Yeah, the letter i wrote to my Nanima, she received it… Oh ! i cant express my feeelings when i heard from her on telephone. She was so happy and so touched and so did i 
to see her happy.
We laughed, talked, cried, talked, laughed again.. and it continued for hrs..
Just like we click fotos to cherish later on, wish i could capture the feelings in jar or something to cherish forever.
Day: April 22, 2008
A man (Rajesh Uncle) in his 40’s has 3 kids (jyoti, gini, kunal), mother (maaji) and wife (Sunita) as dependent. He is just another man but honest, dedicated, trustworthy, kind and God-fearing. He is younger out of two siblings. They both own a flat and are separated. His brother is well educated, smart and financially rich. But, He sits near to poverty line. He is not educated well and drives autorickshaw for living. But, he wants his 2 daughters (jyoti, gini) and 1 son (kunal) to be well-educated and happy in their 40’s. He works hard for them and his wife supports her as his second hand. His wife is home maker and his mother is a heart patient and her medication is going on. It doesnt matter, But ppl may ask, How do i know him ? Am i asking for money or help, blah blah ? No, Rajesh Uncle is in our neighbourhood (@ my mother’s place).
Same Day, Morning Time: He gets up at 5, after daily chores, He drops his jyoti, gini at school. Elder one is in 5th std, younger is in 3rd std. Comes back, cleans the auto, enjoy breakfast with kunal, sunita auntie and maaji. He leaves for his work around 8ish. He drives the autorickshaw throughout the day,
Same day, Evening Time: He comes home at 7′o clock, talk to his kids, wife and mother. But today is Tuesday, so Rajesh uncle, Sunita auntie, and Kunal leaves for Hanuman Mandir (a Temple). Every tuesday, they go to temple if not all, atleast uncle goes.
Same day, Night, at 8pm: They are at temple, praying to God and making offerings. They get prasadam and they leave. As Uncle started his auto, kunal asks for ice-cream, “ek ice-cream dena bhaiya” (give me an ice-cream bro) Uncle said. Kunal is jumping with joy… so as auntie and uncle, to see him happy. And …everyone head towards home.
Same day, Night, at 9pm: I am talking to Ma, about how will they go to my in-laws place on saturday to meet them before they leave for US. She said, ” that’s not a problem beta (daughter), I will speak to your Rajesh uncle tomorrow, for saturday, if he can give us ride,”. We generally hire him when we need auto, as he is good driver and we pay him little extra, though he never accept but Ma is elder and swears him…
Same day, Night, at 10pm: They are on their way to home. Everything is going so smooth, financially they may not be strong but their moments of happiness, moments of sharing, moments of his care toward family, is what makes him going and hence the family. Everyone is happy, Kunal is feeling bit sleepy. Home is just 15-20 mins close, so it is fine. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Sunita auntie gets a hit on her head, Kunal started crying, Rajesh Uncle is rolling towards one side of road and auto is on the another side, shattered.
It was an accident, a high speed car just banged the auto @ red-light, it was green for Rajesh uncle and red for that car. It was blood everywhere. Immediately police arrived (not usual in delhi), and took all three to hospital, doctor said there are minor fractures, uncle should be home tomorrow morning. His brother was informed, he took Sunita auntie and kunal to home and went back to hospital, making sure that no one panics at home. Sunita auntie is brave lady, she dint cry so as not to panic the children. She took them to sleep and sat near to maaji and waited for the call from his brother-in-law.
Following Morning, 4am : Everyone from Sunita auntie’s mother side reaches home (her mother ’s family, her mothers’ sister’s (2) family, mother’s brother’s (4) family….around 200 ppl). Everyone knows but not sunita auntie. She is told but she is not accepting the fact.
Rajesh Uncle is dead.
Life throws at you unexpectedly the never expected things…
what will happen to Sunita aunite, three kids and maaji ? They say God is there for us, when we need. It is wrong, Was there a single thought about their food, education, clothes, need for father… while God was making this plan ? This was not fair from His side.
Story Plot: Early 70’s, In a Village.
There is a group of people sitting under the shade of an old banyan tree, Mansukh Kaka (one of them) is smoking Hookah, few are discussing about the seasonal crop, ramu (a young chap) reading newspapers to all old ones… Few meter away a group of ladies, what are they doing? gossiping of course, Mausiji (one of them) is milling on chakki mill/disc, one is busy making plait of Lali (elder daughter) who has just finished school and looking for college admission.
