday.
It's a new day, and a new way and life moves on merrily...

We are mere mortals.

When the earth trembles and nature takes over,
When giant tsunami waves engulf tranquil marinas,
When the skies are overcast with unseasonal clouds,
A mere mortal wonders what is life all about?

Sweet memories, happy moments,
Harsh words and bitterness accumulated over the years,
Other accumulations at shopping sprees,
Curios and knick knacks and mementoes galore,

Where do I go from here,
What do I take with me,
When I came I came alone,
When I go I will go alone

Why do I then collect happy memories,
Curios, knick knacks and mementoes?
Why do I think of what is yours and mine,
What makes me build castles in the air?

When nature strikes it strikes equally,
Borders do not stop it,
Caste, colour, rich or poor,
Mansions and pavement dwellers,
Street children and fishermen,
All become chastised  and equal before the laws of nature.
After all this a mere mortal wonders and looks askance,
Nature is it true that your might is always right?

YET ANOTHER BIRTHDAY!

My latest birhday

It's my birthday and I am surely going to have a lovely day. I am waiting for the phone to ring, it will ring without fail. My grand children and children will be vying with each other to wish me! It gives me so much pleasure  to hear them wish me. My mother, my husband and my brothers and my sisters in law from both sides will wish me. Yes, indeed it is wonderful to be wished for another year.

The day one is born is a wonderful day. That is the day one sees the world for the first time. Our journey on earth begins with eyes wide open. Every year the anniversary of that date becomes an important day of our life.

After being born we begin learning by the inculcation of knowledge, the language for communication, the myriad relationships, the difference of mine and yours. The concept of sharing, the theory of belonging, the problem of possessions.

One learns and grows. Through different stages of life we all learn different values. We learn manners, mannerisms and the love for lucre. 

"Go forth and grow" becomes our motto as time passes. First in height then in girth and then in stature. We go forth and multiply. We contribute to the future generations.

For me, my first important birthday was my 16th, then the 21st when I was in Bangalore and my father wrote a beautiful letter to me, wishing me. After that time flew and I went from age to age until I was on the threshold of my 40th. I realised oh my gosh! I am Four Zero, forty!

On my 50th, I was posted in Dehradun. I was alone, so I celebrated my birthday with my colleagues in the Bank.

When my 60th arrived my children wanted to celebrate it together. So off we went to USA. We all went to the beautiful Lake Winnipausakee and spent two carefree and wonderful days together.

Since then every birthday has become special. Each passing year adds to the candles on the cake and the fun is only increasing. I think I am surely in my second childhood stage, because I have so much fun on my birthday!

Friends, near and dear ones spare time for me, there is the essential cake and candles. We  meet, we eat and  laugh the day away.

Time I know can not take away anything, it only adds. It adds to my wrinkles, it adds to my wisdom,  it makes me more careful as I walk up and down the steps, it makes me more patient with those around me, it makes me weigh a little more after every meal. It teaches me the value of taking regular walks. Time has taught me very clearly about the food that I must eat. I also know which food has carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and what have you. I know now  after about 50 years of having left School, the different kinds of food, fruit and vegetables that I need to eat. It is now all about sustenance and maintenance.

I wonder if it is a good idea to go back to School again in this, the second childhood of my life.  In the first childhood, I learnt about life and how to lead it, now I have to learn about how to lead the second half of my life. 

Now there is an objective, a purpose and  time which is all my own. I have the freedom to chose what I want to do. There is no binding and no rush. I can develop all the skills that I have always had but which had been kept under wraps so far. I can learn to write, paint, draw or sing, play a musical instrument or even learn a new game, or cycling which I never learnt. 

I am now a free person with time ticking away. To use this time fruitfully and leave for posterity something which is my personal contribution is really important.  A friend had recently said to me "write your own Obituary". It will tell you all about yourself and also tell you about your achievements so far. Perhaps after seeing my own movie in hindsight,  I will be able to work wonders and leave something for posterity.

As far as cells of the body go, they keep renewing themselves. I am changing all the time. With my positive approach and cheerful countenance I can keep myself happy and renew  my cells well. If I keep feeling apprehensive of impending old age then perhaps the deterioration will set in faster. 

Now I am in search of that school which will teach me lessons for my second childhood. Hey, do you know of any such school? Let's find it or  if we can't find it then let's found it...what do you say??

My second birthday

Dr. B R Ambedkar Champion of the weak.

Today is the birthday of the greatest son of India of all times. Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, was a great statesman, orator, debater, and a very highly qualified person.  He was a GIANT who walked this earth and left a legacy for posterity. 

He was born in an untouchable family on 14.04.1891, but  overcame all the disadvantages of discrimination against him single handedly. He was one of the most educated and highly qualified persons of India. He did his Post Graduation from Colombia University in 1915 majoring in Economics, followed by a P hD in Economics from the same University.

 He took a second Master's Degree in 1921 from London School of Economics and a D Sc also from LSE in Economics in 1923.

 He was also called to the Bar by Grey's Inn. 

He was an eminent Jurist, Economist, Politician and social reformer who campaigned against social discrimination of dalits and women. 

He was appointed to the Bombay Presidency Committee to work with the all-European Simon Commission in 1925. This commission had sparked great protests across India, and while its report was ignored by most Indians, Ambedkar himself wrote a separate set of recommendations for the future Constitution of India. He also represented India at the Round Table Conferences.

He served on the Defence Advisory Committee and the Viceroy's Executive Council as Minister for labour.

He was Independent India's First Law Minister and the Principal Architect of the Constitution of India as he was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution of India. 

