band baaja...

today 10 am...
loud music...
theres a wedding in the next building...
a band of musicians playing...

jag saara jag saara nigad gaya..... (jab we met)

i run to the window... its fun watching the band play...

my eyes rove around the scene...
no ones dancing...
people are moving at their own pace... going to work... going to the bank... moving to the bus stop...

suddenly my eyes hold on to a window at a computer education centre on the opposite side of the road...

theres a guy at the window... can't actually see his face... but he's swaying to the music... not swaying... dancing... right at the window...

and i smile... theres someone who has time to do what he wants.. at his own pace... how many of us do that?

at 10.00 am on a working day?!

dubai masti...

other pics will follow... ciaooo..

pimple breakout... ouch!

mount abu trip

ek behen paanch bhai... (one sis 5 bros)

next generation same issue... 1 sis 4 bros!

classy me... with the kings pic in the background

mirror at the palace hotel where we were put up..

the conference room at the hotel...

princess messy at the fireplace??? .... naah :p


aatish... thats my bro... (as khadus as he looks).. but thats the way i love him... hugsss...

thats prisha again...

a few pics of prisha... everyone says i used to look the same when i was a kid... cute wasn't i?

next... pics of my trip to mt. abu...

off blogging

its been very busy these last few weeks... and is going to be worse the coming days... i wont be blogging anymore... atleast not for a few months... thank you everyone for your support and love... will keep commenting as and when i can... till then.. laterzzzz

will miss you all...

z00nie and pizza hut

Thats me and mala....




abhi, mala (tring tring... who's on phone?) and me...

naturally curly...

lunch 'break'

so it was sunday... my maid was on a holiday... my family members were out for the day... a perfect setting for a nice time to relax with my husband... so heres what i cooked that day... theres salad, paneer bhurji, soup, corn - paneer parathas, monaco munchings with cheese and toppings, cucumber raita, juice and jeera rice...




finished cooking till 1...
waited till 2...
had my lunch alone at 2.30....
he came home at 3....
i was angry....
wasnt his fault though...
something urgent had come up...
but i was still pissed....
i decided never to plan a meal like this again!!!!

things never do happen as we plan them... right?

lothal

since i was a kid i have loved visiting historical sites... i have loved my visits to the taj mahal and the ancient city of emperor akbar called fatehpur sikri and the red fort and many more such places... this love started when i was in my 5th grade... every summer out school would plan a trip to a historical or geographical place of importance... and my dad would insist that i go for all of them...

so a month back when i went to gujarat i jumped at the opportunity to visit this old historical site called lothal... and i didnt regret the visit (even though 2 days earlier i was lying sick in the hospital)... for the first time i was in gujarat during the monsoons... and i never knew that my land could be so beautiful.. because in the other seasons it is always brown and has a barren look... this time it was green... as if someone had strewn the land with emerald diamonds... and the soft rains made it look even more beautiful...

heres there history of lothal from wikipedia...

Lothal was one of the most prominent cities of the ancient Indus valley civilization. Located in the modern state of Gujarāt and dating from 2400 BCE, it is one of India's most important archaeological site that dates from that era. Discovered in 1954, Lothal was excavated from February 13, 1955 to May 19, 1960 by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Lothal's dock—the world's earliest—connected the city to an ancient course of the Sabarmati river on the trade route between Harappan cities in Sindh and the peninsula of Saurashtra when the surrounding Kutch desert of today was a part of the Arabian Sea. It was a vital and thriving trade centre in ancient times, with its trade of beads, gems and valuable ornaments reaching the far corners of West Asia and Africa. Lothal's people were responsible for the earliest-known portrayals of realism in art and sculpture, telling some of the most well-known fables of today. Its scientists used a shell compass and divided the horizon and sky into 8–12 whole parts, possibly pioneering the study of stars and advanced navigation—2000 years before the Greeks. The techniques and tools they pioneered for bead-making and in metallurgy have stood the test of time for over 4000 years.
Lothal is situated near the village of Saragwala in the Dholka taluka of Ahmedabad district. It is at a distance of six kilometres (south-east) from the Lothal-Bhurkhi railway station on the Ahmedabad-Bhavnagar railway line. It is also connected by all-weather roads to the cities of Ahmedabad (85 km/53 mi), Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Dholka. Nearest cities are Dholka and Bagodara. Resuming excavation in 1961, archaeologists unearthed trenches sunk on the northern, eastern and western flanks of the mound, bringing to light the inlet channels and nullah ("ravine", or "gully") connecting the dock with the river. The findings consist of a mound, a township, a marketplace and the dock. Adjacent to the excavated areas stands the Archaeological Museum, where some of the most prominent collections of Indus-era antiquities in modern India are displayed.

