Canada’s Wonderland

Aayush, my kind Hilter type of a bro passed the diktat and announced that for our trip to Canada’s Wonderland all of us be out of the house at 8am. What 8?? That too on a Saturday morning after a night of well ....3 vodkas...acha so i lied ok 4. But when HE passes the rule all better follow. So there we were stretching and yawning literally at the crack of the dawn 7.30 am IS THE crack of dawn for moi. We started or well tried to start at 8.15. Tried? Yeah because the gear of the van got stuck!!!!!! And plan B was put into action after all the kids had given their invaluable suggestions as to how to start the van...

Plan B we took the car out and mum opted out L for lack of space and her peace of mind. Finally off we went. The day was wonderfully cloudy and cold too...Canada’s weather is worse than the proverbial Mumbai rains. When it was spring it was too hot, so hot that heat wave was declared officially; and since the onset of summer i haven’t seen a single warm day.

Reaching the destination i was shocked to see the place swarming with people and long queues at all the places...and i thought my bro was the only one with the crazies. When it was our turn to enter the place and our bags were frisked for security out came loads of food packages that we had packed for our imps. However to our charging and utmost stress this place was “no food policy” in a very very fine print, the security guy smirked. Barring some fruits for ids nothing allowed. Another jhatka.

And all this before the adventure in the Adventure land had begun. Anyway we picked up the maps, got the relevant height bands for the kids, and off we went. The first stop Bumper cars. And 1 sulk because the youngest one and by the way the most fearless of them all was not allowed due to height restrictions. Anyways...that through we went for the other rides in Kidzville.

After going through the Helicopter Chase a monorail ride, the Blast off, the Jumping jet, Golf cart rides, the kids were warmed up thoroughly and decided to take the roller coaster.

Arnaav was hesitant, Arkin expectant and Arnay just sooo dying to go. Arnaav observed that the roller coster went around twice and that what could be the speed and if it was safe and so on. Finally after fighting among themselves for the coveted last car in the coaster that was the Police car Arnaav and i sat in it.

Phew the coaster was actually fast and furious for kids. And after a whole lot of screaming themselves hoarse when we exited they were feeling like a bunch of courageous bunch of achievers.

Quickly came the lunch break and while i and Shilpi queued up for lunch for pizzas, chicken strips, and fries, Aayush minded the kids and took them for a ride literally. They went in for the Carrousel and big tea cups. Arnaav tried to but couldn’t back out because thankfully i wasn’t around to see them tantrums.

Post lunch we decided to check out the Spooky cave. After this me and Aayush decided enough is enough and decided to go for the real kill. THE BEHEMOTH. Shilpi poor thing wasn’t given a choice and took the kids to the water park. Nobel prize to her for putting up with 2 bullies like me and Aayush.

The queue at the Behemoth was sooooooooo long but so totally worth it. Whenever that thing used to start up for the round while we were waiting i would have multiple thoughts...Anyway when the turn came me and bro looked at each other (he had done it earlier too) he challenging and me cowering...but what the heck i can’t ever back out and so we sat and did i sit tight! Jai Mata Di and uske baad toh jo hua bus ho hi gaya... mind also didn’t get time to process...aawaz bhi nahi nikli....leave alone screaming...But man the view from the top when it was ascending was mind blowing but the descent heheh i cheated couldn’t keep both them eyes open...only 1 periodically. When it grated to a halt gosh thats when i let out a big sigh and a whoop!!! It was amazing. It was awesome. And it was a lifetime of memories.

Just to impress everyone here are some statistics:

The Behemoth is a total of 5400 feet long with the highest point of drop being 230 feet and the speed of first drop is 125km/hr (and after that u stop caring J ).

