sleep

with abandon they sleep
after a days' labour
of searching for food and shelter
of searching for family

@ a relief camp in supaul district, bihar.

enroute patna (from supaul....)

the village was one among many which was flooded not directly by the swollen kosi but by incessant rains trapped in faulty infrastructure.
this is a yearly feature though this year it is worse because of rivers on the rise everywhere.

a lazy saturday

chai

friends

jhula

and fresh air

what more can one want?

(music, chicken included)

in the high

i am swirling
i am there
it is the space
it is the time

want to stay in this cloud
want to fly
in the high

no food for soul

this online music site has made me waste time. made me upload download whatever 15 artists then upload download whatever 45 songs then it does not play.
it is not fair. i am a simple small town woman. this should've been simple. all i wanted was to listen to music.

@ A Happy Sunday

Regret, redefined:
Sanity realised when the damage is done

Realisation, redefined:
When the ego takes a back seat and misplaced pride is accepted

Stupidity, redefined:
When you don’t know how to go back when you have realised the right path

Loss, redefined:
When you don’t want to go back when you have realised the right path

Giving, redefined:
When you can surrender without losing yourself

Gift, redefined:
When you can give it to someone because you like it so much for yourself

Joy, redefined:
When you feel a tangible lift of something within you even when your life is not as you would have wanted it to be

Maturity, redefined:
When you can separate the good and the bad; build upon the good, understand the bad and work to make it good

Impulse, redefined:
When you would not act upon something in the light of the day

A good idea redefined:
When it would seem good, be it night or day

Imagination, redefined:
When you see things because you want them to be

Obsession, redefined:
When you start believing that your misplaced imagination is the reality

Faith, redefined:
When you know that even if the present is tough, good things are bound to happen to you

Avarice, redefined:
When you don’t know when to stop

Liking redefined:
When you can accept the negatives, yet feel great fondness and the wish to stay on

Love, redefined:
When giving does not depend on getting

Beer, redefined:


:)

the jodhpur-noamundi connection

@ Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur.

I had similar clay dolls, bought at a Durga Puja fair (way back)
I had christened them as Mr. and Mrs. Dutta.

Mrs. Dutta was voluptuous in a green saree and red blouse
and wore a big red bindi
Mr. Dutta wore white dhoti-kurta and carried a black umbrella
What better name than Mr. and Mrs. Dutta, right?

They were quite famous with my kid-neighbour
The kid would love to shake their spring-heads
Jing-jing-jing
Up and down….
He would make Mr. Dutta look down
And Mrs. Dutta, head up, as if she was commanding Mr. Dutta, “To-bey Thaak…”

One day Gopal- the kid, came running to our house
asking to play with Mr. and Mrs. Dutta
Mr. and Mrs. Dutta, the real ones (who were Dad’s friends) had come visiting us that evening,
Needless to say, they did not look too amused

Nevertheless they said….. “yeh bachey…”.

The real Mrs. Dutta was actually really good
She would make out-of-the-world dal-luchi
(back then, Durga Pujas used to be quite a treat)

The real Mr. and Mrs. Dutta had a parrot called Polly.
Polly would screech himself shrill….. “P-A-U-L-L-L-E-E…tumor naam ki”
“P-A-U-L-L-L-E-E…tumor naam ki”
“P-A-U-L-L-L-E-E…tumor naam ki”
“P-A-U-L-L-L-E-E…tumor naam ki”

Could and Would anyone be able to resist pulling his long tail?

I should have introduced Gopal-the–kid to Polly
He would have made P-A-U-L-L-L-E-E’s head go jing-jing-jing….
Up and down…

:)

Dil ki choton ne kabhi
Chai-n se rahne na diya....
Jab chali sard hawa
Maine tujhe yaad kiya…
Iska rona nahin
Kyon tune kiya dil barbad…
Iska gham hai
Ki bade dair mein barbad kiya....

