2009 in Pictures - July

After a gap of almost 2 months I am getting back to posting the rest of 2009 In Pictures now... This time around lets see how July was in 2009... It was full of loads of excitement, summers had arrived, festivals were on the charts, flowers were blooming, and traveling to new places was planned...

Let's go to July 2009 then!!!! Enjoy! (pssst...this post has a lot of photographs... be patient while scrolling down! I would not like it if you miss some pictures!)

July started with a flight to Atlanta! Aditya was there from India on a project and I felt this was just the right opportunity to fly down south and enjoy some mountains. I was really excited because this was the first time I was going to see mountains in the US... Did I say I love mountains? I do!!!

Smokies! here I come!

Reached Atlanta late in the evening and the Sun Gods were still waiting to welcome me at the airport!

Adi was driving a Pontiac G6! and I had another reason to celebrate because of this fact! I had been trying to rent out a G6 for a long time now, and it happened when I was least expecting :) lovely!

The GPS I was carrying was giving a lot of trouble, it used to get lost, or take us to places where we not really were going to! but we still managed to drive all the way to Smokies with some help from the road signs! Figured that if you keep your eyes, open you might not need a GPS afterall!

The first pit stop was creekside after we crossed the small town of Cherokee in the state of North Carolina! Amazing beautiful road, covered with greenest of green trees, with a small creek flowing next to the road! Perfect mood for an amazing drive!

And needless to say there were a whole lot of bikers enjoying the warm weather on their Harleys on that road!

Below is the east side view from Chingman's dome, the highest point in the Smokies... Its an artificially built cement view point to give visitors a 360 degree view of the Smokies. I can only imagine how crowded it would get if it was India, more because of the smalltime shopkeepers, of which all I missed was a Chai-Wala... Sigh!

The western view has the state boundary of NC and Tennessee, like you see in the picture below...

The access to Clingman's Dome below!

And finally the beautiful Smokies!!!! Pictures can capture only a part of how beautiful these were... but to be honest, nothing in this world is as beautiful as the Himalayas!!! Call be prejudiced! but that's how it is! simple!

It was the 4th of July when I was in Atlanta and all towns, big or small on our way had fireworks going on... We drove past two, but decided to stop at the third one and enjoy the show...

And did not do much the other two days I was in Atlanta... the most eventful thing being, that I saw Transformers2 on IMAX (huge is an understatement for that screen) and ICE Age 3 back to back!

Back in Milwaukee, it was time for Festivals and Fairs...

Bestille Days and Great Circus Parade were scheduled over the next few weeks... This is when staying in the heart of downtown, and next to the lake was making more sense than anything else :)

Bastille days is a 4 day french festival which is celebrated every year in Milwaukee downtown at the Cathedral Square lawns! Perfect time to enjoy some exotic wine and food... Me being a vegetarian and a non-wine drinker, made myself happy with elaborate helpings of Egyptian Rice, Greek salads and fresh lemonade while walking around and enjoying some brilliant music performances in the evenings!

The photographs below are a mix of Great Circus Parade and Bastille Days!

Beautiful father son combo :) Saw many dads wearing the same stuff as their boys! sweet!

Family planning is something that has not been introduced to some in the US I guess...

And I am sure this horse's mom had an affair with some Dalmatian!

Fairs and festivals are one place where I see some family values being displayed in the US... most of my time otherwise was spent noticing the teenagers and youth, which did not seem to be moving in any direction but everywhere! It was a very nice refreshing change to see families together at these festivals... but it was mostly kids and parents, or old people.. the young guns were not many in number around these... Considered boring I guess, by them!

There was an actual circus happening too! and it was really interesting to see how kids in the US react to Camels and Elephants :P

India still means something very different when it comes to Circus.. check out the face and India... I would love to look for someone who looks like this in India now :)

Another good thing about social gathering's in the US is that people of all age (minus the ones I mentioned) fully enjoy themselves!!! They drink, they dance, they laugh!!! it was fun to observe!!

My favorite couple in the US... Deepali and Gaurav...

My parking lot and collectibles I acquired over time...

Bindiya had handed over Ganeshji to me when I went to UK for the first time in 2007... they have been with me since! I am sure he is enjoying the mid-western weather in summers!

And the month ended with an absolutely brilliant and mind boggling sky show at Lake Front...