Don’t need wings…just want to walk

A good walk cures most problems. Want to lose weight and get fit? Walk. Want to enjoy life but spend less? Walk. Want to cure stress and clear your head? Walk. Want to meditate and live in the moment? Walk. Having trouble with a life or work problem? Walk, and your head gets clear.~Leo Babauta '38 Life Lessons I have learned in 38 years' Zen Habits
The things that we so take for granted may be the stuff dreams are made of for some. It all started one day with my mum’s maid’s faith in me….her son 7 year old can not walk and she asked me if i could help her with some information and that she and her husband have saved enough money to go even if it means out-of-town and get the treatment done. Treatment in this case she knew was an artificial leg. She had toiled enough and all she wanted to do now was to see her stand on his two feet literally. The poor child could go nowhere, was studying at home and worst of all could not even handle his daily chores.
My search began and the first place as always was to begin with the Internet search. Thank Google it has a lot of answers ! I stumbled upon this amazing information on a charitable run place called Bhagwan Mahavir Viklang Sahayta Samiti (http://www.jaipurfoot.org/) that makes Jaipur foot. i read through the site and called up the number and spoke to a doctor, who said all that was required to be done was to bring the child to the centre and they will take care of him. “How much money Dr” “Nothing it is absolutely free for the poor” My heart did a somersault and i called up the concerned mom with the news. They fixed the appointment and i a deal with my god, Oh God if these people get the foot without any issues i am going to donate a foot.
The mother came home teary eyed and all emotionally full, “gosh” i thought “maybe things haven’t gone right”. Thankfully i was so wrong, the lady was overwhelmed with emotion and chokingly told me that the child had got feet. Her miracle i could not believe it happened only in 2 visits. The first visit they took the measurements and the next the child was fixed with the limbs. And told that as the child will grow they can come back and get the limbs changed. Wow all of us hugged each other and i kept my promise to go and donate the foot. I looked around the place and spoke to some people who were present there…and i was hooked. Every new year i visit them and contribute my share. It does not cost me much-even less than a meal at the restaurant-but the pleasure and peace it gives me is priceless.
Here’s what they do. They have different sections that design artificial limbs, the ones required for polio patients are different than the one required for someone who has lost his limb in an accident. The polio foot is made and die cast in plastic.






Whereas the other kind of limb is made of different materials. The foot and the ankle is made up of MRF rubber, molded into the shape of a foot and has around 4 joints, it is then baked and treated in a special machine for about an hour and a half and then joined to the limb. They also provide wheelchairs, tricycles and crutches.

There is a lot of info on their website, please visit and if you get inspired tithe over some amount and help give feet to someone. A cost of 1 foot is merely Rs2,000.

To Mom….with love

Dear Mom,
Happy Mother’s Day and all the other days and years to come. Though moms are and should be celebrated each living day, for umpteen reasons like nurturing before birthing and giving us life and making us the persons that we are today and giving us a blissful childhood, and wiping our tears of infancy, teenage, adolescence, and even adulthood……the list is endless and so is my love.
I know mom at times you do feel that after finishing your masters and studying so hard all you have done is sit at home and do nothing else. Today i wish to tell you after having seen both sides of the career as well as momhood; you made an immense sacrifice, gave up the little luxuries of life so that we could be accommodated; well not accommodated we could be the centers of your life, you were the invisible force behind all of us; the rock of the family. Without all that thankless job that you toiled for we wouldn't have been what we are today.
I am in the same position and though doubts do arise the time and situation demands that i be the same like you had been; the spine of my family and trust me though at times might feel a twinge i know i wont regret it.
Thanks mom for everything you did and also for everything that you did not let us do. Today when i say to Arnaav “Parents will always try to do the best for you,” your words and my rebellion echoes in my mind. But well life is a teacher. I learnt and i am sure one day Arnaav will too.
Life does come a full circle…it sure does.
There is too much say and express but words are not enough…I love you...you are my best friend and my soul mate....keep smiling...and keep loving cause though i may have my faults you still are my best supporter, sounding board, advice giver all rolled in one big huggable and kissable package.
hapi mums day
Take care and love you loads