Wah-wah-wah-wah
Am going to listen to The Maestro himself. Am so excited.

cont…..
Humko kiske gham ne maara
Humko kiske gham ne maara
Ye kahaani
Phir sahi
Kisne toda dil hamaara
Kisne toda dil hamaara
Ye kahani, phir sahi

Wah Wah…again!

shoe-flowers @ quarter # 6

i ve always wanted to have an unruly bush of shoe-flowers by my gate.

red-pink-white...

single layered-double layered...all types of shoe-flower

like the ones i had at quarter # 6, noamundi (jharkhand)...

we were in that township for 3 years. this old house beside the forest, was called quarter no. 6.

quarter # 6 where ...

i had my 1st malaria (and many others followed, till we moved from that house) there..

i learnt (to my embarrasment) that bhindi (okra) should not be washed after cutting...

i learnt that being differently-abled does not rob a person from enjoying life

i learnt that the said man could effortlessly drink tea with his toes..

and would not be embarrased at being stared upon

i discovered that guavas taste the best when stolen from neighbours' gardens

i learnt that hiding quinine inside your mouth will only make you throw up

i learnt that aches and pains proclaim themselves only in the night

i learnt that mothers do not believe you when you writhe of stomach ache in the morning

i learnt that hiding behind the big oak, waiting for the school bus to leave..

would only make 'bansi' the driver, honk the blue bus with red seats, till mother would come out

i learnt that there was no need for a net between compounds for a badminton match

i learnt that triple riding on your hero-cycle, with little children of the neighbourbood would always, not be safe

i learnt that the mother cat of your one-day old adopted kitten can eat up your pet guinea pigs

i learnt that crying as you bury them will not rid you of the guilt

i learnt that calling out for your pet puppy 'timmy', with dad's boss 'jimmy' around, was actually funny

i learnt that brother's friends will treat you as a kid even if you suddenly turn coquettish

i learnt that your 1st crush may not appreciate it if you name him after your handsome dog 'buzzo'

i learnt that shifting from quarter # 6 to quarter # 15 had more of "i learnt's"...

i also learnt that i shall forever want those pink-red-white shoe-flowers around my compound and by my gate..

single-layered, double-layered...all kinds

:)

jia's pink frock

i made this tiny frock from a tiny piece of flannel for my niece jia. for 5-day old jia (Dec. '07). i took ages to stitch it and poked my finger more times than through the pink flannel. And touched and glossed over it more times than it was actually worn.

Bela

@ some village road beyond Khandala. (Here: Urmila and I).

This picture reminds me of Bela and Bahadur (God knows why). Bela of Indrajal Comics. Girlfriend of Bahadur. I remember liking Bahadur because he did not appear to be the type of man who would say or even think "Me Tarzan...You Jane"...


And Bela rode a bullet (if I remember correctly). Skilled in martial arts, she lay flat the dacoits and robbers. Tall, svelte and beautiful, she worked hand in hand with Bahadur to rid Jaigarh (I think) of its nefarious elements. In bell-bottoms and fitting tops (mostly green, I think), she did not need to wear high heels or show cleavage in order to look smart.

(I dunno how reading about her would feel now)

A picture of Bela copy pasted from someone's blog


(http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2005/07/comic-24-bahadur-dictates-of-destiny.html)

another time another place

I can feel the warmth of the rock on my back
The coolness of water on my feet

I look down to see the river bed rise up in brown cloud
While silver fishes tickle my toes

I can feel each pebble poke my feet
And I see my shadow disappear

my calender and i

the highlights are mute
my pages dry
i dont dwell
yet pause from time to time

I look at the pink
and the green
at those marked dates that dont mock me
but show the plans undone

i pick it up often and run my fingers over
put it back yet again
and carry on

the malshej weekend, july 6, '08

the banyan
Originally uploaded by Reena Tete

@ ganga nature camp

Rishikesh. The much awaited trip finally re-happened.