more information here

the minute i stepped onto the site it felt like i was thrown in another era... as if i was looking at how they lived some 5000 years ago... imagine what you would feel when you step onto some place where you know that people have walked and lived at the same place so many many years back...

and the best part was that i found so many artefacts still buried under the top soil.. since the rains had eroded the top soil the artefacts were lying right on the feet, for us to pick and look at... (the museum there didnt allow us to click pictures).. therefore i was excited to get you some pictures of the artefacts... (i actually held them in my hands... it was so thrilling!)

the place where the ship were docked 5000 years back... the worlds earliest dock...

workplace.. maybe where the beads were made...

a pot.. maybe it was used to fill up fresh drinking water...

a water canal...



workplace again...

parts of jars and pots i found there... (the one with holes is a part of a big vase kind of a jar... a similar one was put up at the museum there)

a shell... terra cotta pieces of bangles... and a toy (the big white thing)...

next place i would like to visit is dholavira, which is in kutch - gujarat... another ancient site of the indus valley civilization and estimated to be older than lothal too...

laterzzz all... hope you like the pictures...

the bizarre guys birthday

(the scary z00nie with me)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Z00NIE...

its been 2 years since i know u... and the memories are carved in my mind forever...

from the birthday cake 2 years back...
to the dominoes and pizza hut pizzaz...
from ur dirty (make that yuckky too) woodland shoes...
to out earliest club called the 000nies...
from our fights to be the first one to comment (on your blog)...
to being proud of screaming our lungs out (whenever all of us met)...
from the way we celebrated your birthday last year (again)...
to the (awful) way the guys at pizza hut sang for u...
from the way id try to make u get me rochers...
to the way i saw u eat pizzas...

(the seedha z00nie with me again... err dont be misled)

on the day we went for puneets wedding...
and the day u came back to mumbai last year...
from the day we met mala at mcdonalds...
to the day we had that crazy photo session at mochas...

i remember it all z00nie...
thanx for being such a lovely friend... and be back soon... we are all missing u...

(and the GANG! with z00nie trying to get his head chopped out of the pic)


HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN....

the wedding

the bride and the groom....

my mehendi....

dressed for one of the pre-wedding puja...

at the bunglow where we were put up... the day before i got sick and was hospitalized for food poisoning... (im fine now... but had a bad time for 2 days)...

went to an old harappan site called lothal... will put up those pics next...

laterzzz

Vote for Taj - times up!

i was on a bike with my husband yesterday when i caught this pic... check it out... i know the times up for voting but these guys caught my eye...

and the latest amul ad caught at the same time... enjoy...

then and now....

the only daughter of my family 31 years back... (thats me)...

the daughter of my family 31 years hence...

my family has a history of only boys... i am the oldest among my cousins... after i was born to my parents there were 5 other boys born in my family... in the generation after us too there are 3 more boys born, before this sweetheart was born 2 days back... my family has been eagerly waiting for a baby girl since years now... n now that shes here i can imagine how much she is going to be loved (just like i am loved by all my brothers)...

welcome home girl... my 100th post dedicated to u... hugssssss and kisses....

my oldest memory

it has been long since i was tagged... and this ones intriguing... when i sat about thinking what was my oldest memory so many other memories from the nook and corner of my mind came about playing catch with each other... but one of them just struck as my oldest memory... its really nothing much but i still remember what i felt at that time...

i was real small then... say 4 years old... i was a cute plump kid... with large eyes and uneven teeth... (today im not cute... im a lil fat... i still have large eyes and uneven teeth!)... it was evening and my granpa offered to take my bro and me to the gateway of india... both of us were very excited to go somewhere nice... i distinctly remember my mom dressing me up then... she had got me a new outfit and i so wanted to wear it... i remember it was red in color... shorts and a tee shirt... blood red... mom said i looked pretty while my bro looked at me disdainly saying i looked fat!... we reached gateway and were running about in the garden when my granpa called us to watch the monkeys there... they were performing tricks and the monkey man was playing some kind of music... we were so happy then... clapping our hands... jumping in sheer delight... holding each others hands and laughing loudly... !!!

thats all i remember... nostalgia :)))... now im missing my granpa...

mom n me at matheran

mamma's baby :)

temptation!

caught this picture somewhere and couldn't resist posting it...

the woods (mala - by invitation)

It was a balmy afternoon. They had walked into the woods, into the abode of silence. But for the occasional sounds of insects and birds that broke the sound of the breeze.