Losing it in London

To say that the 5-day work trip to London was action packed and full of surprises is to say the least. The first surprise came in the form of a crashed computer system on the eve of the event. The grace came when we managed to salvage the situation, phew !! Murphy’s law in motion.
Anyways…post a successful and a rocking finale to the event; me and Rajesh decided we so wanted to go for a trip to the Windsor Castle and also to Stonehenge…and Sanjeev readily and willingly took charge. Since he was the one holding an international driving license he decided it will be economical and better if we rent a car with a GPS and get going. And thats what we did.
The “aunty on the GPS” as Sanjeev liked to call that shrill guiding voice on the GPS weirdly called Tom Tom started to guide us. Rajesh smirked and said, “cool now we don't have to use our brains, just go with the aunty.” Proved to be ominous later. The ride till Windsor Castle was smooth and on the way only got honked at for 4 times. Jeez and coming from the land of “Horn OK Please” we don't take no offence even if the Londoners were trying to give it to us. Parking the car and then paying the parking fee was a challenge too---what no parking wala bhaiya to who we could toss the keys---gosh we are spoilt. The machine chomped off 2 GBPs before we manually deposited the fee to the sweet lady sitting at the counter. Machines can make life as tough as it can make it easy.
Windsor Castle was a beauty. Awe inspiring structure, the oldest living castle, abode of the Queen, landscaped lawns, now manicured moats, royally dressed to intimidate security and the never moving or blinking soldier (aside: what do they do if they get an itch to scratch or if a fly sits on their upturned noses…for this Sanjeev said “there are no makhis (flies) here Anubha” Ok boss, Yes sir whatever you say. 
Another kick was that they give an audio tour player free….yay atleast something in the land of “no free lunches” was free. Happily wearing those big fat ear phones that also protected them poor ears in the cold,windy and chilly weather we embarked on to the tour of the Windsor Castle. The trip inside was filled with oohs and wows, and then we came to the section where many treasures of different shapes and sizes were displayed; some were gifted to the State and others were taken…..well. The art of laying the table all at a studied angle cutlery included was a revelation. After strolling around and happily posing with the guards, the structure, the this and the that; we decided to move back to the car parking.
Destination Next: the Stonehenge --me and Rajesh highly anticipative and excited whereas Sanjeev thinking chalo kuch to acha hi hoga after all Rajesh and Anubha are soooo excited. So off we tried to go. Tried? Yeah…because just then the TomTom aunty decided to play truant and a lady the men couldn’t woo to wake up from the grave. Yes the TomTom died…..but well not our hopes. Rajesh pulled out all the Google maps and the road maps that we were armed with; in the meantime i kept trying to wake up the dead. The maps were not useful; by the time we used to figure out the turning we would have already missed it 2 miles ago…unfortunately there weren't any bhaiya jis on the highway to guide us.
Rajesh figured we will have to cross Ascot and Bracknell. We also figured our redemption will only be another TomTom that we must buy if we were to ever set eyes on Stonehenge. We stopped by the sleepy town of Ascot; passing by the royal racecourse and feeling great about it. The little shop by the gas station did not have the TomTom and we were left well…tomtoming about the idea of whether to go further or not…..Ok let’s go….so off we went and finally found an uncle ji near Bracknell, who guided us to a small mall where we could buy a GPS. After losing way a couple of more times and circling the town thrice we hit upon the mall…and bought one. phew!! the dreams of Stonehenge looked a little more real and a tad more closer.
I asked Rajesh what if we reach late and it is closed….well the optimist in him said “arrey bhai agar Qutab Minar band ho jaye to kya dikhti nahin hai.” Lets get going…Sanjeev punched in the required address and now the voice of aunty ji was nothing less than manna from heaven. A stop over for lunch- for the now famished us and growling tummies- later we finally left for yes the Stonehenge!
By this time Sanjeev had visions of grandeur, majestic, prehistoric monument. The rolling countryside, the green manicured farms, and hefty sheep with awesome fluffy fur grazing by them, lovely clean and crisp air… wow the countryside of London is definitely not overrated and very much what you envision of it.
Finally we reached Stonehenge….and while me and Rajesh exulted…..Sanjeev was like “what?!!!!??? is this it” he just could not get over the feeling that this is what we were trying to reach after thousands of hurdles and mini fiascos. And lo! it was closed…the charms on the security guard and the offer to pay more just did not work….another thing that works awfully well in my country :) Any way Sanjeev gamely posed for a couple of pics and clicked a few too. Though i could not shake the feeling of “is this it” off i dare not confess. And man was it cold…it was freezing…the wind chill factored in. After a couple of minutes we all snuck up in the warm and cozy car and having ticked off Stonehenge off the list went back to Wembley Plaza.
Besides Sanjeev having discovered the Stonehenge….on this discovery filled trip we discovered the totally superb countryside, Ascot’s royal racecourse …and the art of losing and then finding it all only with the TomTom.
The Tomtom was dead. Long live the Tomtom !