The adrenaline rush when a jet flies just about 100 ft above your head is indescribable... How kids cry after that is a different story altogether!

So that's how July of 2009 was... Did you read anything or just saw the pictures?

Did you know?

That the railway tracks are checked by gangmen, every 2 kilometers about 10 minutes before a Rajdhani or a Shatabdi is to cross.

Watch out for more about Indian Railways on Chai ki Dukaan!!!!

Important Announcements!!!

I am happy to launch two important websites today!!!!

1. www.sopaan.org : This is the website that is dedicated to my social responsibility initiative and is supported by a group of friends who are as serious about doing some for the society as I am... Initially this would be focussed at raising funds for grass-root level initiatives, and sharing information about various NGOs that are in existence and have a similar mindset. A lot on Sopaan is still under construction or review, and I would keep working on it while its open to everyone to view. Please do feel free to leave comments, share ideas and thoughts, or give me some feedback.

2. www.AndPictures.net :Photography for me has never been about a picture only, infact its the places, the people, and the moment which is of primary importance for me "and pictures" come later... This website would serve as my online portfolio and is a step towards professional photography.

I have been able to do this because of the amazing support that has been extended to me from everyone around. I do not dream to make it big, but I do dream to make an impact in whatever capacity I can with time!!!!

In addition to that, let me also invite you all to a group exhibition that I am a part of.. The exhibition opens on 4th of March in India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi. Please do make it convenient to attend.

Holi(day) aftereffects

Holi could not be complete without a few songs for me... Though I do not really play, and mostly because of lack of company, which has led to Holi being just one of the many days in a year, I still think that the following songs make the festival worth it... Did not do much or anything about Holi today, but thought of putting these songs together in a post before the day ends!

Its impossible to rank these songs in any particular order and hence just a random sequence...

Enjoy!!!!

Is sab ke zimmedaar! aap hain!!!!

Shukriya

धन्यवाद

gracias

dankie

благодаря

děkuji ti

bedankt

salamat

merci

Danke

σε ευχαριστώ

תודה

grazie

ありがとうございました

terima kasih

dziękuję

obrigado

gracias

asante

ขอบคุณ

Спасибо

ddiolch 'ch





and like i said... ye sab aapki wajah se hua hai :)

सुंदरकाण्ड – हनुमान्‌जी की सुरसा से भेंट

चौपाई :

जात पवनसुत देवन्ह देखा। जानैं कहुँ बल बुद्धि बिसेषा॥
सुरसा नाम अहिन्ह कै माता। पठइन्हि आइ कही तेहिं बाता॥
आजु सुरन्ह मोहि दीन्ह अहारा। सुनत बचन कह पवनकुमारा॥
राम काजु करि फिरि मैं आवौं। सीता कइ सुधि प्रभुहि सुनावौं॥

देवताओं ने पवनपुत्र हनुमान्‌जी को जाते हुए देखा। उनकी विशेष बल-बुद्धि को जानने के लिए उन्होंने सुरसा नामक सर्पों की माता को भेजा, उसने आकर हनुमान्‌जी से यह बात कही, आज देवताओं ने मुझे भोजन दिया है। यह वचन सुनकर पवनकुमार हनुमान्‌जी ने कहा- श्री रामजी का कार्य करके मैं लौट आऊँ और सीताजी की खबर प्रभु को सुना दूँ

तब तव बदन पैठिहउँ आई। सत्य कहउँ मोहि जान दे माई॥
कवनेहुँ जतन देइ नहिं जाना। ग्रससि न मोहि कहेउ हनुमाना॥
जोजन भरि तेहिं बदनु पसारा। कपि तनु कीन्ह दुगुन बिस्तारा॥
सोरह जोजन मुख तेहिं ठयऊ। तुरत पवनसुत बत्तिस भयऊ॥

तब मैं आकर तुम्हारे मुँह में घुस जाऊँगा और तुम मुझे खा लेना । हे माता! मैं सत्य कहता हूँ, अभी मुझे जाने दे। जब किसी भी उपाय से उसने जाने नहीं दिया, तब हनुमान्‌जी ने कहा- तो फिर मुझे खा न ले उसने योजनभर मुँह फैलाया। तब हनुमान्‌जी ने अपने शरीर को उससे दूना बढ़ा लिया। उसने सोलह योजन का मुख किया। हनुमान्‌जी तुरंत ही बत्तीस योजन के हो गए

