Life moves on..but with all dears

Few recent events have jolted me out of a self induced lethargy

We take so many things and people for granted in life and procrastinate many stuff

There are few people around us ,relationships we build by chance. They are not our own blood,may not be the so called our type..but some unknown magic makes them an integral part of our life,and during a phase they become instrumental in our forward climb, sometimes guiding us in front, sometimes walking with us,sometimes the much needed motivational push from behind and sometimes all of these..
We happily savour their presence ,pass through the phase,and when life takes turns and their presence takes a backseat or even become a distant memory,we recline to our lethargy of routines and the hustle of chores with an exclamation that life is like that,we cannot have everyone all the time,people are busy. The  hours spent together dwindles down to occasional phone calls,text messages which further goes to once in a blue moon thoughts of the person  and we may drop a text ..Sometimes the fond memories come by and we shrug them off with  Should catch up.  Sometimes we nurse small grudges, let them also create enormous walls between ,unresolved differences cause even more relationships to fade away..

NO,this is not how life is,this is not how life should be! Every person whom we meet,who leaves a mark in our life needs to be cherished daily. When we let the magic and excitement of the initial bonding fade, we conveniently avoid confronting the thoughts especially if there is a rift involved..And suddenly you hear the person is no longer there.. No matter how much you try, no matter how you much you wish you cannot hear that voice one last time,  we cannot see that smile when we call their names,we cannot let them know how much they mean to us..And you realise that all the fond memories ,all the love we have ...all the nonsense grudges we nursed no longer have meaning..because the person who owns them does not know it anymore..

Cherish the people in your life,however small or big their part in your life is..Make that call,daily if needed ,send that text message more than once,say you love them everytime you speak..Its better than writing an obituary.

The Father

It was bright and lovely as a rainbow
The warmth flows in and forms an aura
I bask in its glory timid as a lamb
All smiles and in bliss

And then the rains came
In all its mighty winds and heavy drops
The lightning struck not in sky but in my heart
The roars of thunder echo in my ears

Washing away every streak of the rainbow
Shaking me out of my bliss
Pushing me into the depths
Swaying in the winds begging for rain to stop

Merciless storm shoved me in..
And I fell..into the depths of hell

I screamed for help..for the hand to raise me
For the warmth of the sun to lay my head on
No I was kicked away with a slap
And then there was darkness all around

I realize my Sun will never shine for me
And I close my eyes waiting for the final sleep
As the sleep touches my heart I smile
I see my rainbow near me yet far
You remain mine when my breath stops

Then why to breathe..I would rather sleep forever
To be yours...

Kashibai

It is interesting to see how our Indian cinema is skewing towards bringing out strong women oriented movies.

I recently watched Bajirao Mastani and man, despite the pretty Deepika with her lovesick romantic expressions as Mastani ,the macho Ranveer Singh showing off  his chiseled body and heroic warfare tactics, I was blown by the demure yet bold, fiercely loyal dutiful wife of Bajirao -Kashibai the role well played by Priyanka .I first thought it was my admiration for Priyanka which made me feel that Kashibai is too good to have been born in 16th Century. But the restless me dug into history books to learn more about her and voila! Kashibai was  such an astonishing lady.

A dutiful loyal wife to whom the Peshwa (king) refers to as his best friend, who ran the Shaniwar Wada fortress , who was broad minded enough to accept her husband's love for his mistress, yet dutifully obeyed her mother in law. The few scenes in the movie depict how dignified her stance was and  how she was not ready to surrender her self respect. Not many women , even in Maratha empire and non warriors are able to succeed in this.

Her loyalty and love for her husband remained unchallenged, unshaken that she pleaded with her son to release his mistress so as to facilitate his recovery..She brought up the son of Mastani , as her own , after the death of his parents..

Kashibhai belongs to a different genre of women- she stands apart and tall in her large mindedness, fierce loyalty and devotion to the king and kingdom.

Th character keeps you thinking how her life was..If there was a way to hear the story from her point of view..to know more !

Friendship Day special- Honey Oats bread :-)

Celebrating Friendship Day by baking with daughter.
The result- below- Honey Oats Bread.
Recipe courtesy : Maria's Menu  Honey Oats Bread
Mine didn't turn out as soft as seen in the original recipe :-)

Happy Friendship day dears!!!

What do Women want?

Warning: This is going to be high on feminism !

Intrigued by the title of the post? Isn't it a question you all have in mind? It is completely dependent on each individual what makes them happy- but there are some things which will never fail to bring a smile on lady's face.

I watched a movie yesterday-Ramante Edanthottam where this question came up subtly hidden in the plot but the answers were quite staring at you in face,by the end. The film revolves around a beautiful doe eyed married artist heroine with a husband who puts her down all the time and has his own sly escapades,getting attracted to a widowed resort owner who is committed to make forests in midst of concrete jungles and who is instrumental in her self-transformation.The plot progresses with  their platonic relationship and how the heroine's marriage broke but she found her happy space and didn't marry the lover.

But what was intriguing is the answers to the question- what does a woman want? What makes her happy?In 3 simple words- Respect, recognition and affection. It relates to the plight of many women in today's world -who despite being talented and efficient , forget to dream or realize their worth and is taken for granted by family .

I remember few of my female friends as well as male friends being apprehensive whether watching this movie with family might cause ripples in their relationships with their partners. Nothing makes it clearer that every woman has this silent dreams and desires, craves for the recognition from their loved ones, expect to be treated with respect and long for affection. And the fact that many men do not provide it easily to their partners.

