old friends

This wednesday I managed to talk to four of my old friends. I have been in touch with Ajay and Yogini off and on but I had totally lost touch with Madhumita and Shekhar. Actually I was suprised when Yogini told me that Shekhar was trying to get in touch with me ``Boss sey baat karni hai'' he had told Yogini and Ajay. Well, that statement brought back so many merry memories of the college days. It has been almost a decade since i hadnt talked to either Shekhar or Madhumita
Shekhar and Madhumita could be described as two totally contrasting personalities - at least they were during our college days
Shekhar - Chandrashekhar Godghate to be precise - was the `rogue' of the class. He would speak in baritone, stare shamelessly at girls and be generally rougish. Of course like it has been all the `characters', I had a pretty nice inter-personal touch with him. I am sure he sometimes tried a bit of flirting with me, though I dont remember him to be very obvious in his efforts. But when he finally called me up this Wedenesday (after I had kept a message for him), he certainly came out open flirting. May be the growing age gave him the needed confidence. He no less proposed me marriage (though he is happily (i guess) married and father of a four year old daughter) and if I was not inclined to that .. a serious affair .. haahahah. I told him that if I felt like I was sure to give him a ring :D But of course it was nice to talk to him and so casually, after so many years.
Now for Madhumita, I always had an idea she was in Mumbai and though I have visited Mumbai thrice in as many years I really did not make effort to get in touch with her. But the sauve, `girlish' girl from college days - one who had so many falling at her feet - raked my memories so often. On the phone she sounded as chirpy as she did ten years ago. She is a mother of 8-year-old boy now and a teacher and a well-settled mumbaite.We really were happy to be talking and promised to be in touch. Hope we keep up to the promise. We also decided that if it was possible, we would attend the golden jubilee of Department of Geology at Nagpur, so that at least some of us could get back in touch.
I really feel sorry for having lost touch with Atul Dhawne. He was my prime `Chela' in college and so dedicated to me. Strange are way's of life, I just know where he is placed, though I am sure he must be doing well. Hope I get back in touch with him too. Soon.

Hectic week and Nikki !

Last week has been hectic ! The editor, spurred on by the diktats of the new editor-in-chief had the beautiful idea of attending the morning meeting (uhh !) and though it hardly alters the pattern we follow at work, it certainly gave the days a more hectic shade. And damn these issues that have been going on and on .. why can't they find solutions to them so that I can sleep in peace.
But well the most disturbing factor that occured during the week was about Nikki - my gigantic baby-faced nephew. Why the hell should a perfectly healthy 21-year-old strapping young man get afflicted by something as rare as dangerous as the guillean barre syndrome. I was shocked to know he can't move his limbs and thank God though doctors say his case was detected early, it still leaves a very disturbing sense within self. Didi n jeejaji r no doubt worried mad about the health of their only son. He has come back home from hospital on Sunday and I am hopin he gets a quick recovery. I planned to visit mumbai to be with him, but seems its not urgently required, so may be i would space out my visit when its required.
I get along well with this young nephew of mine, who though in that very agressive age is somehow quite genial person around us. His relationship with me is nice. Perhaps cos I am the only unmarried among his uncles and aunts .. he finds me closer to him than others. Me and Nikki went to Goa year before last, just two of us and we had a freaking good time .. him pillion riding me across Goa in not so comfortable sun :)
Am sure we look forward to many more such good times !
Then there has been this depression creeping just on the edges of my being, threatening to set in with full glory. I am holding it off. There is again this feeling of being `unwanted' of `having to let go'. Damn! why do I get myself into such mental situations.
So coming full circle, I actually am thankful that my week remained hectic and that my editor-in-chief decided to call for pulling up of socks :D

U, my love!

U, My Love,
++++
Dew drops pure of the morning
Gentle salty breeze of the evening
U settled on me, U shivered through me
Transforming my entire being

Like hot erupting lava sometimes it bubbles
Like a nascent stream sometimes it gurgles
But love it is sure, as thru veins it travels
It halves my frowns, smiles it doubles

Up it soars like the sea vapour,
Great it feels like a desired favour,
Deep it reaches like the deepest thought
Sweetest as the taste we savour

Ur love makes me entire
Ur love transcends world
Ur love makes me whole
Ur love makes me pure

whither my `evening show' sleep ?

Suddenly, since last two weeks, I can't seem to complete my `evening show' sleeping session on Wednesdays - my well awaited weekly off. I have always been proud of my schedule of wednesdays .. mainly the fact that I manage to catch a huge nap between 6.00 pm and 9.00 pm. All my close frnds know about it and no one disturbs me in those hours. It's massive good feeling to sleep at time when u never really can even wink ur eyes on weekdays.
So ? what happened to my beauty(ful) sleep ? :-( last week I just couldn't get even a few minutes and today I had a curtailed version - 5.30 to 7.00. Although I keep in the bed with all the lights off and curtains drawn during the entire period, but well no ! sleep has been lost. I have been kinda waking up with a start, for no apparent reason and can't get back into dreamland. I hope i catch it back .. I don't want to give it up !!!

oroosa's achar!

Oroosa is a real good cook. The fact that she loves cooking is evident from the taste of her meals. Even the simplest of the stuff tastes great. She made nimbu ka achar few days ago. And her hubby Shams broke all records to get her a glass jar in which its supposed to be stored. She has been pretty worried about the fact that it tasted somewhat bitter. But I tasted the great looking stuff yesterday ! Oh well ! it tastes as good as it looks. Sure there is a tinge of bitterness inherent to any lemon dish and we agreed that may be a little sugar would help. But well, I - with my sensitive taste buds - can vouch without hesitation, that its a great achar. Garam daal chawal key saath ghazab dhayega .. ya methi key parathey ho toh kya baat hai ! Only wish more of you people were lucky enough to be so closely acquainted to a great cook like Oroosa!

rains .. a bit too much!!

