Chal Diyay...

I am falling in love with this song...



Yeh haryali, yeh asaman
Yeh ghatta meri razdan
Yeh haryali, yeh asaman
Yeh ghatta meri razdan
Raat kay pahlo main diye
teray lia hain bichay
tera haath tham kay
lo hum bhi chal diye
hum bhi chal diye
hai charon taraf
pehli howi arzoo
dil main chupi
ankhon mian hi aaye kion
aas wohi dil main liye
is arzoo main hum jiye
tera haath tham kay
lo hum bhi chal diye
hum bhi chal diye
thandi dhoop main
aik aah loon
sard si pairon talay
paon main rah kion wohi
chaltay jain in rahon pay
teray lia hain bichay
tera haath tham kay
lo hum bhi chal diye
hum bhi chal diye.

Now You See, Now You Don't...

I was speaking to sister today and listening to how naughty the nephew's become, and I must admit I am looking forward to their visit in Diwali this year.


The first time I saw the nephew in real life, I had just come home that morning, he was on the living room floor, dressed in a yellow t-shirt(I think he looks the best in yellow) and diapers, playing with his yellow-red cars. And as I approached him, tentatively, scared that he might start crying, I said look who's here and extended my hand, smilingly, to touch his cheeks, and he looked up, smiled, placed his forefinger on my palm. And the fact that he's such a pricey baby and does not let anyone even close, made that gesture all the more precious.



That same afternoon, having put him to sleep, sister went out for some work. And just an hour later nephew woke up and of course, on finding himself alone in a new place, without his mother around, started howling. After 10 minutes of pacifying him, mother finally gave him to me, just play with him she said. And I, very reluctantly of course, picked him up, a crying baby (for the very first time in my life, I hate crying babies!) and he sat snuggly on my right arm, looked at me, placed his head on my shoulder, wrapped his tiny arms around my neck and slept with a whimper, tears still stuck to his long black eyelashes, much like morning dew on grass.



And with those two gestures he gave me the most precious thing a baby can give you, his trust. And with that, he made sure that his aunt will do anything, but never misplace it.



Every time I think of the newphew, I remember this one time I was trying to put him to sleep, and after twenty minutes I had exhausted the few precious lullabies I knew, and the nephew was still wide awake. So I finally started singing/humming Bollywood songs. No kidding, he slept in five minutes! :P Don't ask me which Bollywood songs now :)



Talking about sleeping, the sight of a sleeping baby must be one of those heart-achingly beautiful images that will never fade from your mind. His little hands placed side by side on the bed, his tiny pink fingers curled. His dark eyelashes making half moons on his pink puffed cheeks, his ruffled hair, his pink soft lips, his little chest rising gently, and you almost swell with pride, as a human, on seeing such a beautiful human infant.



But no, I still do not like kids.

Listen, O Breeze...

Such sweet and simple lyrics...

Life really is about all those simple moments...the cool breeze, the pitter-patter sound of rain, full moon...

I so wish I was in Rajasthan right now, with sand between my toes, under the starry sky, in front of a bonfire, listening to this song...

P.S: It's so awesome the kind of music Coke Studio is making. So so grateful!



senṛaan ra baairya dheemo madhuro ri baaj
listen, O breeze, softly and sweetly blow


dheemo dheemo madhuro ri baaj re baaireeya
softly, softly, sweetly blow, O breeze

senṛaan ra baairya dheemo madhuro ri baaj
listen, O breeze, softly and sweetly blow

tanri banṛaaoon dhola raaji taansali e lo
I make a serving dish, sweetheart, of my physical being

manṛe ri karoon man waar re baaireeya
and following my heart, I offer up my heart to you, O breeze

senṛaan ra baairya dheemo madhuro ri baaj
listen, O breeze, softly and sweetly blow

raajo ji padhaarya raaji mahal men e lo
when my prince arrived in the royal palace

doodaan barsyo mew re baaireeya
he brought such happiness and prosperity that it rained milk, O breeze

senṛaan ra baairya dheemo madhuro ri baaj
listen, O breeze, softly and sweetly blow

inṛ dis maan mhaaro raaji lo base re lo
in this direction, does my darling prince live

inṛdis aawe ṭhanḍṛi hinṛ re baaireeya
(for) from this direction, blows a fresh and cool wind, O breeze

senṛaan ra baairya dheemo madhuro ri baaj
listen, O breeze, softly and sweetly blow

Life Is Sweet...

It's a pity
It's a crying shame
Who pulled you down again?
How painful it must be
To bruise so easily inside

It's a pity
It's a downright crime
But it happens all the time
You wanna stay little daddy's girl
Wanna hide from the vicious world outside

But don't cry
Know the tears'll do no good
So dry your eyes

Your daddy he's the iron man
A battleship wrecked on dry land
Your mama she's a bitter bride
She'll never be satisfied,
And you know
That's not right

But don't cry
Know the tears'll do no good
So dry your eyes

They told you life is hard
It's misery from the start
It's dull and slow and painful

I tell you life is sweet
In spite of the misery
There's so much more
Be grateful

Who do you believe?
Who will you listen to
Who will it be?
It's high time that you decide
In your own mind

Tried to comfort you
Tried to tell you to be patient
They are blind
They can't see

Fortune gonna come some day
All gonna fade away
Your daddy the war machine and
Your mama the long and suffering
Prisoner of what she can not see

They told you life is hard
It's misery from the start
It's dull and slow and painful

I tell you life is sweet
In spite of the misery
There's so much more
Be grateful

Who do you believe?
Who will you listen to
Who will it be?