Another aspect here is that an external factor -in the form of a new friend could show her the path for achieving what she want.Yet this relationship comes under the doubtful eye as it is not same gender persons

I do know the number of eyes, which frown of male- female friendships are very less in today's world. But truth is that they are still frowned upon in our society when the people involved in it are married.I know many men around me would boast to be broad minded but would still find it hard to digest such friendships when women in their families are involved. 

This is what women exactly want- To be respected for who they are, to be recognized as an individual with their own dreams , talents and of course limitations, and an affectionate look or word of encouragement from their partners,more than any material gifts and the trust that she knows how to build her world without losing herself on the way...

To all the gifted women of the world- we are unique and powerhouses of energy. Let us create our own dreams and find ourselves.

To all the men who have the gifted women as part of their lives- Give her what she deserves and trust that she will not falter in her step.

Sivagami

Like the majority of people in India, I was also caught up in the Bahubali hype . I watched Bahubali 1, liked the story line,instantly became fan of Prabhas, enjoyed wide-eyed the magical world of Mahishmati ,and the transformed waterfalls of Athirapally( Never knew it could be so beautiful .. it was one of the most frequented picnic spots in my childhood.), and left the theater vowing to find out in the sequel why Kattappa killed Bahubali...and forgot about it in 2 weeks.

Even after the much hyped over release date of the movie sequel was observed with a casual interest and I  didn't find it so intriguing.... UNTIL I read "The rise of Sivagami"

Sivagami- The character itself is so intricately molded and Ramya Krishnan as an actress does full justice to it. The Rise of Sivagami by Anand Neelakantan  is a prequel to the Bahubali 1 movie.It is a coming of age story of the character Sivagami.The story revolves around the history of Mahishmathi and its lineage, tales of deceit and treachery and how Sivagami rose to power.The story is gripping and haunting that you keep thinking about Sivagami for days after. It leaves you with a thirst for more..

I read the book 4 weeks before the movie Bahubali- the conclusion  was due to release and I looked at the characters with renewed interest, mainly Sivagami. What a woman- One who avenges her father's death, fearlessly reigns Mahishmathi,yet get caught in the web of lies woven by her family and establishes the cliched woman is the enemy of woman situation. In the novel, the author builds up the character of Sivagami,a woman whose emotions are intense and goals clear, passionate hatred hiding all streaks of womanly tenderness. Yet we see the softness of Sivagami in three situations, though only for split seconds.

The story and the character will haunt you..thanks to the Anand Neelakantan's skilled storytelling.

The gap in story will haunt you further and you will find waiting for the next book in the series...

Thailand ! Ahem

Thailand. .Siam. ..Bangkok. ..Phuket...these words sound so exotic.

But I am sure many of you have seen the sheepish grins of people as an answer to "how was your trip" or the smirk on faces when you say "we are going to Thailand " or the exclamation " Bangkok ? With children? Crazy! !!"  Or the advice with a wink " It's Pattaya where you should go"

.

When you think of the Thailand and its scenic beauty, the images from the beaches..Phuket,Krabi..Phi Phi Island,,

Gives us a mental picture of  a very relaxing virgin beach..clear waters sand and a soothing wind ruffling through your hair.
..Or of a shopping paradise with a bargain haven on streets.  

Or of exquisite Thai curry with intoxicating levels of coconut milk and lemongrass flavors

Well Thailand is this and much more....!

But the much more is what strikes you the moment you set foot in Bangkok until you board flight back :-(

No I am not talking about the skin show. .nor from the conservative eyes of a traditional Indian wife..for all we know ,swimsuits/bikinis and micro minis are already here..thanks to our cosmopolitan cities and globalization!

It's the rawness of flesh trade,the enormity of people engaged in it and the nauseating levels of marketing which strikes you...

A country with such beautiful locales and high potential for tourism..the insatiable beaches, water sports. .exotic cuisine. .rich ancient culture blending Hinduism and Buddhism with ounces of Christianity. ..all these get washed off in the boards of "massages" and the people who flock there searching for "happy endings" 

In that Thailand turns out to be what it is now-a world's largest adult playground  (I am not kidding. ..this was advertised in a pamphlet")

It's a  pity to see that sex tourism is what makes Thailand famous ..

While in Phuket,we watched a cultural show , magnificently done with animals also as stage actors.The show was grand, but I was amazed at their resemblance to Hinduism and ancient India.

It makes one wonder why Thailand evolved to such an averse level of promoting prostitution

A big part of the population stays devoted to royalty, mourn the loss of their monarch with intense pain .. you will see how popular he was ...almost every establishment carries a sign of it..

This is so close to the era of monarchy in many countries and when we see Thai still hold on to that part of their culture, it is beyond my understanding where this "flesh trade and adult playgrounds" fit in.

 Every city has it red light areas..legal and illegal. But "legalized"prostitution and a tourism industry thriving on it and slowly Thailand -a country with much more to offer in terms of cultural experience, adventures and pure scenic beauty getting reduced to an Amsterdam of the East..is sad.

As we drive to the airport across a school and I see little young angels playing...I wish Thailand gets a makeover. ..

I wish that people who step in doesn't feel so nauseous of the flesh trade. .

Thailand you are beautiful and Thai people you are so courteous

If only this wasn't so much of an eyesore that you will feel sick thinking  if you have to come back here. ..