He introduced the Hindu Code Bill as Law Minister of the First cabinet of free India, and resigned when the Bill was not passed.

He launched active movements against Untouchability and led the fight for human dignity and self respect. Untouchables were not allowed to draw water from the Village well or tank and they were not allowed to enter a temple.  Therefore in 1927 Babasaheb led a satyagraha in Mahad to open up and share drinking water resources with the untouchables.

On 25th December 1927 copies of Manusmriti which justifies the system of caste discrimination and untouchability were ceremoniously burnt.

In 1930 Babasaheb led a non violent procession of 15000 volunteers to the Kalaram Temple at Nashik, so that the untouchables could have the right to enter a temple and worship  God . Yet when the procession reached the temple the gates were closed by the Brahmin authorities, denying them this facility. 

In 1936, Dr. Ambedkar founded the Independent Labour Party which contested in the 1937 Bombay election to the Central Legislative Assembly for the 13 reserved and 4 general seats and secured 11 and 3 seats respectively. His Political party was later transformed as the Scheduled Caste Federation.

He was a voracious reader and writer. His books and writings have been published by the Government of Maharashtra.

I consider him the greatest Indian of all times as after having been born in an untouchable family, and having faced immense humiliation at the hands of people of higher castes, he did not allow it to break his spirit and instead went from strength to strength. His motto was Educate, Agitate, Organise. His maximum emphasis was on education. It is only because of him that the people belonging to the Scheduled Caste are able to live their life with dignity today. The mind set of the caste Hindus has still not changed and so they continue to discriminate and have a bias against people belonging to Scheduled Caste. Had it not been for Dr. Ambedkar the Scheduled Caste people would never have got the opportunity to rise in society.
He was not only the leader of Untouchables as is made out today. One has to read his writings to know how evolved his thinking was. He was a champion of freedom, equality, fraternity and democracy. His thoughts were for freedom of every individual. He said, "Freedom of mind is the real freedom. A person whose mind is not free, though he may not be in prison, is a prisoner and not a free man. one whose mind is not free though alive, is no better than dead. Freedom of mind is the proof of one's existence."
One more quote of his which shows the importance that he gave to enlightenment of woman is, "I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved"
His achievements, thoughts, philosophy need to be read and understood, to know the person that he was. He was know for his wisdom and learning all over the World. He stood alone and led his people to emancipation. I have only written a very brief glimpse of the person who fought against the mind set of a dogmatic, hierarchical people who discriminated on the basis of a caste in which a person was born. Babasaheb's followers blindly follow him and treat him as a God.

My grand father was a friend of Dr. Ambedkar. While Dr. Ambedkar lived in 22 Prithviraj Road, my grand father G T Meshram lived in 4 Lodi Road. Every evening my mother and her parents went to Babasaheb's house. Babasaheb would usually ask my mother to fetch a book from his library. Dr used to work for 18 hours in a day. He was never without a book. There would be pencil marks, and notes on the margin of the book that he read. 

My mother's wedding was fixed by Dr. Sahib and the engagement ceremony was held at Dr Ambedkar's  house.

Questions galore.

We put on masks all the time,

A happy one a sad one, a quizzical one

To suit the occasion,

Why do we need to put on those faces?

To please someone, to hide our emotions?

Life is so conditioned, 

Happy happy happy,

Sad sad sad.

Hide your emotions,

Don't let them know,

Behind that smile is a hurting heart,

Behind the composure is a thumping heart,

What will they think

What will they conclude?

Am I looking good?

Is this my best angle
Oh dear! the facade that I have to keep.

ANGUISH

What exactly is freedom of speech? Where does this freedom end? Just because I have the freedom of speech can I really say whatever I want to say? My words may hurt someone, my words may humiliate someone, so should I have the freedom without any constraints? If there are constraints then my freedom gets curtailed. So what exactly is freedom of speech?

In this world, we have all kinds of people. Some people are naturally different as per the region that they belong to. Their physical characteristics are different, their colour is different.  Since we belong to different parts of the world with different climates, there are  differences in food, way of living, dress, habits and practices. Besides this we have differences that are created by society as it evolves. These are the differences of Religion, caste, and language.

 Differences lead to comparisons and comparisons lead to competition. Competition leads to complexes. Complexes could be superiority or inferiority complexes which  then  leads to intolerance.We get steeped in our own practices and think that what the other is doing is wrong. We then start offending people by making fun of them. When the jokes go to the extremes then retaliation starts. 

So I wonder really, should I have absolute freedom of speech to actually say what I want, even if it hurts someone else?

Why should anyone have the right to denigrate anyone else, based on his religion, way of dressing or food habits?

Should we all not be tolerant of each other and accept people as they are? 

Are we living under the jungle law where the universal truth is "survival of the fittest"? The other universal truth of the jungle is that no animal kills another just because the other one is different. They kill only when they prey, they kill to eat and survive. They do not simply slaughter another type of animal. I have seen in Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti in Tanzania how different species of animals live very peacefully together in the same forest area. Even though a lioness will go to prey on a wildebeest or zebra, she will not slaughter randomly.

On the other hand we "civilised" human beings do not have respect and tolerance for each other. We make fun of women, Sardars, Jews, Scotsmen. We actually pick on them generally. In the extreme we slaughter, we kill, we are intolerant of people who are different from us. Is this what civilisation is all about?
Those whom we call  animal have no language and so have no freedom of speech.

We who have a language to speak, discuss, converse and find solutions through talks do not always use words to find solutions. We often use them to rebuke, offend and make fun of others.
 I really wonder what freedom of speech is all about.