जस जस सुरसा बदनु बढ़ावा। तासु दून कपि रूप देखावा॥
सत जोजन तेहिं आनन कीन्हा। अति लघु रूप पवनसुत लीन्हा॥
बदन पइठि पुनि बाहेर आवा। मागा बिदा ताहि सिरु नावा॥
मोहि सुरन्ह जेहि लागि पठावा। बुधि बल मरमु तोर मैं पावा॥

जैसे-जैसे सुरसा मुख का विस्तार बढ़ाती थी, हनुमान्‌जी उसका दूना रूप दिखलाते थे। उसने सौ योजन मुख किया। तब हनुमान्‌जी ने बहुत ही छोटा रूप धारण कर लिया और उसके मुख में घुसकर तुरंत बाहर निकल आए और उसे सिर नवाकर विदा माँगने लगे। उसने कहा मैंने तुम्हारे बुद्धि-बल का भेद पा लिया, जिसके लिए देवताओं ने मुझे भेजा था

दोहा :

राम काजु सबु करिहहु तुम्ह बल बुद्धि निधान। आसिष देइ गई सो हरषि चलेउ हनुमान॥

तुम श्री रामचंद्रजी का सब कार्य करोगे, क्योंकि तुम बल-बुद्धि के भंडार हो। यह आशीर्वाद देकर वह चली गई, तब हनुमान्‌जी हर्षित होकर चले

There IS something in the name!

Shakespear said, "What's in a name?"

I said there is a lot!!! Would you enter a store which is called Resham, to buy cotton kurtas...or would you go to a cafe called BanarsiDas Tambuwale to have coffee? I guess not!!!! Name does help make a connection... add some jazz to things, shops, brands and so on and so forth!!!

A friend of mine, is planning a stint with enterprunership and needs some help from Chai Ki Dukaan readers... So what is needed from you is to suggest a name that captures the essence of the Indian handicrafts industry...colours, crafts, unexplored talent in rural India. For all you know, the name that you suggest might be a popular brand a few years down the line, and you get some amazing discounts on the stores which keep that brand!

So go ahead... suggest!!!

65001

Yesterday, me and Radha complete 65000 kms of our togetherness after a fantastic drive to and in the hills!!! Will write about the trip sometime later though!

She has been like an angel looking after me all these years we have been together!!! Thank you Radha and thank you uncle God for these wonderful times!!!

Like I like to say, Life is great!

sale sale Single Ladka!!! Sale Sale!!!

One of my very very dear friends J, is SINGLE, and is looking for a valentine's day date! He mentioned that to me in the morning today and I vouched to put this issue up somewhere... my best somewhere happens to be Chai ki Dukaan!

The guy is very smart, good looking, soft spoken, a brilliant photographer and an entrepreneur with a smile worth millions and a heart of Gold! and Single! and available!

If you know someone in Bangalore, who would like to go out on a blind date, please do leave a note here! I hope my friend is reading the post and the comments!

Good ways to spend an evening - 1

1. Leave office on time (ok, a li'il late works too)
2. Get a tank full of gas (short for gasoline, and referred to as petrol and diesel in India) [abe firangi]
3. Find a direction to drive in...
4. Set a countdown timer (e.g. I will drive for 90 minutes, and look for the first nice place to have tea)
5. DRIVE
6. Stop...
7. Eat and have Chai
8. Come back!


I managed to do a 100km drive last night with a couple of friends and went till Dharampur... about 40 kms before Solan and 13 kms before Kasauli!!!! the hills are suddenly a lot closer than they were for the last 18 months!

I love it! Life is uber cool!

Sheikh, Apni Apni Dekh

8 days since I published last!!! not fair! there has been so much happening that a lot of things, I had time for when I out of the country, have taken a back seat!

I guess its just a phase...though the last two weekends and the week has been very very good! in ways more than one! along with some sidey not so good things too!!!

Got to know a few nice people in Chandigarh, making the stay here a lot better than I had expected... driving to work and back does not take more than 15 minutes and its a pleasure to drive... the chill in the mornings and the breeze in the evenings is a pleasure to experience!

Ashu flew off to Mauritius for his project yesterday... which is another good news! I am proud of him!