Between jobs, me and 4 other friends finally packed off for rishikesh. This trip, unlike many others was not improptu. Infact Disha and I did a lot of searches and finally selected ganga nature camp over aquaterra for obvious reasons. (and to my shame, I also prepared a format for comparison between the shortlisted choices). Aweful. But thankfully, I was true to my basic procrastinatory self, so nothing really came out of the excel sheets.

Let me redo the trip through a fototrip...

@ Suncity Bus Service from CP (N. Delhi) to Rishikesh. 9350918952.

(Beware of the bus owner. He can be very illogical).

With Lipika, the cute algae

@ Laxman jhula, 6:30 or so after chai n a cold ride in the dark to this bridge (where a homey pigeon walked the entire stretch of the bridge infront of us. Gues, pigs fly, so pigeons walk).

@ Ganga Nature Camp, Between Rishikesh & Shivpuri. 09412050478. (Rajeev).

No, swimming is not allowed. Not seedha. Nor Ulta.

The camp is very basic (read sand pit toilets). The food served is good, esp. the roasted mixed veg.

.......afternoon fillers... a baby trek to some waterfall, a dip in absoLUTEly chilled pool by the same waterfall, rappeling by the roadside 'tall-rock' (what else could it be called?)

Dumb Charade sessions, if you can come up with innovative n original names like...(i) lomdi ko ho gaya pyaar (ii) tahkhaane mei chudail

Recommended:

Include in your team someone like Lipika who can come up with the wierdest of ching chong names.

Our Lipika obviously took ages to decide.
She would look up to the movie-Gods for inspiration.. again take ages to decide.

Finally when she would manage to whisper to Disha, both would again take ages to laugh about it. Reconfirm yet again and laugh some more.

Her love for ching chong movies is so gr8 that Disha had to enact Once upon a time in 'China'. (Oh! to have heard Antonio Banderas speak with a chinese hangover). One also has to enact part I - IV as well to the names Lipika comes up with.

We did a lot of posing as well.

All of Us

Junta was on the move, while we waited our turn
Quite a traffic that weekend

Some would shout

Hey babby wo babby

Hey babby WO

So after some dunkings

and some more

We too hailed Jai Bharat and the ride started

Day 1 was just about 12-13 kms

Day 2 was about 27 kms.

Day 2 had some great rides with gr8 names (now i just remember 3 blind mice).

Remo, the funny instructor would come up with funnier annotations for the rapid-namesakes.

He was equally inovative in funny games like making us balance at the head of the raft.

Left-Forward...Right-Back...Left-Forward...Right-Back, he would shout the command. And Dunk would go our balancing act. If only we could capture the concentrated expressions with which we had been trying to balance. The best one being just before either jumping onto the raft or falling into the river.

...Disha and me

.......Mohit and Lipika

But The BEST among Remo's antics was

DISHA in her HOT SEAT.

Here goes...

Remo the funny man takes us to this rock by the bank. Makes Disha climb up and sit on the seat like formation cut out at the face of the rock. Mohit helps her and he jumps back immediately, and all of us back-paddled...instantly at Remo the funny man's command of BAAACK PAAADDLE.

Here she is...

Disha was astounded. Then she laughed. Then was irritated.

We ofcors, could not stop laughing.

Then she screamed.....Ok guys .... enough!!!! come back....

GUYYYSSSS!!!

mat aaaooo...mero ko kya hai....
GUYYYSSSSS!!!!

Well we did take our time to return.

We also sang saathi haath badhaana... while we helped her down
Some more foto sessions....

Kriti, the babe
Lipika, the joker

Some Cliff Jumps

Thats Mohit

Thats Me

My 1st jump was at a slant and how I ached :)

But the 2nd was perfect. I loved it.

(It was much higher than as seen in this foto ofcors. This clarification is since Mohit and I bragged so much about the thrill of the jump).


Back in camp. Our home for two nights n three days...

Lovely dark night. The sound of rushing Ganga and chilly air, a heady combination

Back into our 10/- raincoats bought at Ram jhula

and back to Delhi.

and back to Mumbai.
and back to Work.