I have always loved rains. No doubt about that. But this time around, after being a very close witness to the destruction it can unleash, rains have started troubling me a bit. When it starts raining heavily these days - which is often - I get somewhat unsettled. I woke up with a start early yesterday morning. It was pouring heavily. A sheet of white beyond my window. I immediately rushed out to check the slum locality besides my apartment. No ! it looked fine. People were slumbering peacefully in their dainty homes. But I couldn't go back to sleep until sometimes later, when the intensity of rains decreased. Actually it wasnt any big rain episode. But the events of the last fortnight, with the city witnessing massive flood situation thrice, has put in an inherent fear into people. It's not actually fear with me, just an unsettling feeling.
But of course I am sure I would keep loving rains always. The feel of it on my face, the smell of its first contact with earth, the look of the rainwashed greens. Only hope people take care enough not to let rains turn into insensitive killer. They should allow it to lash down, get partially absorbed and flow away. Let it rain... but let it get its own path in nature, so that it remains the provider that it is !

baras jaa badal ...dil khol key baras jaa..
par aisey baras .. key tan man mein bas jaa ....!!

back... n roopmati !

Lol ! back again. dunno may be just temporarily. no consistence at all. like always been totally engrossed in frivolities of life. but like always don't regret !
Actually looked into radica's and oroosa's blogs today. they r the only girl friends i have in bhopal. rather they r among the few girl friends i have anywhere. feels nice to know they have decided to find space for their thoughts. wish them best on blogging and of course hope they r not anywhere as inconsistent as me.
my friend the great blogger keeps on berating me for my inconsistency. he is right... i mostly burn out my energy in totally inproductive act on net - chatting ! but well ! it has its own attraction .. what to do .. i am hooked :D

achcha .. heard recently that they have tried to recreate the magic of roopmati mahal in mandu by setting up a telescope through which narmada river is visible. well ... viewing of narmada was the main reason why baaz bahadur created the roopmati pavillion atop the roopmati mahal. roopmati was said to be not having food without taking `darshan' of the narmada. but in recent times, the narmada was not visible from the roopmati pavillion. i missed the view when i went their 3 years ago ... have been planning to go again since many months now .. on official mission of course. .but somehow its not happening . hope i go soon and am able to see the narmada. well that missing narmada had prompted a poem out of me .. its a pretty short one .. probably readable. :)


Mumtaz and Roopmati


As the cold marble kissed my feet
Trying to gather all my warmth,
I felt her sitting beside me
Ruby lips smiling, doe eyes pleading,
Was she a prisoner in monument of love?

When the brazen wind got entangled in my curls
Fighting a losing battle of freedom
I felt her standing beside me
Apparel flapping, vacant eyes searching,
Had she lost the river, her first love?

The bull-y encounter!

Here I am again. I took that inexcusable break. I just stop sometimes. Don't know why and how. But the flow just stops. Anyway.

Today I was in the market in the evening. I had taken along my two wheeler. I still find it easier to roam around on the two-wheels, mainly because of the ease of parking and of course the ease in meandering through the peak hour traffic.
So I had to go to this medicine store and I parked the vehicle just near the row of the shops in the main market, but by the road. I noticed this huge, really huge and imposing bull standing some feet away. As I moved away from the vehicle I had this funny feeling that may be the bull would knock my dainty vehicle down !
Well, when i returned about 3 mins later, there the bull was, leisurely rubbing his neck against of the edges of the front of my vehicle. Uhh ! I slowly and cautiously approached the vehicle and managed to look the bull into the eyes, hoping he would understand that it was my vehicle and I needed to retrieve it. He looked at me intently but surely showed no signs of moving away. Rather he started licking the handle of my scooty .. ughh.. I could see the saliva glistening.
Now I tried talking to him ``hat jaao yaar .. mujhey gaadi nikalni hai'' (move away man, I want to take the vehicle out)'' I said. I implored at least thrice, very gently. But what I got was a pulled back mouth flap and a huge expulsion of breath, which was enough to warn me to move away. I started pacing some distance away, looking imploringly at him, hoping he would fall out of love with the dainty white machine. But it was not to be.
Finally some autorickshaw drivers from across the street noticed my dilemma. ``Madam apki gaadi hai kya'' (Is it your vehicle Madam) one of them asked and crossed the streets towards us. ``Rukiye main hatata hun'' (Wait, I would move him away) he said. Then he went to the bull n vehicle and shooed at him. After lookin at the man for a while, this was quite well built, the bull probably realised it would be better not to confront and moved away a bit. The autorickhaw man managed to pull my vehicle out from below his nose and I heaved a sigh of relief.
The other auto wallah then told me ... ``Madam isey safed aur khaki bahut pasand hai.. policewalon aur safed gariyon key paas khada ho jata hai aur hilta hi nahi .. pata nahi aapki gaadi itni jaldi kaise chhor di'' (He loves khaki and white and normally stands near the police wallahs and the white vehicles and doesnt move away easily. Don't know how he left your vehicle alone so soon)... I told him it was not voluntary, but through intervention of his friend (the other autowallah).. We both laughed before I moved away with a last look at the bull. He was staring at my vehicle longingly. I pushed the accelerator further.