Radha is doing great, and I am enjoying my long drives with her! we have driven about 2000kms already after I came back! I think in all I must have driven close to about 100,000 kms in the last 6 years! I like it!

I saw Ishqiya! and it turned out to be a bummer! Naseer wasted, Arshad and Vidhya underutilized, weak plot, slow pace... not sure if there was much about the movie that I liked except a couple of songs and some stills from the lighting point of view... my favorite being the opening sequence of the movie! and it just went downhill from there!!! My favorite line from the movie being. "Sheikh, Apni Apni Dekh".

There is a whole lot happening other than the regular movie, home, work business, and I am very excited and at the same time a bit nervous about it... but I kind of believe that things are going to turn out just right!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

of driving and drivers

You can tell a lot about a person by the way (s)he drives on the road!

I was told this sometime in 1999, when I had taken a lift from Mayur Vihar to Pragati Maidan and then the gentlemen went on to talk about some of the drivers and how they were handling their vehicles on the road... It was a very interesting 30 minute discussion, and the thought has been there in my mind ever since! I notice how people handle and drive their vehicles, and map it back to how they are, including myself.

My theory is that while you are at the steering wheel, over a period of time you are driving with your sub-concious mind. This is the reason why the clutch, the gear shift, the horn, the dipper, the brake, the accelerator seem to be working together seamlessly while you become a part of the car, in a way!

And if my way of driving has to tell anything about me, it is that....

1. I have stopped rushing into a lot of things... an empty road does not mean a hard press on the gas!

2. I feel very contented with where I am, I see the road ahead and am more than willing to take the journey, and I see the rear view mirror to see the distance I have covered

3. I still get very annoyed at displays of irresponsibility and recklessness. I think Angry is a more appropriate word!

4. I am agressive in my approach

5. I do not get bothered by the surrounding noise. Even if I do, it takes a while for it to get to my head. Mostly I am involved in my own thoughts for the noise to be irritating

6. I like to give way and be patient.

7. I like to be protective and possesive of the things in my perimeter.

8. I hate being judged because of a few instances. Observations, alright! Judgements! get lost!

9. I do not mind changing pace depending on the situations... I do not have not go at the same speed always, and its ok to slow down

10. I ENJOY where I am!

Most of these seem to be hovering around the same point! interesting!

सुंदरकाण्ड – हनुमानजी का लंका को प्रस्थान

चौपाई :

जामवंत के बचन सुहाए। सुनि हनुमंत हृदय अति भाए॥
तब लगि मोहि परिखेहु तुम्ह भाई। सहि दुख कंद मूल फल खाई॥
जब लगि आवौं सीतहि देखी। होइहि काजु मोहि हरष बिसेषी॥
यह कहि नाइ सबन्हि कहुँ माथा । चलेउ हरषि हियँ धरि रघुनाथा॥

भावार्थ:-जाम्बवान् के सुंदर वचन हनुमानजी के हृदय को बहुत ही भाए। वे बोले- हे भाई! तुम लोग दुःख सहकर, कन्द-मूल-फल खाकर तब तक मेरी राह देखना जब तक मैं सीताजी को देखकर लौट न आऊँ। काम अवश्य होगा, क्योंकि मुझे बहुत ही हर्ष हो रहा है। यह कहकर और सबको मस्तक नवाकर तथा हृदय में श्री रघुनाथजी को धारण करके हनुमानजी हर्षित होकर चले

सिंधु तीर एक भूधर सुंदर। कौतुक कूदि चढ़ेउ ता ऊपर॥
बार-बार रघुबीर सँभारी। तरकेउ पवनतनय बल भारी॥
जेहिं गिरि चरन देइ हनुमंता। चलेउ सो गा पाताल तुरंता॥
जिमि अमोघ रघुपति कर बाना। एही भाँति चलेउ हनुमाना॥

भावार्थ:-समुद्र के तीर पर एक सुंदर पर्वत था। हनुमानजी अनायास ही कूदकर उसके ऊपर जा चढ़े और बार-बार श्री रघुवीर का स्मरण करके उस पर से बड़े वेग से उछले। जिस पर्वत पर हनुमानजी पैर रखकर चले, वह तुरंत ही पाताल में धँस गया। जैसे श्री रघुनाथजी का बाण चलता है, उसी तरह हनुमानजी चले