When in Rome, do as Romans do – and so they did too. In the house of silence, they were silent. The only sound that escaped them was the sound of dry leaves crushing beneath their feet. And the times when they breathed heavy owing to the uphill climb to reach the woods.

She loved the woods, and she suspected he did too. They had walked in together, hand in hand. With huge rocks on one side and a steep fall on the other, they walked. They walked on the loose, red soil that had started to dirty their shoes and the fold of their gray jeans. They walked on the path, not many had taken.

The grove ahead promised something they had not experienced before. She threw back her head and let the sunlight that filtered through the tall trees kiss her face. The woods got denser, and they found themselves admiring the wild flowers that looked colorful even in the dull surrounding, the fresh-as-dew, maroon baby leaf that waited to turn green and mature, and the faraway mountain that was engulfed in a film of mist.

She wanted to take a photo of him, walking. He obliged. As he strode ahead, he turned back to see if the distance between them was enough to make a good photo.

Standing a hundred yards away from each other, they did not take their eyes off each other for the next three seconds or so. Three seconds were enough for her to realize what he meant to her, and how special he was. And her heart skipped a beat. She secretly hoped they would somehow get lost in the woods. And that this moment would last forever.

His eyes said he hoped for the same.

No photo would look good with them so far apart.

And so he walked towards her. And went down on one knee. As he opened his mouth to speak the first words in a long time, she knew her life is about to change.

(thank you mala... a very beautiful post... i guess u knew it would remind me of matheran)

soul gatherings - senses of her soul

(part 2 of soul gatherings... matheran)

this time i don't move out... this time i am within her... just concentrating on her... her senses... her perceptions... but i realize thats not possible... i feel the vibes of people around her... i feel the aura of things around her... she isn't bothered... she is too busy riding... too busy loving the feeling of it to think about others... busy to such an extent that she doesn't realize the pain she is going through... (the swollen fingers and a deep wound on her ankle where the saddle kept hurting her)... that is the time i take over... i feel things for her that she doesn't comprehend... i take over her consciousness...




sound... i dont like loud sounds... i like soft music... i like the swishing of the flowers more than the howl of the wind... but today it is different... shes galloping... there is no sound in the woods other than that of the two horses cantering to nowhere... or maybe somewhere... i don't bother where... and then i hear the sound... a loud sound... which i generally don't like... but as i said... today is different... it is the sound of the wind in her ears... so loud... so deafening... so blatantly ear-splitting... but still musical... so very symphonic... in harmony with the galloping of her horse and her body... it feels like an orchestra playing... is it the philharmonic playing???

sight... all she sees is the riding track... the horse... the saddle... and nothing else... she doesn't see the animals scurrying away from the galloping beasts... i see them... she doesn't notice the look of awe on the face of other riders... i notice it... she doesn't survey the woods and the valleys around her... i survey them... she doesn't visualize herself on her horse... speeding to nowhere... i do it... i see her clearly... like the way you watch a ballet dancer performing... is she swaying to the music?? the philharmonic??

taste... what do i taste here?... the wind in her mouth... she has this inane habit of parting her lips when she is riding... ofcourse she doesnt realize it... its not made up... but i notice it... as i feel the taste of wind in her mouth... cool... refreshing... tempting... and then there is this other taste... mud... the red earth blowing freely... clean earth... delectable earth... tasty earth... the taste remains in her mouth forever...




smell... i smell the balmy wind... i smell the pure clean air... i smell the naturally aromatic mud... i smell the acidic odor of the horses... the sour whiff of her perspiration... i breathe in the aroma of freshly fallen leaves... she doesn't heed them... i take them with me to bring them back to her when she is not there anymore... it will stay with her forever...