It is a pleasant weather; wind is blowing carrying fresh sand smell… A bicycle bell rings, suddenly the scene takes a 360o turn… the person on bicycle drives whole attention, and everyone drops his or her work… He calls ramu, lali, mansukh kaka, “lo mausii tumhare liye bhi hai”, delivers the Chittiyaan & leaves with another sweet sound of bell…leaves with happiness on everyone’s face…leaves with good and sad news…leaves with a hope of coming back with new Chiitiyaan…
What a memorable moment!!! I remember those days, when I used to write to my friends when I changed school and wanted to be in touch with my best friends. I used to have the colored writing pads, with drawing of flowers, sky, and teddy bears… But as I grew up, I learnt email, telephone, web camera, online chatting, and video conferencing…. and never looked back on snail mails. Though invention is good… but does it convey the same message, does it convey the feeling of hand-written letter?
Story Plot: This Feb, when I was in India:
It’s just me and my sister, the two siblings of our parents. We both are through with our studies.
me and my sis are sipping coffee, chatting the old days, Ma comes into the room and says, “Beta, Please clear up your book almirah, donate, sell or keep few, dont sit idle…”. So, We both gets into action. While checking the books, what I see ? a bunch of letters, from friends, a cousin and an aunt. As I am reading those letters, my feelings are coming out…as tears, as laugh, as smile, as silence, as satisfied…. Those letters are treasure to me. I love them.
To make new treasures, I have started writing snail mail to my nanima, before this tradition (necessity-cum-desire) goes extinct.
मेरे मार्ग पर पैर रख कर तो देख, तेरे सब मार्ग न खोल दूँ तो कहना |
मेरे लिए खर्च करके तो देख, तेरे लिए कुबेर के भंडार न खोल दूँ तो कहना |
मेरे लिए कड़वे वचन सुनकर तो देख, कृपा न बरसे तो कहना |
मेरी तरफ़ आकर तो देख, तेरा ध्यान न रखूँ तो कहना |
मेरी बात लोगों से करके तो देख, तुझे मूल्यवान न बना दूँ तो कहना |
मेरे चरित्रों का मनन करके तो देख, ज्ञान के मोती न बरसे तो कहना |
मुझे अपना मददगार बना के तो देख, तुझे सबकी गुलामी से ना छुडा दूँ तो कहना |
मेरे लिए आँसू बहा के तो देख, तेरे जीवन में आनंद के सागर न बहा दूँ तो कहना |
मेरे लिए कुछ बनके तो देख, तुझे कीमती ना बना दूँ तो कहना |
मेरे मार्ग पर निकल कर तो देख, तुझे शांतिदूत न बना दूँ तो कहना |
तू मेरा बनकर तो देख, हर एक को तेरा न बना दूँ तो कहना |
मेरे मार्ग पर पैर रख कर तो देख, तेरे सब मार्ग न खोल दूँ तो कहना |
Do we do anything in name of God ? Oh yeah we do… whenever something goes wrong, whenever we fail, whenever we want name-fame, we do it in name of God (physically only). Bhagvad Gita says, ” Wherever you may live, whichever job you are engaged in, first of all realize your Supreme Self. Then whatever you do will be without a sense of doership (karta) and hence will not bind you.“
Three words ‘I Love You’ have changed lives miraculously while the three dreaded words ’I Hate You’ have often triggered off violence. ‘Sorry’, ‘Please’ and ‘Thank You’ have worked wonders. Some words can give you depression, stroke or bruised egos.
Be cautious in speaking. when you injure another with your words the bond of friendship breaks forever. Even if the relationship is mended there will always remain a knot.
“Blind man’s son is blind too,” laughed Draupadi, when Duryodhana slipped and fell in the palace of the Pandavas, mistaking the glass floor for water. Draupadi’s words of mockery set the stage for battle in Mahabharta.
However, “Harsh words cannot cause trouble if we refuse to react in a negative fashion”. Says Sant Shri Aasaramji Bapu, “Do not let any one’s harsh words govern your mood. Why should envy, fear, anger, lust, attachment and greed cause a storm in you? Be calm and you will always be happy. Only in a happy heart can spirituality unfold itself. To achieve self realisation you must be happy and successful. Lust and anger destroy tranquillity and prompt us to run after illusory objects to gain a temporary feeling of satisfaction and a delusory feeling of fulfilment. ”
Many times it has happened to me that I get upset when someone says something to me and sometimes i reciprocate the same…
People are same; they give back what they receive from you. Yet, day in and day out people inflict poisonous darts on each other. Please ignore what Kabir once said :
ऎसी वाणी बोलिए, मन का आपा खोये,
अपना तन शीतल करे, औरो को सुख होए |
(in English)
Speak such words, sans ego’s ploy
Body remains composed, giving the listener joy
It’s such a lovely feeling when you move from corporate apartment to your own rented house, you feel responsible, organized and most importantly, you become an interior designer. Well ! Don’t know about others, but I became one.