जलनिधि रघुपति दूत बिचारी। तैं मैनाक होहि श्रम हारी॥

भावार्थ:-समुद्र ने उन्हें श्री रघुनाथजी का दूत समझकर मैनाक पर्वत से कहा कि हे मैनाक! तू इनकी थकावट दूर करने वाला हो।

दोहा :
हनूमान तेहि परसा कर पुनि कीन्ह प्रनाम। राम काजु कीन्हें बिनु मोहि कहाँ बिश्राम॥

भावार्थ:-हनुमानजी ने उसे हाथ से छू दिया, फिर प्रणाम करके कहा- भाई! श्री रामचंद्रजी का काम किए बिना मुझे विश्राम कहाँ?

Afwaah!

Himess Bhai!

Weds!

Rakhi Sawant!!!

Phailaiyeee!!!!

and do tell if you would like to attend this marriage or not!

Jan Gan Man and Mile Sur Mera Tumhara!

For people who are not watching it on TV and have a decent internet connection, please see the parade live here

http://republicday.nic.in/

This will work if you have Windows Media Player or Real Player...

Enjoy some variations of the National Anthem too below... some beautiful music along with it!!!

And one of my favorite musical pieces ever, on Doordarshan

...

Out of a few things which are difficult to find, one is "closure".

Light headed

Finally the long hair days are over! back to the short smart simpler cut! I am glad I managed over 6 months of the long hair, though I did not reach the pony stage!

Feeling very light headed, and relaxed right now, while I enjoy typing while sitting in a rocking chair!

. . .

They say Charity begins at home... and I say Change does too!

Chai ki Dukaan being like a home to me and a few others that I know and some that I don't, felt like just the right place to talk about a few important things that are shaping up in the next few months!

I hope some of you remember the 30on30 campaign. For the benefit of those who do not remember or need a quick refresh here are a few highlights of 30on30

1. In Mar-Apr'09, some of my photographs were put up on sale via a blog.
Details at http://30-on-30.blogspot.com/
2. The initial aim was to raise Rs. 30000 in 30 days via the sale of these photographs
3. The campaign worked well and there were about 2500 people who visited the campaign page during these 30 days
4. We managed a total of Rs. 79000 by the end of the campaign5. We gave that money to ASK-Sankalp who promised that this would be used properly in the initiatives at Sankalp, which is a unit based out of Moradabad, UP focused on Child Rights and Education

This really encouraged me and a few more, and we thought of doing something which would be our contribution to society and change, in a more systematic and continuous way! Some of us talked at length about what could we do, and more importantly how! The good part being that none of us were skeptical about the results, or the approach or if we should do something or not!

There are lot of ideas, there is a lot to do, and there is a need of people who can support us! So if you are willing, or know someone who is willing to spend about 5-6 hours a week (dedicatedly) on some initiatives related to social issues please read on...

1. If you are just willing to spend time and spread a word about what we are doing, GREAT! we would keep you posted and look forward to your support
2. If you have a special skill like web-design, content management and editing, financial and legal knowledge, we would love to hear from you
3. If you feel you'd like to be a part of such team and can give more time than just a few hours and connect with us for a longer time, please hold on...

Give us sometime while we work some details. The intention is to keep things simple, our energies focused and mindsets positive!

Game for it?

p.s. feel free to write to Prashant @ prashantbhardwaj[at]gmail[dot]com in case you'd like to know more at this point of time, or just write a comment here!

Tea Talk

"If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you."

~Gladstone, 1865

2009 in Pictures - June

June was a travel month! (most months last year were travel months for that matter)
Me, Ma and Pa went on a three day tour of the east coast... drove around the New York City... and visited a lot of places of tourist interest!
Enjoy the photographs below!

In my shoes!

"Try and be in my shoes!"

Heard it? I am sure you must have!

I think this is a very inappropriate thing to ask, primarily because I do not remember buying shoes that did not fit! and unless someone else's shoes fit me, there are not many chances that I am going to buy them, or the idea or perspective for that matter!

Why get into someone else's shoes then? More often than not, its going to be hard walking in them!

सुंदरकाण्ड - श्लोक

This post is in continuation of the previous post on Sunderkand. This post completes the starting Shlok of the Sunder Kand.

The first part of this Shlok is devoted to Bhagwan Ram. In this Shlok, devotee asks his Bhagwaan Ram to grant complete devotion towards Him.


