YIN and Yang

As it is Rakhi today ...I will dedicate this blog of mine to my brother :)

8 years older to me ...my brother is definately One of the most kind people U wud meet. We are opposites like yin and yang ! If he is the more caring,careful,calm and nurturing individual .I am the careless , impulsive, reckless one ;)

Of my childhood days I remember if dad or mom got us a chocolate , mine would be gone in 5 mins ...while he would drag it to the next five days . What I think I hated in him back then ...is exactly what I've learned to love now .So many times in my life -sleeping through my mornings have I heard him pick up his keys to the gym .Almost every time my mind saying - "Why is he so disciplined?"...Why so right?

I still remember waiting to get my room back in 11th ,when he decided to move to the US...and counting days till he leaves , being the brattish teen that I was...realising sometimes how much I would miss him yet hiding it under the wraps of my kiddish highs of owning my very own room ...

And that was back then 3 August 2011 ,11 years ago, I feel strange its 2nd August 2012 today ....A decade and more away from him Ive missed him so much . The fights,the arguments just about everything ...but deep down inside I think I know he is always there by my side - always !

My best memories with him have been - on the dining table when he would fight for the chair under the fan and then sing Altaf Raja songs to make me laugh :)

And though he and I rarely speak or share ...he remains the Santa Claus of my life and I treasure him forever .Thank u bhai for being the best bro ever ...u keep up my belief in the fact that sometimes the most sound relationships are ones ...with no words at all :):)

Happy Rakhi to u !:)!

VULNERA SANENTURE !

We all have lifes that are defined by love . Love for our parents, love for our friends , love for our families , our hobbies and love for our loves. I am glad I know no one who does not have any of these...I maintain that I would not want to know anyone minus any 'louwe'.

Well one of such loves of mine is a book I picked up as a kid and grew up in an adult being obsessive about. I say obsessive coz I can read them on n on and watch the movies reel to reel . In a way I just can't get enough of them . And I think JK Rowling has won all the rightful accolades that she deserves , for this piece of work is just marvellous .

Another grand creation is the HARRY POTTER theme park located in Orlando, USA. For a potter head like me...this is what dreams are made of .Wand lifting is possible at its version of Ollivanders, u can gorge on a Hogwartian treat at three BROOMSTICKS ...theres Hogsmeade and theres the amazing HOGWARTS EXPRESS...A train that Ive seen my imagination travel on just sooooo many times...

But like a true Warner Borther theme park, Ive visited many, this has mindboggling rides that can sweep u off ur feet ...ab-so-lutely!!!!

Last year when my hubby and I reached the park early morning , he was not aware as to what was in store .I can't say I was but I still had an idea. His expression after the ride no 1 (DRAGON CHALLENGE )was hilarioussss!!!!


But the real surprise was the FORBIDDEN JOURNEY ride in the park ...Okie so one this ride u get onto a ride where its like ur on a broom with Potter himself and u fly around and about Hogwarts experiencing wot uve loved :)

We come face to face with magical creatures on the ride as Hermionie and Ron talk to us ...something that a Potter fan can only dream off.
Ive spent so many days reading every page of Potter thinking what if I could experience the same.And the forbidden journey does that for you !

Umm...if I can say ...the whole experience gave me goosebumps. But the actual good news is I am visiting the park again this year for the simple fact that I LOVEEEEE IT !!!!

I hope the sun's kinder on us this week (a big blow to the cold make believe English school )...fingers crossed for I am uber excited !!!

First song I am dedicating myself

I have mainly been quite a lazybum in writing down blogs but for now I will start with a small puzzle ,for myself and dedicate a song to each day I log on...anything that is playing in my head or makes me remember something or makes me smile or gives the weather a meanin' .Just about anything :)

The one song that has been on my mind and lips together for the last 2-3 days is one I heard in 'Moneyball' the Brad Pitt starrer a few months ago...No apparent reason per se , but I found a very me kinda song ...
coz quiet frankly I'm often caught in the middle ...its called 'The show' ...

((I couldve gone for the original one...but I loved this acoustic kinda version a lot too...))