Glimpses from the Jaya Utsav at IGNCA, Delhi

I say glimpses cause of 2 reasons, one being that the event is exhaustive in nature, explores varied mediums and is set across cultures and rituals unified only by its theme that of the epic Mahabharata. One visit is not enough since every day has something new to offer in terms of performances, ritual demonstrations and theatrical and literary programs.
The 2nd reason, though frivolous, being that the battery of my camera died down on me at the wrong time :(
I got fascinated by the theme and though i do not profess to know it as good as the Ramayana, one has grown up hearing about it and also being fed on the BR Chopra’s iconic televised series. Actually my son knows more of Mahabharata for his deep interest in the epic and also mythology.
The journey of the stories of Mahabharata has been traced to the sage Vyasa who composed the story in about 8800 stanzas and called it Jaya. Jaya Utsav brings together multiple traditions from all across the country on a single platform. Some of the performances appear for the 1st time in public domain outside of their ritual context.
When i reached the venue in the evening, the place looked a bit deserted and disappointment almost set in, just then i heard the drums and loud music coming from the lawns where a crowd had gathered.
On joining the many audiences i saw Pandav Leela being enacted. This particular rendition was by the local folks of Uttarakhand and local bard was singing in the Garhwali dialects. The thumping music and the dance lifted my spirits and though there were verses i could not understand clearly the jist was not lost. The Pandavas are worshipped in the western Uttarakhand area specially during the Pandav leela. During the Leela some of the vyoohs like the chakravyooh and kamal vyooh are popular theatrical performances.

After a while i went to the Maati Ghar were i was greeted by a range of paintings and arts and in various styles as also across mediums. The Madhubanis, patachitras, kalibari style and even pop art with Mahabharata theme were a visual delight. The exhibition provides a glimpse through photographs, maps, dioramas, paintings, calendar prints, ethnographic objects and installations too. Personally i was overwhelmed seeing such beautiful art.
Inside the maati ghar, a room with the arrowbeds has been created and the lighting effect is amazing.
Walking out the food court is aptly been renamed as Bhim ki Rasoi, the wafting aromas are irresistible and i gave in by chomping down a plate of alu tikkis;my ever favorite. Post this i wandered across to the Haat selling various hand crafted wares like the patachitra paintings, Gond art, madhubani paintings, leather puppets and dolls depicting various scened from the Mahabharata. The artists were forthcoming and the one from the patachitra painting stall showed me how they etched the figure on palm leaf and then paint over it. the paintings ranged from various the 10 avataras of Vishnu to different forms of Ganesha and even various etchigs from the animal world.
In an entirety the experience was artistically uplifting and better than expected. Would love to go back with a fully charged battery of my camera and to watch some more performances.
The event is on till 10th and the entry and parking is free and ample. If you live in Delhi don’t miss it.