नान्या स्पृहा रघुपते हृदयेऽस्मदीये
सत्यं वदामि च भवानखिलान्तरात्मा
भक्तिं प्रयच्छ रघुपुंगव निर्भरां मे
कामादिदोषरहितं कुरु मानसं च

भावार्थ:-हे रघुनाथजी! मैं सत्य कहता हूँ और फिर आप सब जानते ही हैं कि मेरे हृदय में दूसरी कोई इच्छा नहीं है। हे रघुकुलश्रेष्ठ! मुझे अपनी पूर्ण भक्ति दीजिए और मेरे मन को काम आदि दोषों से रहित कीजिए

Second part of the Shlok, devotee prays Bhagwan Hanuman.

अतुलितबलधामं हेमशैलाभदेहं
दनुजवनकृशानुं ज्ञानिनामग्रगण्यम्‌
सकलगुणनिधानं वानराणामधीशं
रघुपतिप्रियभक्तं वातजातं नमामि

भावार्थ:-अतुल बल के धाम, सोने के पर्वत सुमेरु के समान कान्तियुक्त शरीर वाले, दैत्य रूपी वन को ध्वंस करने के लिए अग्नि रूप, ज्ञानियों में अग्रगण्य, संपूर्ण गुणों के निधान, वानरों के स्वामी, श्री रघुनाथजी के प्रिय भक्त पवनपुत्र श्री हनुमान्‌जी को मैं प्रणाम करता हूँ

Season's Greetings!

We just celebrated new year and Christmas and another pool of festivities is already here!!
You already know what we are talking about, don't ya? It's time for desi til-gur sweets, kites, bonfires, folklores and laughters. Here, CKD wishes everyone a very happy lohri, makar sankranti and magh bihu and pongal too!!

And as I sit here and write this greeting, a thought crosses my mind-
All these festivals are celebrated for different reasons but they all eptiomize a single spirit-
That's the spirit of sprinkling seeds of happiness and harmony around us.

And if that is the case, why restrict ourselves to just a few calendar days? :-)
We have some ideas to wave this spirit of mutual sharing in a continous fashion.... Please watch out this space for more... :-)

Till then,
Cheers!

Cha

The english word tea traces its roots to the name for tea in the Chinese Amoy Dialect: Te (pronounced tay). Cha is the Mandarin Chinese word for tea. Some countries use both. It's not unusual to hear someone in England request a "hot cup of cha".

Text copied from a Tea Calendar that I bought last year.

The year of Binary!

Today is

10 - 01 - 10

One of the few days in the year of Binary! Infact the year started with a Binary date... 01-01-10

And tomorrow happens to be another binary day!

11-01-10

catch 22

Its unfair of people to expect something from me!

Its unfair of me to expect people to not expect something from me!

सुंदरकाण्ड

In our last visit to Milwaukee, I was talking to Prashant about our childhood and the places where we grew up. The place where I grew up is a very small place. Our land lord built a small temple in his house. We used to have our daily ‘Aarti’ in the temple and Sunderkand Path on every Tuesday. Suddenly Prashant asked me if I am interested to post Sunderkand in Chai Ki Dukaan. So here I am with my first post.

मंगलाचरण

शान्तं शाश्वतमप्रमेयमनघं निर्वाणशान्तिप्रदं
ब्रह्माशम्भुफणीन्द्रसेव्यमनिशं वेदान्तवेद्यं विभुम्
रामाख्यं जगदीश्वरं सुरगुरुं मायामनुष्यं हरिं
वन्देऽहं करुणाकरं रघुवरं भूपालचूडामणिम्

भावार्थ:-शान्त, सनातन, प्रमाणों से परे, निष्पाप, मोक्षरूप परमशान्ति देने वाले, ब्रह्मा, शम्भु और शेषजी से निरंतर सेवित, वेदान्त के द्वारा जानने योग्य, सर्वव्यापक, देवताओं में सबसे बड़े, माया से मनुष्य रूप में दिखने वाले, समस्त पापों को हरने वाले, करुणा की खान, रघुकुल में श्रेष्ठ तथा राजाओं के शिरोमणि राम कहलाने वाले जगदीश्वर की मैं वंदना करता हूँ

मज़ा ही कुछ और है!!

