One night

There was some kind of war going on. I am not sure if it can be called a war.... maybe riots. But there was agitation and unrest all around.

I was stranded in a dark building with a wooden door and many windows. The door and all the windows were tightly shut. All the people had crowded into the hall on the ground floor as if they were getting courage from each other’s presence. There was no furniture and the people were either lying down or sitting or peeping anxiously through cracks in the door frame. Someone was trying to squint through a crack in a window to see what was happening outside.

There was a staircase to the left of the front door. I wonder what lying was at the top of the staircase. No! I did not want to find out. Not that I was feeling scared, but there was more comfort here.

A few hundred metres down the road Lata didi was stranded in another building. Who was she? Was she someone I knew? Why did I feel that I knew her very well? How did I know her name? She also had some familiar faces with her. Though I was not with my her, I could almost see what was happening there as if I was inside. I wonder how? ESP? Maybe….

In fact, that place was not as dark, but it was untidy. There were a lot of cubicles with beds. All the beds had mattresses with bedsheets on them.... all of them crumpled as if they had been slept in recently. The people were eating something from huge bowls, probably hot khichadi or soup. And they were having 3-4 such meals in a day, while we had nothing to eat!

Then I realized that we did not have a kitchen! I decided to go across the street and get some food from their kitchen. As I was getting ready to step out of the building, I could sense the tension and fear in the air. The road was deserted. Something was wrong... gravely wrong.

Just as I stepped out, someone pulled me back in!

“Don’t go. Its not safe.” he said.

“We need food. I will get it from Lata didi. She has plenty.” I replied.

Suddenly, a car went down the road at full speed. Rowdy people were shouting and hooting in the car... Insane driving! Fast and rash.

After some time, a few people went by on horseback carrying swords and shouting in the same way. It looked dangerous. And yet, I was not scared.

Finally, little Astha could bear it no longer. She went out, crossed the road and started running towards the other building. Just then another car zipped by on the road. One of the men in the car slashed Astha with his sword, injuring her arm badly. She returned bleeding profusely.

Just then, a procession of cars started going past. They were the same loud, rash, cruel people....merrily shouting and enjoying themselves. Some of them were walking. This time their leader was also with them. I thought it was a good opportunity to go to the other building unnoticed  in the crowd. I started walking quietly, trying to be invisible. But the leader saw me. He got down from the car and came to talk with me.

Surprisingly, again, I was not scared. Even more surprising was that he did not try to harm me. He was in fact very polite and …….. even good looking, like an actor. Then I noticed that all those people were good looking! 

What was going on? I did not know.... Did not understand.

There I was, among a sea of people, yet alone.

 Among familiar surroundings, and yet lost.

In a hostile situation, yet unafraid.

 Surrounded by danger and yet safe.

"How are you?", he asked with a gentle smile.

"I am fine." I replied, wondering whether I should have told him that we had nothing to eat. But no….. ‘I am fine’ is what I said and walked away.

I went back inside and started climbing the staircase near the door. It was a long narrow one with two landings.

Oh! There was a terrace on top. It was as if I had entered another world in a different time zone.

 The twilight was beautiful ....mesmerizing!

There were kites flying in the clear sky. Dainty little ladies in sarees were drying clothes on the line tied across the terrace. The breeze... Oh, so gentle.

 I felt light, almost as if I was floating.

I spent a long time looking at the sky. When I turned around, I saw the same man standing behind me.... Still smiling.... As if he found me amusing.

"You like it here, don't you?" He asked me. I stared at him, totally fascinated by the gentle features and soft eyes.

 How could this person be leading a riot or war?

Was it really a war that was happening on the streets? Or was it just my perception?

I wanted to think more and find the answers but I sank deeper and deeper into unconsciousness....into blissful sleep that erases all questions.

As I woke up in the morning, I still found myself walking precariously on the thin line between the two worlds of dream and reality.

I am not sure which of them is actually a dream.

"I dream when I am awake and live in my dreams.

I don't know anyone stranger than me."

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To be free.....

If God ever granted me wishes three,
I would say I want to be,
Free! Free! Free!

Free from the present,
Free from the past.
Free forever....
Free at last....

Free from the sword,
That hangs on my crown.
Free from everything,
That holds me down.

Free to accept,
And free to deny.
Free to be true,
And free to lie.

Free to be foolish...
Or free to be wise...
Free to fall,
And free to rise...

Free to wander,
And free to explore.
Free to fly,
And free to soar!

How I value my freedom,
Of all the things.
Oh God in the heaven,
Please grant me wings.

Adding spice to life......