Tom and Jerry and the Football Match….By Arnaav Bellani

One day after the school was over Tom and Jerry received a circular informing them of a football match. They were given the names of the teams and were requested to  confirm the team for whom they would like to play. The teams were;

1. Manchester United
2. Liverpool

Tom told Jerry that he would like to play for Manchester United and Jerry too selected the same team.
The next morning they returned the circular with their acceptance to the class teacher. The class teacher informed them that the match would be held on 27th April. Finally it was 27th-the day of the match. And the match was to start at 10.30am.
Tom and Jerry packed up their lunch and water bottle and walked to the school. They reached the school and walked to the ground where they thought the match would be held but they did not find anybody there. On inquiring from the guards they learnt that the match would be played in the Senior Block school field. so they walked to the Senior block and found everybody there. The teams were standing and the sports sir was standing between the two teams. Tom and Jerry walked to the MU team and joined them. The match started after the players took their positions. Jerry was the Captain and Tom the Goalkeeper.
The sports sir whistled to announce the start. jerry was fast to secure the control of the ball and was rushing towards the goal but 1 player took the ball from Jerry and hit towards his goal where Tom jumped and saved the goal. Tom had a goal kick and Tom kicked the ball to Jerry. Jerry pushed the ball and kicked the ball to his goal. The goal keeper missed the ball and therefore Jerry got a goal. The score was 1:0. Jerry  and his team members were very happy at the lead.
The goalkeeper kicked the ball to his player but the ball was very fast, the player touched the ball with his hand. jerry and his tem got a free hit.
Jerry passed the ball to his player. The player ran towards the goal and Jerry was on his right side. The player passed the ball to Jerry when the ball came in front of Jerry, he kicked the ball real hard to the goal. The goalkeeper tried to stop the ball but failed to save the goal. Half time was over and half time was left.
The score was 2:0. The sports sir whistled to the players to restart. The Liverpool’s striker kicked the ball which Tom missed and Liverpool got their first goal. Tom kicked the ball to his player. The player missed  and Liverpool was fast enough to kick the ball for another goal. The score was 2:2. The sports sir whistled as the time was up.
The sports sir then informed the players of a penalty stroke. The first turn was of ManU and Jerry came forward to kick the ball and it was a goal for Manchester United. It was now Liverpool’s turn for penalty stroke. Liverpool kicked the ball and sure enough, Liverpool got the goal. It was now MU’s turn and John came forward to kick the ball. John kicked the ball straight to the goal. Now it was Liverpool’s turn. A player kicked the ball to the goal which was promptly hel by Tom. It was now again MU’s turn. A player named Patrick came forward to kick the ball. He kicked the ball straight to the goal. Now Liverpool’s turn who kicked the ball hard but Tom comfortably held the ball and saved the goal. It was MU’s turn again. They got the goal once more. And on Liverpool’s turn Tom saved the goal again.
Manchester United was declared the winner by the sports sir. Tom and Jerry returned home to celebrate with some Delmonte juice and chips.

Note: Pics for this post have been downloaded from the net.

Tom and Jerry and The Challenge of the Cricket Match……By Arnaav Bellani (my yet to be 9 year old son)

 

One day, after the cricket period in the school, a boy teased Tom that he cannot play cricket at all. To this Tom told the boy back that “I challenge you to a “cricket match” on Sunday.”

On the following Sunday morning Tom and Jerry got up early and packed their lunch with the cricket kit to go to the cricket ground for the challenge. On the way they met Oswald the friendly octopus and his pet dog Winny.

Tom told the whole story to Oswald who told Tom that they would also like to join the cricket match. Oswald said that he and Winny love to play cricket.

So the whole team went to the cricket ground  finally they reached the cricket ground where they found the boy Patrick with his team ready to play the match.

The school boys came forward to facilitate Tom and Patrick select their teams.

After the selection of their team members Tom and Patrick went in for a toss. When the umpire flipped the coin Tom asked for Head and Patrick for Tail. The toss was won by Tom who elected to Bowl/field first.

Tom opened the bowling andhe was the right hand fast bowler. Tom bowled a Yorker to Patrick who missed the ball and John the wicket keeper caught the ball. Patrick’s team was at 0 for 0 after one over bowled by Tom.