This is dedicated to one of my favorite poets, Pandit Om Vyas Om. He wrote a poem "Maza hi kuch aur hai" and I wrote what is below!

डिब्बे और बाल्टी से नहाने का

ठिठुरते शरीर पर लिफेबोय साबुन लगाने का

ठंडा पानी लगने पर जोर से जय राम जी की जय राम जी की चिल्लाने का

मज़ा ही कुछ और है|

चलती डी टी सी में भाग कर चड़ने का

छुट्टे ना देने पर कांदुक्टोर से झगड़ने का

खिड़की से आ रही ठंडी हवा पर हथेली आपस में रगड़ने का

मज़ा ही कुछ और है|

धुंध में सामने वाली गाडी के पीछे पीछे चलने का

थोड़ी सी सड़क साफ़ होते ही फटाक से आगे निकलने का

और कोई खुद से आगे निकले तो गाली बकने का

मज़ा ही कुछ और है|

ठेले की बगल में टिक्की खाने का

गोलगप्पे में थोड़ी सौंठ डलवाने का

मिर्चा लगने पर सी सी करके चिल्लाने का

मज़ा ही कुछ और है|

रजाई में दुबके रहने का

मोबाइल फ़ोन पर सबसे छुपा कर धीरे धीरे कुछ कहने का

किसी के प्यार में थोडा सा गम सहने का

मज़ा ही कुछ और है|

देसी घी में खाना बनाने का

तंदूरी परांठे पर सफ़ेद मक्खन लगाने का

पेट भर कर खाने के बाद, बस एक और गुलाब जामुन खाने का

मज़ा ही कुछ और है|

गली के कोने वाली मार्केट में बाल कटवाने का

१० रूपये में शेव करने का

ओल्ड इसपाईस की बोतल में रखा सस्ता आफ्टर शेव लगवाने का

मज़ा ही कुछ और है|

organic की जगह herbal शेम्पू लगाने का

"over the counter " की जगह आयुर्वेदिक दवाई खाने का

बीमार पड़ने पर घर के नुस्खे आजमाने का

मज़ा ही कुछ और है|

Mother to Many!

So you have any kids?

No!

Planning for any?

No!

Can you have any?

Yes!

Still not planning?

No!

Why? Do both of you agree?

Yes, with our own reasons! He has his own, I have mine!

Hmm! And your reason is?

If I have a kid, I will probably spend everything that I earn on him/her... not that I earn too much but whatever it is it would be spent on that one child. Now if I do not have a kid of my own, I can probably use that li'il money to raise more kids outside my own family. The mouths are already here, the kids are already here... I did not bring them to this world! but they are here. I rather use my money to raise them!

Hmm...

Friends

Me and pa were walking towards the cycle repair shop to get the cycle repaired…. Moti (the street dog) was sitting at the stairs of one of the houses near ours… He usually reacts pretty quick to my whistles and calling, but today he did not… I went hear him and patted him on the head… no reactions again… instead he kept staring at me… like he was trying to figure out who I was and why was I so close to him!

And then I could literally see a bulb light up over his head! He knew who I was and it was one of most beautiful reactions to my coming back home...

Later in the evening, when I reached home after walking back from Tushar's home, he saw me again… ran unto me and kept extending his paws for me to hold… This time I pretended as if I do not know him! but he was very persistent! finally I gave in, sat down next to him, held his paw, and he suddenly stopped moving…

He was sat there with his paw in my hand and his eyes staring into space, while I was looking at his eyes wondering what he is thinking about!

...

सुबह सुबह की धुंध

दोपहर की धूप

शाम को आसमान के रंग

घर

जन्नत!!

Thought for the day!

One thing that makes moving on seem impossible, is accumulation!

Prashant Bhardwaj, 2010

Things to do in too jeero bun jeero! - 1

Do what makes the heart happy!

and try not to do it at the cost of other's happiness!

शांति पाठ - Praying for Peace!

ॐ द्यौ शान्तिरन्तरिक्ष: शांति: पृथ्वी शान्तिराप: रोशाधय: शांति: |

वनस्पतय: शंतिविश्वे देव: शांतिब्रह्म शांति: सर्व शांति: शान्तिरेव शांति: सा माँ शांतिरेधि ||

ॐ शांति: शांति: शांति: ॐ

Could not think of anything better than this to start the new year!!! Wishing 2010 brings peace to everyone!