She turns 9

It was my daughter's 9th birthday. A remarkable landmark when the kid is slowly disappearing and the girl is blooming. We had 10 of her friends invited over. Wow what fun.

Girls are the best. I will say so because I have two ;). They are truly beautiful flowers. When I  say flowers I don't mean the pure dainty ones that yearn protection. I mean there are different kinds. The boisterous ones, the soft petaled but strong ones, the thorny ones, the truly open colorful ones.. They are all different types but they are the joy of life.

I realized, that the kids did not need fancy events, locations or any such thing. They needed a place to be themselves and run amok. The event they enjoyed the most was just running around the park or dancing to arbitrary songs.

And the best sight was, then and now, they would all hug each other like it's the most natural thing to do. So warm, so natural. 

I love this phase and I want her to enjoy every bit of it

What is the hurry?

Beautiful, simple, content and happy.

Bali is known all around the world for its massages and beaches. But there is so much more to this beautiful place. Ubud, its cultural hub welcomed me with its quaintness, love and beauty. There are “pura”s or temples at every turn. There are artists and musicians on the sidewalk. The museums, temples around Ubud are splendrous. But what is most splendrous is its people. There are beautiful women in kebaya(their traditional wear) in the nearby villages who do the processions for the celebrations. There are men in their kain or sarong (usually a checked black and white one) and batik shirts. And they are untouched by many things that have tarnished the oldness and warmth of many a beautiful place. The place is pristine - clean and pure. There are smiles everywhere. Nowhere can we see hurried people wanting to get to the destination at haste. They all seem to say - “Enjoy the journey, what is your hurry”?

On a sunday morning, at the Ubud palace, a teacher is teaching the girls Legong, the traditional Balinese dance. The music is soothing , the girls radiant in the morning sun swaying gracefully with precision. Even the powerful camera will not be able to capture the elegance and grace.

I am 10,000Km away from my home and yet I feel right at home. not just because of the people, I never knew that our cultures were so similar. You can see Vishnu (Desa), Siva, garuda, arjuna everywhere. Rather, they revere and cherish them more than we do. There are wrought iron statues of the gitopadesam in jakarta. Arjuna looms 50 ft tall in the middle of Bali. Hanoman protects all here. 

Bali is mesmerising

Little Men

“Catch it, keep it down”. “Ok”. “Catch it, keep it down” ,”OK”. “1,2,3” Three voices alternated the sentences. Close your eyes and you think its a mini sailor crew taking down cargo. You open your eyes and you see 3 little men - one throwing something from above a roped tower, the other one on the ground catching it and placing it down. And the other one then doing the same. Whats there in their hands you wonder. what are they stacking up on the ground? What are they counting? 

Are they stones, or pebbles or coins or twigs or what are those objects? I go nearer in fascination to see what prompts this unified dedication. I go round the little men and peer on the side. I half expected something from a magical land. They have been at this for 45 mins.  Nothing. There were no stones, no pebbles, no coins, no twigs. There was Nothing.

I looked at the three boys. I asked them , what are you throwing and what are you catching. One said - sugar, one said butterflies , one said - magic spells. And not one disagreed when the other one said something different. They were in their own magical land each throwing and catching whatever he wanted. How simple and joyful it was to see this. How naive and untouched were their minds. How clean and unclouded were their thoughts. What I would not do to become like that again.