Winny the dog was right hand medium paced. He bowled the ball medium paced to the batsman who drove the ball straight into the hands of Jerry. Jerry caught the ball and threw the ball in the air to celebrate the first wicket, the score was 0 for 1.

The second ball raced down Winny’s leg and Winny ran to stop but the ball went past to Oswald who dived to stop the ball. Oswald threw the ball to the wicket keeper John.

After Winny’s over Oswald patted Winny for his bowling.

The third over was bowled by Oswald. Oswald was a right-hand orthodox. His special delivery was Drifter. Oswald threw a drifter and Patrick was bowled. Patrick was shocked as he did not expect such a delivery from Oswald. Jerry and his team were very very happy. The score was 39 for the loss of 2 wickets.

The fifth over was bowled by Tom. Tom’s special delivery was toe crusher and a super seamer. Tom bowled a Toe crusher the batsman tried his best to sweep the ball but failed because Tom had bowled a very good Toe Crusher-the ball after hitting the batsman’s toe went into the wicket. This was the third wicket and the score was 45 for the loss of 3 wickets.

The seventh ove was bowled by Jerry. Jerry’s special delivery was a shooter and a Birdy. Jerry bowled a Birdy. The batsman thought the ball is on his left leg, he did not know that the ball was Birdy. He hit a sweep but after a while the ball suddenly swung into the middle wicket. this was the fall of the 4th wicket. Jerry and his team were very happy.

The score was 100 for the loss of 7 wickets before the last over.

Finally it was the last over. the last over was bowled by Jerry. he bowled a normal delivery but gave a very good off spin. The batsman came forward and hit the ball in the air. Oswald was at long on. winny was at staright long on, Both tried their best but clashed with each other throwing the ball up and the fielders down. Oswald quickly straightened himself to save the catch, whilst Winny went aside. The whole team celebrated the wicket. The score was 100 for the loss of 8 wickets.

Jerry bowled a special delivery called the “shooter”. the batsman came forward to bat the ball but missed it and was bowled. The score was 100 for the loss of 9 wickets. This was a hat-trick ball for Jerry who bowled a Birdy. The batsman tried a back shot but missed the ball. He tried to put the ball away with his leg but he threw the ball on to his stumps. Jerry got a hat-trick and everyone was happy. The target for Jerry’s team was 101.

Oswald and Jerry opened the innings with a target of 101. Jerry faced the ball which rose above him, Jerry jumped in the air and scooped the ball above the wicket keeper’s head for a six. Jerry faced the sceond ball which was very wide, the wicket keeper missed the ball and the ball went straight towards the boundary. The 3rd ball came upto Jerry’s height and Jerry swept the ball to the boundary for a six. At the end of the 1st over, the score was 20 for 0. The second over’s first ball was faced by Oswald which was a bumper. Oswald ducked and hit a six. The second ball was on the leg side and Oswald swept the ball for a six. The third ball was defensively played for 1 run. Jerry played the fifth ball and hit a six. Jerry played the sixth ball for a boundary. The score was 43 for 0.

Oswald was at the crease for the third over and was caught out at long on after 2 runs. Winny was the next batsman to join Jerry. Winny came forward and hit a six. Winny played the second ball defensively for 1 run. Jerry came forward to hit a six in the next ball. The score was 70 for the loss of 1 wicket. The next over was faced by Jerry, who came forward and swept the ball to a boundary making Jerry’s half-century. The next ball was a no ball and Jerry got a “free hit”. Jerry hit the next ball for a six. The next over was faced by Winny and the first ball was a yorker and Winny was bowled. Tom came in and faced the ball. Tom was bowled for a duck. The score was 80 for the loss of 3 wickets. The next batsman was John. Jerry faced the next over and hit a six in the first ball. Jery played the 2nd for a six making the score 92. The next ball was also pushed for a six making 98. The next ball was a hit for a boundary making a total of 102.

So the match was won by Tom and Jerry’s team! Hip hip Hurray!!