It's high time you decide
It's time you make up your own sweet little mind

They told you life is long
Be thankful when it's done
Don't ask for more
You should be grateful

But I tell you life is short
Be thankful because before you know
It will be over

Cause life is sweet
And life is also very short
Your life is sweet

HT: Swb (Thank you :))

Hereafter...

duur ek gaon hai 

wahan thandi chaon hai

behti nadiya hai

jaana hai nadiya k paar

Imperfect Is Perfect...

How does Raymonds manage it always? Stay relevant and true to their product, and also touch that part of you that commercial ads never manage to?


On a different note, a man who does not love his mother, will probably never love anyone else. 

How To Hunt For A Flat In A New City...

Warning: Disjointed incoherent post that's full of inane rants and cribs written under medication follows. If I were you, I'd skip.


Back home, I have been the queen of the castle from time to time. And every time dad-mum went away for extended periods of time, I'd plan a vacation myself too(What a queen eh? :P) And although it's a record that I never finish all the food on my plate, I do hate wasting food. And so every time I had to leave the house locked, I'd make sure I was not leaving any perishable food items behind. Fruits, snacks, fresh vegetables...I'd make sure the fridge would be empty before I left for my vacation.


I got up on the morning I was moving out and went into the kitchen to make tea, there was banana-chocolate cake on the table, ripe (glorious) red tomatoes, there was one whole packet of mushrooms in the fridge, ofcourse there was a mountain of leftover food, vegetables, fruits, I saw three lovely sweetcorns and for a minute I panicked. Wait a minute, I thought, all this food is going to rot? And that's when it sunk in, that I was not going for a vacation, that I was the one leaving...that I was not coming back.


It's funny, of all things, it should be food.


Though I still feel like I have come on a business trip, and that I will be going back "home" in 2 weeks time. And specially today, when am all ill, I so want to be back home :( And then I spoke to dad on the phone and then I cried (Oh whatever, you're just heartless). And then I spoke to my sister and she made me talk to my nephew who well can't talk yet, but says "maachi" and laughed(nautanki) for 10 minutes on the phone, and then I wanted to be there and play peek-a-boo with him and hear him laugh and not be all alone in this soulless hotel room! Growing up sucks! What the hell was wrong with me when I decided I wanted to be all independent and live by myself?? I suck at this "independent" thing! I am even looking forward to my never-met-before, fresh-out-of-college, backstreetboys-britneyspears-loving-girl-who-has-only-read-Chetan-bhagat, could-be-spoilt "dally" girl (that should actually scare me) roommate!


And what's making it worse is that I don't have a kitchen to myself. I am already missing home cooked food. I ordered ginger tea today, since I was badly craving it, and good lord, these stupid hotel people can't even make decent adrak walli chai? And I am not even in China for pete's sake!


I remember when I was in China, I used to travel by the tube trains there and one night, I was coming back to the hotel and I stumbled and fell down on the bridge, and people stopped, looked and started walking again as if nothing happened. I came home and cried in the hotel room cause there was no one to pick me up, I am sure Indian men would have been nicer :) It was a silly thing to cry over. I mean, I fall all the time, not a big thing, I never expect anyone to pick me up in India here, in fact I get embarrassed if anyone comes rushing to help. But in a new country...my aloneness was so amplified I realise I could cry even if I saw an Indian ad. I need a lot of "me" time, but I have realised I can't stay away from my people (whoever they are and however they are) and be happy. At home, I hardly spoke to parents, or spent time with them, I'd be always locked up in my room, doing my things, which is what I am doing here, locked up in my hotel room, with internet access, TV and books and food, but even if I was locked up in my room at home, I could always open the door and hear my mom speak to her friends on the phone or hear her cook in the kitchen or hear the blaring sound of TV and know that dad was watching news. I miss those sounds. Those were sounds of safety and family.




And what it making it more worse is this hot freaking weather. I am 100% sure I must have sweat atleast 3 buckets of sweat in the last 3 days. No kidding. I am surprised people even wear clothes here.




And the cherry on the cake? I move in and I all the people I know here have either left the city for good, or are away till god-knows-when. It's like I am cursed or something. Why god why? The only solace in my life right now is my (good-looking) broker, who's is in love with me, and who does his best to make me feel less lonely (Stop laughing Apeksha). But unfortunately, he found out that I am also talking to other brokers (Eh well, I am new to the broker-relationship thing), and he was quite heart-broken. So he calls me up at 10 in the night and after a lot of throat-clearing says,"madam, don't feel bad, but please don't talk to other brokers, I am putting so much heart and effort in looking for a flat for you, why do you need to talk to other brokers? I am there no, I'll find every available flat for you!"


(And he said it which such sincerity that I almost felt ashamed for a minute.)

And I feel loved.

And shame on you if you judged me just now, sitting there in your cozy homes with home cooked meals and cuddly doggies drooling at your feet and furry cats meowing at you.


But being the sweet soul that I am, I could forgive you if you come visit me and bring some hot potato-leek soup along (beer would also do).


And so here I am, supposedly my second day at the new workplace and I am instead sitting all wrapped up in the hotel room, talking to myself, and oh, ofcourse, waiting for my broker to call. What? He promised he'll call in an hour!


P.S: G, darling, I would eternally hate you now if you now ditched me.

P.P.S: I don't know anything about how to hunt for a place in a new city and you clearly didn't read the warning, your fault!