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTnIHnawJeI&feature=fvwrel


:)

There's always a reason

I may not be a staunch believer of religion, for I feel it make life complicated, especially the definition that it lives by right now, in today’s time. I would rather believe in the more fancy things...like intuition, dreams and their interpretation and destiny. I have never been a planner and whenever I have tried...I’ve fallen flat on my face

One such thing which is again rooted from one of my loves: reading is my ‘love for the hills.’ A region I enjoyed reading about in my childhood, in my school days and fancied in my college days (being a literature student according to me is a blessing ...for u read so much and so extensively ...u feel like u’ve travelled half the world )

‘Blue Umbrella’ by Ruskin Bond was a book I borrowed from my brother (it was part of his curriculum of English back then) and absolutely loved!

Bond’s beautiful story was encapsulated in the gorgeous locale of Garhwal, the hilly region of Uttar Pradesh. I still remember how my mind made rough sketches of the place (and how I wished I’d visit it ).

But often visiting a place leaves you on the periphery of a place. You see what you are made to see ,not what there really is ...but I was not born in the hills, there was no way I could live the life ,even for a day or two ...and so it remained a wish deep inside me , one I never talked about ,one that I thought was beyond becoming a reality .

But like I believe fate has its own way of fulfilling your wishes .Life’s a puzzle that falls into place ...only after taking its own sweet time.

My first rendezvous with the hills happened in 2009 ...I still remember it was the month of March when 2 of my friends and I decided to take a trip to Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. An unplanned trip to this Tibetan hub in India turned out so memorable that it only reaffirmed the fact that ‘there was some connect that I had with the hills’. That I belonged to this part... for some strange reason.

And as fate would have it I married a guy from the hills...strangely who I met the very same year in 2009. All of this unplanned, not thought about and coincidental!

And thus began a journey I have loved so far .Now that I’m married into a Garhwali family (imagine...same part that I had adored in the Blue Umbrella) I do get the real taste of the life in the region each time I visit it . Although, it lasts only for a couple of days, especially my mom-in-law makes it so comfortable that I feel like Im waking up in my house in Delhi itself.

Oh ! How I love it. Waking up to the untouched, crystal clear sunlight, clean air, the smell of burning wooden stoves...

the calmness... the peace.

And the mountains surrounding you ...which  feels like a great wall protecting you from the forces outside.

Perhaps, I now know why I always felt there was some connection I had with this place. Ruskin Bond’s novella had introduced me to my  second home ...only much before its time ....

 I would now like to quote portions where Bond has described the region in truest form (I feel this is the magic of his writing):

“Binya belonged to the mountains, to this part of Himalayas known as Garhwal. Dark forest and lonely hilltops held no terrors for her.” 

Binya used to carry milk to the little tea shop on the Tehri road ((Tehri is exactly the side of the hills that I now belong))

Once a day, the Tehri bus stopped near his shop and passengers got down to sip hot tea or drink a glass of curds.

As agile as a mountain goat

During the rainy season the hills turned a lush green...ferns sprang up on walls and tree-trunks.

And many such references...where he brings us closest to the hills ...the magic of Bond’s writing !

So maybe sometimes what we wish for does come true in a strange way ...much later than planned but as much as we may have wanted. This one’s the beginning of my dedications to one of my favourite places on earth - THE HILLS !!

((P.S. The picture u see here was taken early in the morning in our very home...of early morning rays, falling right on the flower in my moms garden ...sipping a cup of ginger tea amidst such beauty ...wot else can u want from life ...))

Few lovely lines ...

I wandered lonely as a cloud ...
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd, 
A host, of golden daffodils

(I think each time I visit Garhwal these Wordworthian lines are on a repeat mode in my head ...hehe )

((This is a picture I clicked in mommy-in-laws garden...she has the prettiest garden in the world ,blame the picturesque hills...and although this is a pumpkin flower, it soooo reminded me of daffodils :)  )
P.S. I love the hillsss!!!!!!

This Frost doesn't bite ;)

Living in a city that is not often considered a writer’s dream is something that I have secretly admired. That is because I feel unlike what many see, there’s so much to Delhi. As much as I love writing...I love the city. It’s a pity that not many see what I can in a city I call home.

In this hustle bustle, it’s a fact that I still love the city so much that it makes me wonder why having spent all my life here there’s not once I’ve thought of leaving it.