From Day 1, I was so keen in personalizing the Hallway wall. Though it is not that long, but it measures about thousands of nanometers. hahaha. All the credit of making it personal goes to HGTV channel which I have been watching regularly for past few months.
I spoke to my husband about buying some photo-frames to put pictures on the wall… The pictures which I clicked through my very first digital camera, but never got it printed due to time crunch. I was able to sell my idea and He agreed.
But, here comes the hurdles…It’s me. I have been postponing the same for past 3-4 months, as I was lazy enough to sort the pictures from my library and get it printed. My laptop was slow, the pictures were on ipod, need to get it on my laptop, categorize it, print it in different sizes. You can imagine it is so much work for a lazy person like me.
Finally, this weekend my husband reminded me of the same and we went shopping, and bought some photo-frames, my husband extracted the pictures on his laptop and I got them printed in different required sizes. My husband measured the size of photo-frames and then pinned the nails and we together decorated the wall. By this time it was 2am.
We went to bed with a feeling of accomplishment !!!
Whenever i think of the people who makes a real difference in my life,I think of friend I can talk to, really open my heart to, Because she understands me…
And I think of friend I have fun with just doing whatever, whenever, Because it feels so good being together…
I think of the friend I can count on, the one that I turn to so often, Because I know she’ll never let me down…
And I think of friend who inspires me, who always keep believing in me, Because she does…
And whenever i think of these wonderful friends, & all that they’ve given to me, I think of how lucky i am to have found all of them in You !!!
I’ am so glad, You are my friend and here ..near to me…
Well don’t be, It is a New Year as per Hindu Calendar, which we often forget (to all Hindus there…). It is not just Baisakhi, It is:
1. Ugadi in Andhra,
2. Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra,
3. Baisakhi in Punjab,
4. Puthandu Vazthukal in TamilNadu,
5. Vishu in Kerela,
6. Poila Baishakh in Bengal &
7. Bohaag Bihu in Assam…
So many blessings on one day, as opposed to HNY on 1st Jan as per Georgian calendar. Choice is ours…
Well, I think with this new year, i have a new beginging, a new sketchpad and new friends :0)
Wish you all very happy new year, May a new chapter in your life brings happiness, success and peace.
Whenever, wherever and whosoever read this blog, i thank them and wish them the happiest life.
Keep Smiling
“Live simply, so that others may simply live.”
Lust, greed, attachment, pride and anger are the inner enemies that rob you of the treasure of Self-bliss. Among all, anger is the most dangerous.
If a thief enters a house, some items (furniture etc.) still remain un-stolen. But if a house catches fire, everything is reduced to ashes. If the fire of anger overtakes our mind, our entire treasures of Japas, Tapas and virtues are destroyed.
Therefore, beware of anger. It is all right to act out anger, but be alert not to allow it to possess you.
An action is meaningful only if it brings good to others. That action will result in peace of mind. If action ismotivated by selfish interests it will lead to entanglement in sense-pleasures, diseases and increase indesires. On the other hand, if action is for the benefit of others, it yields peace of mind, enhanced capabilities and fearlessness.
There is peace before and after an action.
Then what is the motive behind an action? If your actions are meant for worldly gains, motivated by selfish interests, they are futile. On the other hand, if they are aimed at realizing God, attaining spiritual peace, you will be freed from miseries and experience perennial bliss. Don’t for sake the immutable bliss and power of the Self by identifying yourself with the body that is subject to change.
“April 1st: This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three-hundred and sixty-four.”
-Mark Twain
Basically no one knows exactly where, when, or why the celebration began. What we do know is that references to ‘All Fool’s Day’ (what April Fool’s Day was first called) began to appear in Europe during the late Middle Ages. All Fool’s Day was a folk celebration and elite participation in it was minimal (which is why it’s so difficult to trace the exact origin of the day, because the people celebrating it back then weren’t the kind of people who kept records of what they did). But what is clear is that the tradition of a day devoted to foolery has ancient roots
See what google does on this very day:
Google Hoaxes
Google Search for April Fools
Njoi being a Fool !!!