Agreed!
Some of the best surgeons, scientists, engineers, business persons, carpenters, tailors and criminals are men.
Even some of the best chefs in this world happen to be men.
But I sincerely believe that some men should not cook.... And in particular.... one man, who incidentally happens to be my "Lord and Master".

Not that he does or even attempts to cook.
But there was a day in my life when he did.

I was in the first trimester of pregnancy with my second child....... throwing up at every sight, sound, smell and thought of food!
That was when my dear husband was overcome with love for me.
He told me to relax in the bedroom while he fixed a meal for the three of us...... me, our 5 year old son and himself.
 My little son volunteered to help his dad. His main job was to hunt for the vessels and spatulas and bring them to me and ask whether it is alright to cook with those. Once the right vessels were selected and approved by me, the actual cooking started.

I relaxed on the bed for about an hour, valiantly fighting off all the mental images of a bombed kitchen.
Finally, I could not bear it any longer and asked the two chefs if I could come out.
"Only a minute, mamma!" shouted the junior chef.
Five minutes later, he escorted me grandly to the dining table.

The table was laid out properly, with 3 plates, 3 glasses and 3 spoons.
There was rice in one serving bowl, thoughtfully covered to keep the steam in. The jug was filled with water. And there was a stack of paper napkins at the centre of the table.
They had even laid out the place mats! Beautiful!!

I fearfully looked at the kitchen counter, sternly telling myself not to react.
Spotless!!.... Amazing!!

I was touched. How thoughtful and considerate! I was totally overwhelmed.
Very few women can boast of a husband who would do all this for them.
(Okay! To be honest, I know a few.... but that does not matter)
I settled down in my chair and within a few seconds the dish of the day arrived!
Chhole!

"That's great!" I said. "Chhole and rice are my favourite." I told the beaming father-son duo.
As I was their guest, I was asked to do the honours. I put a spoonful of the chick peas in my mouth......... and............ the entire world turned red!!
I allowed them to spill back into the plate unceremoniously and rushed to the sink to rinse my mouth when I heard sputtering and coughing. I did not turn around till I had finished.

"You left without a word, so I tried to find out what was wrong with the gravy!" said my husband between huge gulps of water. I quickly gave a bowl of curd and rice to my son and sent him to the drawing room. I did not want him to play investigator too.

"What did you do?" I asked my husband as soon as I could put my tongue back into my mouth. It was hanging out in the most ridiculous way.
"I just cooked chhole for you." he said.
"How?"
"I put one tin of the chick peas, one mug of water and one box of garam masala in the vessel and boiled everything for 30 minutes"
"What? The whole box!"
"Yes," he said tragically, lifting the lid of the dustbin to show me the empty box lying inside.
No wonder my mouth felt like a volcano!!!

What an utter waste of effort! I tried to save the day by washing the chick peas with water. But the spices had penetrated the skin and attached themselves firmly to each and every molecule inside.

Finally, both of us took our bowls of curd-rice and joined our son on the sofa.
The rice was delicious!
And the chhole ........?
 I guess that's what they mean when they say, "Adding spice to your life"

Dear Teacher,

                                  

When I was a young, little child,

You were always walking by my side.

Teaching me to jump and run and fly,

And move around with giant strides.

When my curious eyes were learning to see,

YOU gave them the vision.

And as I grew up, I learnt to think,

But YOU taught me how to reason.

I always did what you told me to.

And I did it because I loved you.

For me you were the best, you know!

And I would tell everyone, "My teacher says so..."

There were also times when I was bad.

I did not know why it made you sad.

But you were there to pull me through,
Ever so loving, ever so true.

And now that I am a teacher too,

I understand why it bothered you.

When students falter and make mistakes,

Its the teacher's heart which actually breaks.

The journey of life is tough indeed!

And its your blessings which I'll always need.

Your blessings are my only reward.

Because for me, you are next to God.

A night of joy

The sun has disappeared, and its night at last!

I can sense a magic that wasn't there in the past.

Stars have vanished from the sky today.

Angels in the clouds have lured them away.

Darkness all around and darker skies.......

I can feel the beauty, that I cannot see with my eyes.

And emerging suddenly with a silver robe,

Is a slender slice of the celestial globe.

 The perfect crescent, tilted slightly to the right,

Never before have I seen a more beautiful sight.

Gentle creatures have now become gregarious.

Oh, my humble backyard looks so glorious!

Says the grass to the whistling breeze,

"Hush, my dear! let's enjoy the peace."

And cradling me in this dreamy haze,
Is a night of joy, a night of grace.

Rush Hour 76

10:00 a.m. and I was still cooking!