In the late 80s when I was barely 4 or 5 I remember detesting summers... when I’d have to leave the city to visit my granny’s place .As much as I loved my beautiful grandmother  the separation from my city was  painful. I remember waiting for the last week of June to rush back to Delhi.

The whole sight of my train stopping at the noisy Delhi junction ...and my dad stepping in to take me in his arms were one that I rehearsed many a times in my head from many days before.

We often associate places with people .Yes, that’s true in my case too .But Delhi was not just about people for me. It was my small little world of experiences. A city which although had reasons to be hated... I had simply grown to love 

And the one thing that I have absolutely loved about are ... it’s WINTERS !!

                                                 

  To me winters in Delhi mean:

 Roadside ‘chai’...in tiny little cups of plastic or earthen pots, of which the sugar and taste may vary in different parts of the city... but the feel ...NEVER .

Bargained and Oh! So cheap winter wear:

 Ones, that no mall can offer. Where else can you purchase an Abercrombie and Fitch or American Eagle sweater...in a mere 100 bucks?? Ones,  that may last just one winter of usage ... but many in memory.

Winters also bring along certain numbness, silence to the city. As if for once it quiet and listening . Maybe because everyone’s in their homes, in their quilts, too lazy to get out and fight .Unlike other parts of the country u can say Delhi likes to take it easy... relish its winters. There is absolutely no rush!

Also there’s a certain ambiguity to the city during these few months ...thanks to the FOG that engulfs it. A fresh change, as most of the peering eyes can’t reach you. The visibility is so low that it gives you a sense of privacy, a sense of freedom.

Colours...

 While most of the world chooses black, white and grey as its winter shades. Delhi goes a bright RED.  Thanks to the never-ending weddings in the city. You may eat junk, dress in minimalistic clothes ...dance to the most jarring music in the world (thanks to the screechy, hysterical Punjabi numbers by unbearably tasteless DJs)...but still this is the where most of the city lets its hair down, this is where the city has fun

But above all winters are a set of memories for me.

Waiting in the blinding cold for the school bus .

Finding it hard to write exams ...thanks to my frozen fingers.

Feeling the dew on the grass in spite of wearing shoes...and sometimes slipping on it.

Counting hailstorms as the city’s substitute for snowfall.

Feeling the cold winds of snow that maybe melting miles away in the Himalayas.

Driving the car on a road with almost zero visibility without any fear ,just a smile on the face and a feel of walking in the clouds.

Snatching a friend’s gloves and then keeping just one, while giving the other back

Eating Delhi’s Oriental take in the junk food section...MOMOS... or munching peanuts with a tiny cup of tea/coffee first with friends and then with the one you love.

 Daring to take an auto-rickshaw ride ...exposing yourself to the harshest of drivers and winds in the chilly weather...

These and many more ...I would like to confess that no winters in the world would compare these for me.

P.S. This is a dedication in a year when winters have visited the city in their true fervour.

 Even in this ever- evolving and changing city of mine...I am glad at least there’s one thing that isn’t changing. And I continue to love and cherish it

.  

Pitter patter :)

I like it when it rains hard. It sounds like white noise everywhere, which is like silence but not empty.

These are lines that in a way truly resonate what I feel about rain...

I ve been fond of this change of weather from a very small age...it was way playful back then...but now its more like when I am closest and tru-est to myself. For me rain never goes un-noticed...its always cozy, it always a wash away (of either fear or any negative feeling that is within me ) its always like the Potter spell....'Expecto Patronum' ((for all u muggles ...it means creation of a white shield that tends off the dementors and inflicts only the positive inside a soul ))

Today the thought visits me because there is no sun outside...a cloudy ,before rain feeling (pretty common in Delhi )and I cannot but feel CALM and more in touch with myself . Of what I like doing on days like :
Writing tops my list ...brooding is a close second...grabbing a cup of coffee , while reading a book under a blanket or just gazing at the rain .



Delhi isn't very rain friendly ...but if you are out there its hard to miss the roadside 'chai' or a few pakodas...

I still remember while in school I wished I would own a library ...where while it rained I'd grow old reading books with just pitter patter for company .A certain calmness in the air...just a little cold.

For its in the rain ....that I feel I get a clearer view of life ...the clearer view of my thoughts...perhaps a clearer view of me :)

((to be continued ....))