Doe & a clown

How can somebody bring so much joy? A little butterfly that flutters around, a doe that gracefully hops and mesmerizes us, a clown that can make you roll in splits. All this in one beautifully packaged darling is Nidhu.

She is carefree, sensitive and boisterous , all at the same time. For her, her world revolves around her amma, appa, akka , akka and akka! And then her 3 close friends.

She can be content swaying to Ghoomer or Pinga or Roar or 500 miles or actually any music.

She cannot settle for culinary mediocrity. She needs food tasty and hot. One look at this little thing would suggest a complete disinterest for anything food. But quite the contrary

She is nearing 5 and is developing a beautiful personality. My baby!

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.

Rajasthan-Jaipur

There is so much to see, so much to know, so much to take from India. Rajasthan is a classic example. 

Month: September
Year: 2014
Weather: Warm to hot
Itenerary: Bangalore-Delhi-Pilani-Jaipur-Jodhpur-Udaipur-Bangalore
# days : 9

My earlier impression of Rajasthan was (having studied there for 4 years) dry, arid, sandy , dusty and really bad roads. But I have to say, I was taken by surprise - great roads, really green and quite developed now.


After stopping in Pilani and spending a very nostalgic evening, we left for Jaipur. It is a good 3 hour ride from Pilani to Jaipur. We took the Chirawa-Jhunjunu-Sikkar road. Good roads maintained by the state. There are not a lot of well bred hotels, so if you are ok with dhabhas, then you should be good. Otherwise, finish breakfast and leave and you should reach for lunch.

JAIPUR

Stay: Pearl palace Boutique
website: http://www.pearlpalaceheritage.com/
phone: 0141-2375242

Jaipur is a city like any other city. Main roads, flyovers and what not. But the history of the city is quite fascinating.

(1) City palace
This is where Jai singh lived and conducted his court after moving from Amer fort. The royal family still lives here. The four gates signifying - spring, summer, autumn and winter really stands out.


This is moderately good. Nothing wow about it except for Raja Madhao singh's huge silver container which was used to take ganga water to london [Makes you want to yell - WHAT!]

(2) Jal Mahal
A nice beautiful monument in the middle of a serene lake. Looks beautiful and wish we could have rowed over to it. But the banks of the lake are filthy. Despite a board saying "No feeding the fishes and ducks", our very generous folks continue to litter. A bread crumb for the fish, a popcorn for self and 2 for the filth.


 (3) Amber fort
This is truly a wonder and the best of the lot. The sight of the palace and the fort looming on the skyline when you drive is beautiful. You can take the old fashioned elephant ride to the top, walk or go through the roads - each is good in its own way. The fort has been very well preserved and the spots are great - the sanganeri paintings, the turkish bath, the diwan-e-khas and diwan-e-aam, and most importantly the sheesh mahal.






The view from the fort is lovely. the river beneath with the curated gardens - takes you to another world altogether.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amer_Fort

(4) Jaigarh and Nahargarh
If you have time, do not forget to explore Jaigarh and nahargarh forts. Off the beaten track - Jaigarh has the biggest cannon in the world - weighs 150 tons

Nahargarh looked like a stealthy hangout for local love birds who have unashamedly tarnished the walls of the 300 year old beautiful fort. The government has restored it to a certain extent. So, you will still get a glimpse of Raj singh, madhao singh and man singh amidst "Nikhil hearts sonam"


(4) Hawa Mahal
Beautiful red and pinksandstone facade, wonderful sight. People say - its nothing, just a structure with nothing behind.. but then why should it have something behind? It was built for a purpose - for the women to see the royal festivities.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawa_Mahal

(5) Chokhi Dhani
When somebody suggested this, I thought it will be a cliched, childish recreation half heartedly done. But I was mistaken - a nice retreat where the village atmosphere has been rightly captured. The puppeteers, mehandi ladies, the dancers, wrestlers, chat stalls, camel rides, bullock cart rides, elephant rides, boating - well conceived and executed

The artisans village is a nice place - not very expensive and good quality. Do not forget to buy the colorful puppets, beautiful.

And of the course the FOOD- awesome!

(6) Lassiwala (since 19--) opposite niro's in MI Road
Please please please do not forget to have lassi here.. lives up to all the hype. The shop has only 3 items
- lassi small
- lassi big
- curd
Selection is NOT always necessary :)
http://www.tripadvisor.in/Travel-g304555-c174347/Jaipur:India:Lassiwala.Jaipur.html

Explore johari bazaar and hawa mahal bazaar.
Eat outs: 

(1) Peacock roof top restaurant - paratha dal makhni combo was amazing
(2) Laxmi mishtaan bandaar - kachoris to die for and of course the thali
(3) ITC Rajputana - Thali

Blessed Generation, dont you think?

Can you imagine that 15 years ago, there were no mobile phones? Land lines were the Pulse and Tone of our lives. If one wasnt at home, we left messages and waited. We had cameras that took photographs that needed to be developed. We used to wait for 32 photos to be taken on a kodak or a konica roll. Then we would wait for a whole day or two to develop them. That excitement of the wait used to be so good.  One vacation was just 32 snaps. There was beauty in minimalism. And then there were tape players where we rewound and moved forward with immense patience. 10 songs in a rectangular device with spools. 

There used to be constant power cuts and no inverters. We would just step out or take a hand fan or go to the terrace if it was night time. Make shadow figures over a candle light on the ceiling, watch the wax melt and form shapes on the  candle stand, sit with your grandparents and listen to old village tales, and of course sweat like a pig. When we went to restaurants, we wanted anything that is not south indian and it most probably was panner butter masala or gobi manchurian. We did not know any other cuisine. We were glued to chitrahaar, top 10 countdowns. 

We were there and witnessed and experienced all this. 

And then we experienced mobile phones, digital cameras, pizzas, pastas, 100+ channels, YOUTUBE, orkut, facebook and what not...

We are a blessed generation, arent we... a bit of both , each enriching our lives in its own way!

Green Bangles

She had always loved the color green. It reminded her of the lush fields in her village, of her ribbon knotted in school, of the fountain pen that her grandfather gifted her when she stood first in college, of her first moped, of the t-shirt she got her husband for their first anniversary.

The green bangles on display looked good. Her favorite color too. Nothing has changed, she consoled herself. 

"Here you go", said the man, opening his paan box and handing over a wad of cash. "Take two if you want, bare hands don't look good. Don't wear them and sleep like your old ones. These will break".

She couldn't stop the tears welling up. The old ones were her mother's gift to her. She rushed out of the shop. The neon board was still flashing - 'C.S.Motilal & Sons Pawn Brokers - since 1935'