But I had to finish making that special delicacy before leaving. After all, everyone was counting on me for that and I could not disappoint them.
Especially when this particular dish is considered very important during Diwali. I was making 'karanjee'... that too, in true traditional style. Partly, because I like to do things the old fashioned way and partly, because I had no other choice.... my mixer had decided to rebel against the atrocities I was inflicting upon it.

And there I was pounding, grating, roasting, mixing, kneading, beating..... doing everything with my bare hands!
Having done that, I moved on to the next step of neatly stuffing the sweet filling and shaping the karanjees into beautiful crescents.

My goodness! 11:30 a.m.
Thankfully, the children decided to co-operate by keeping out of my way.

What next? What next?!!!!
Yes.... fry, fry, fry!
Whew! Finally over.

12:15 ....... and there the cab was.... standing under my window, merrily honking away.

OK... time to go!
Bags ...........check
Tickets........check
Gifts.......... check
Sweets........check
Children..... check  (I did not want one of them to be left behind, 'Home Alone' style)
Oh, I need not have worried. They were inside the cab even before I had finished locking the door.
Next,...... pick up the husband!
Better not forget to do that and leave him stranded on the highway.
But there's no way I could have forgotten him either. He had already called me a few dozen times from office since morning.

He was already standing there, perspiring heavily, when we reached at 1 p.m.
(I think its best to avoid mentioning the little detour I took to pick up my clothes from the tailor)
" Tell him to turn up the AC" I suggested helpfully pointing to the driver. And I met with a cold silence. I barely noticed it. My head was still reeling with mad rush in the morning. Tired that I was, I blissfully drifted off to sleep after a few minutes.
I woke up after some time feeling little refreshed and looked out of the window to find that we were still far away from our destination. I got up pretty soon, I thought and looked at my husband only to find him perspiring even more heavily.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked, a little concerned. And once again, I met with silence ....... even colder this time.

I resigned myself to thinking, "Oh! Men!! Husbands!!! One can never figure them out".... etc. when I happened to glance at the little digital clock next to the  cab meter.

Was I seeing things?????????????
2 p.m. !!!!!!!!!!

How could that be? I mean, how.... ?
We had to catch that train at 2:30 p.m. We should have reached the station by now.
"The traffic is crawling", I murmured.

"Stop the car", shouted my husband at the driver suddenly. We were some where close to Dadar station. The driver wasted precious 5 minutes in taking the car on one side and parking it.
"Better not ask him what he is doing", my sensible brain advised my not so sensible mouth.
"Mumbai Central is impossible......We will catch a local train from Dadar to Borivali. Our train has a halt at Borivali", he said.
Those who know the railway system in Mumbai will immediately get the drift. And for those who don't......... I would advise, don't even try getting into it!

Anyway, we were trying to attempt the impossible feat of reaching Borivali station in time to catch the train.

On your marks..... get set...... GO!!!!!!

Yes, we had a good start. Our running would have put the best sprinters to shame. We were inside the station and on the platform in no time at all!
I really have to thank god for giving me such a considerate husband. How very thoughtful of him to take care of the largest bag and biggest child and run full speed, leaving me with only the smaller bag and the younger child to handle. And how very sweeeeet of my little one to decide to help by happily toddling along.

Enough! I grabbed the toddler and hauled her up on my waist to improve our speed. She immediately started her imitation of the siren which she had perfected.
After an endless wait, where seconds seemed to drag on like hours, we managed to board the local train to Borivali. Whew! There was hope now.
Just then, my husband got the message that our train to Baroda had departed from Mumbai Central on time! The Indian Railways was showing exemplary punctuality on the day it was needed the least.
But yes, we made it on time. Good 5 minutes before our train arrived. Rush hour had finally ended and we were finally on our way to Baroda. And I have actually survived to tell this tale.

Once settled, my husband finally found the opportunity he was waiting for. I had to sit through and pretend to listen to a long monologue on the importance of time and time management. Like a good student I heard him out........ managing to nod and say "yes" at correct intervals of time. Also like a good student, I drifted into dream zone every few minutes.

After he had finished delivering his lecture, I said brightly, "But look at the positive side! At least we did not spend an hour getting bored at the station."
Oops! Did I say too much?

A birthday song

I wonder what I should give you today.
Something that will last... something that will stay?

I went through all the lovely things,
And rejoiced imagining the joys they would bring.

Then the question arose, how long they would last?
Soon they would become things of the past.

Even if they were the best of the best,
I wonder how long they will hold your interest.

So, I thought I'll gift you a beautiful smile.
One that will linger on your lips for a while.

A twinkle in your eyes that glistens like dew...
And a merry heart singing, "Happy Birthday to You!"