Saturday, April 30, 2016

I WONDER WHY


Though my shy son does not like me to publish what he pens, the proud mum in me won and here it is a poem written by him.

I WONDER WHY

Sometimes I sit and think
And sever my outside link
I sit cooped up in a corner
As a mourner
But inside my head is a whirl of things
As i think of the worlds many wings

I wonder why birds were meant to fly
In the glorious indifferent sky
Why humans were stuck on the ground
Stalking here and there like a mournful hound

I wonder why fish swim and lizards crawl
While we are stuck thinking how we can fly up at all
I dont get the answer to the queries that in my heart sink
As i sit there and think!

I also wonder why the earth is round
With garbage piled on it in a mound
I let my imagination wander
Over yonder

As i think why the sky is blue and the trees green
I do think it is mean
That humans are generally a single hue
 Even though it is easy to tell who is who

As these thoughts bubble furiously
I sit there and think mightously
Why we blink
As i sit there and think!

Arnaav Bellani 
13 years

Sunday, April 24, 2016

When 25 years just Melt Away





Not a post on Liposuction or debate between Ambani baby’s diet VS Bariatric. Then you may wonder how the 25 years melt? Well, thankfully we are living in an age where reunions are a rage. And 25th year of passing out of a school is HUGE. A milestone that one wants to celebrate reliving some moments and making some memories.
After school i visited the campus a couple of years later and came back with a heavy heart. The corridors that we owned, the places we frequented, the classes that now housed a different unknown set of students made me realize the transient nature of life. And the cyclic nature of life. It was almost like I was watching the scenes in school like a distant witness.
However, a 25th anniversary called for a going back to the same corridors that have witnessed our growing from children to young adults. After all these are the corridors that have witnessed our first crushes, giggling phases and so much more. To give the devils the due, had it not been for the immense drive of Kapil and Sandeep this reunion would have just remained a dream. These two stood like rocks and pillars driving the arrangements, recreating the nostalgia, planning on ground, taking commitments from a now non-committal generation and eventually executing it like a dream. I think both of them got reunited so many times just to get the plan going, they almost became a couple and I am sure are suffering major withdrawal symptoms now that the event has seen a super closure.
The teachers were invited, gifts were wrapped, small introduction speeches were made, some teachers who were not present were remembered fondly. What was funny was digging into collective consciousness and realizing that though we were all together the take aways were as different as they were the same. Mona, who had been entrusted with the task of inviting teachers couldn’t get over the fact that this was the longest relaxed conversation that she had made with the teachers ever. Ashish kept recalling anecdotes while intros were on and even enacted a small scene from a skit that was performed well more than 25 years ago. Infact Mrs. Sharma who had written the dialogues was amazed at the recall. Mr. Bharti, Suman Khanna mam, the ever gorgeous Mrs Geelani, the voracious Mrs Lumb, the reticent Krishna mam and others kept laughing and indulging and I am sure were equally proud in the knowing that their students have fared well.
However, some things never change like the awesome chutney with the bread rolls. Most of our celebratory occasions were marked with a treat of these and this was no different. Vivek Ahuja sent a cake all the way from Canada. Vikram Kalra a student of class ’83 sent inscribed personalized mugs for all of us as gifts, what was heart breaking was that his wife was in the ICU and he told Rachna Pant mam to hand over these mugs to each one of us individually, our hearts went out to his situation.
A fond farewell to the teachers, a round trip of the school and collection of house t-shirts later we all proceeded to Buzz where the sundowners awaited. Loud, dark and noisy that was the mood and it became only better with Mojitos, beer and more alcohol flowing. Ashish had a title for everyone who was present and that added to the spice. A question that evoked most oohs and aahs came from Namrata aka Rinku and that was who had a crush on whom? The responses evoked many ceetees and cheering, ah I am so dying to jot down the responses but well…What Happened at Buzz Stays at Buzz.
Lokesh took the responsibility of clicking pictures and man he did a wonderful job, prompt posting too. Kapil was seen nodding his head with eyes shut like as if a huge task at hand was now successfully wrapped up. Maninder was teased mercilessly on his comment of “jawan ho gya”, laughter roared over the din of the music. Shivani was most particular about her drink and sent the guy back with gyan on how to make it. Must comment that she was most gracious and sporting when teased by Lokesh. Alok Matta’s dancing transported me to the reckless era of our bachpan, of course I am not commenting who his crush was, psst: hint she was present. Rinku as always peppered up the talks and the gathering with her infectious giggles and smart comments. Ritu of course again like always was happy being part of the gang and quietly without creating a noise just soaked in everything. Sudhir’s efforts of always showing up and supporting were much appreciated, as was the huge efforts of having put it all together by Kapil and Sandeep. Neeraj told us about why in Sweden he couldn’t call sweet dish that cause it sounded so like Swedish. Hemant jain kept wondering till the end who me and Mona were? Sandeep kept the smirks up and yes without “skirting” the issue, we got to know how much the length of the skirts were noticed. Ah well, the secrets that spilled out from the boy gang are notorious enough to not be disclosed publicly. A few drinks down and all we wanted was some Bolly tadka music to shake our booties too, nagin dance included.
Those who were there missed those who weren’t there, but those who weren’t there Missed it all. However, the absentees were thoroughly remembered and talked about and we know that they were with us in spirits. And that’s what matters isn’t it?

Bachpan wali feeling. Keep the inner child glowing and keep spreading the happiness. Hoping to meet in larger strengths soon! Amen. 

Thursday, April 7, 2016

I AM A BUTTERFLY MOM


A small lesson in ‘How to teach our kids to press Ctrl+S for nature?’ 
Yes, I am! And this is not one of the posts trying to push or decode parenting styles. There can be no better time than spring to revel in the bounty of nature. Flowers blooming, perfect weather for long nature walks, listening to the chirping of birds or just watching the fluffy clouds float by. This spring me and my son plunged into an activity that we will remember all our lives. We nurtured and raised a small caterpillar into a magnificent butterfly. That’s the reason I choose to call myself a Butterfly Mom.
While spending some time tending my plants, I noticed a small little worm clinging to my curry leaves plant and munching them away. I won’t lie I did have murderous thoughts and contemplated on squishing them to save my plants. But my little son got excited looking at them and I decided to check what they were. Asking a naturalist friend I got to know that they are baby caterpillars and that she wsa tending some of her own. That’s when I got inspired on raising my own. We gently picked them and placed them in a plastic box with holes on top. We were daily feeding them with curry leaves and by god those little buggers, they hog ravenously. A couple of days later I saw one of them turn into a light green chrysalis with no movement, of course it had reached pupa stage. And then the long wait started for it to become a butterfly and fly its coop. The wait seemed so long, but man was it totally worth it? Yes, yes and triple yes! Today morning when we went to feed its siblings, one of the most beautiful sights awaited us, a lovely black beautiful butterfly with orange speckles fluttering away in that container. My god, it’s an experience we will never ever forget. I was bounding with joy and then I slowly opened the box and let it go…
A lesson for me in letting go and still be so happy that I raised such a lovely creature that found its wings. I really do feel a Butterfly Mom. I hope to remember this lesson when my son grows up and is ready to fly the nest. I hope I rest in the knowing that I did well.

Clinging to my curry leaves 


Found home in plastic box 



Growing Caterpillar 



Gorgeousness: My Baby  

This is dried shell 



I’m blogging about how I’ll remind kids to press Ctrl+S for nature for the Shortcut Safaari weekend activity at BlogAdda.