touch... i feel her touching the wind... or rather the other way round... the wind blowing on her face... the enticing touch... the feel of the saddle where her thighs touch it... the feel of the stirrups under her feet... as she rides ahead unheeded... the caress of her hair blowing wildly... and the contractions and expansions of her horses muscles... the feeling that was long forgotten... the feeling that had come back... the feeling that will never be lost again... the touch to be savoured all her life... by me.. her substance... her essence... her soul...

i am happy today

how do i feel when i have loved someone for years and he says he hates me?... i feel happy

how do i feel when i have loved someone for years and he doesn't trust me?... i feel happy

how do i feel when i have loved someone for years and he doesn't believe a word i say?... i feel happy

how do i feel when i have loved someone for years and he says i have hurt him?... i feel happy

how do i feel when i have loved someone for years and he says i am a liar?... i feel happy

i am so happy today that i want to die... die happily...

matheran revisited

matheran is a place I know since I was a kid… my dad loved it and in turn I came to love it… every year during my school vacations we would take a trip to this beautiful hill station… we would enjoy the toy train ride from the base (neral) to the top of the hill station… the 2.5 hrs ride would be intermingled with games of cards and chess, listening to music and playing antakshari with other kids we didn’t know… our favourite place to stay was the Regal Hotel… one of the finest at that time… not really the 5 star category (thankfully till date there are no 5 star hotels there), but it was a nice place to have a relaxing weekend… we generally took the trip in the first week of june… the onset of monsoons in maharashtra… the red mud, the monsoon rains, no vehicles, the hordes of monkeys, the horse rides and the chikki… these are some of the things I can never forget…

(matheran is famous for its no vehicle law… vehicles are banned on this hill station… they are allowed only as far as dasturi which is 45 mins walking distance from main matheran… the only automobile allowed is the toy train… internally people just walk, ride or hire the hand drawn rickshaws to go to places… not even locals are allowed to use vehicles in there… and this is the charm of this place… the only hill station in India or maybe the world to have such a law)

when I was in college, I was part of the hiking club… and invariably, every year we all would end up hiking to matheran… end of june and about a hundred teenagers trudging up the road to matheran (it was more like a picnic… we would just walk up the road to dasturi in the name of hiking :p)… rain drenching us to the core… joking… laughing… dancing in the rains… fooling around… eyeing the hunks… looking longingly at the couples walking hand in hand, wondering if we will ever do the same thing with someone we loved!… our legs groaning for mercy… bags dripping with the rain water along with all its contents (sometimes it would rain so much!)… and in about 3 hours we would reach the main market… it was always a 1 day trip, so we never checked into a hotel… all of us would gather in the market place and play games (during july - august it rains heavily, the hotels are shut down and the place is practically empty)… as the day would pass the rowdier we would get… I bet matheran has not seen a more rowdy crowd till date! … in the evening we would hike back to dasturi (the train does not work during the monsoons) and hire a cab to take us back to the station… a day in matheran, well spent…

my best friend Tasneem loved matheran too… I know her since my school days when we were partners in the IV Grade… we got admitted in the same college to be together… we were always together for our hiking trips from college… her uncle owned a bungalow in matheran… one summer we decided to go there… her cousins were joining in too… I remember the weekend well… 2 of her cousins were expert riders… everyday we would go for long horse rides around matheran… to places not many visitors know… riding in the woods… wind in the hair… enjoying every second of the ride! … they taught me to ride that summer (I am not an expert rider… but I can ride relatively well)… I remember this weekend as my ‘riding weekend’… Saturday night we decided to start a bon fire… at noon we tried gathering some wood… but the only kind of wood we could get hold of was the thin bamboo kind which never caught fire… all night instead of enjoying ourselves we were busy trying to get the wood to burn… and it never did… Tasneem and myself got talking till late night… we talked of matheran, our life, our dreams, our past, our crushes and also about wine… I distinctly remember telling her that one day I wanted to taste red wine… and she laughed at me saying I never would, as we didn’t drink… one of her cousin’s friend had some wine and he offered us some of it… I told him to get lost and not to listen to our private talks… he ran away and we burst out laughing as he had a major crush on Tasneem…

tomorrow I am going to matheran after 8-9 years… I am going to relive all my remembrances as I take long walks there… or as I go riding there… I don’t think it must have changed much… at least I hope not… will get back with pictures and my experiences this time round… till then hugsss… and I will miss all of you there…

bye n laterzzz…

ps : the invitation posts will be put up in a few days time... after my next post.. till then keep writing... hugsss