Pinku-Enchanted Life

This is my wishlist. Do share yours too!!! Have a brilliant year ahead and may peace reign on earth!!!

All this while we thought of ourselves as sorry people who didn’t have enough friends who cared for us enough to want to meet up. We just got to know how popular we are (and are still reeling under the effect of the revelation.) Here, let me sketch the scenario for you: Last Saturday we hosted a party for friends. We had about twenty five people come after inviting roughly thirty so we are counting it as a great turn out keeping in mind the God forsaken corner of the city we reside in. It was supposed to be a barbeque party……the party did happen however the barbeque refused to light properly inspite of the fact (or was it because of) that nearly everyone present had a go at it. Anyways thanks to helpful hands we managed to salvage the situation and everyone said they had a good time (but then do they ever say otherwise) apart from a few who came too late and departed too early. Here is a pic of the flowers they brought us. Aren't they pretty? So net net we had a happy Saturday….fol...

It must be the season I keep getting awards. This one is from Indian Home maker and I think it says it all.....thanks IHM. This is from Iya ...... This one from Mampi (and also Nimmy infact she gave it before Mampi I somehow missed receiving it.) This is from Mithe... I am honoured guys....thanks for remembering me on your blogs. I feel guilty if I pass on the award to only a few. So all of you whose blog I frequent please know that these and more awards are coming your way from me. And then wouldn't you all agree that a regular reader is the biggest award of all? Well thats what I try to be on your blogs.... so there :)

My mom and her cousin and his wife just went on a trip to Bombay and Goa. (yes, Bombay thats how they think of it inspite of all the hype about Mumbai). We joked that they are too old to enjoy those places and they are meant for the young and adventurous. The mocking continued till I saw the pictures. Then I stopped. (Mom on the mini rail near elephanta Caves) (Mom and Mammi on Ferry) (Mom collecting sea shells on Juhu beach) Mom seems to have had more fun than me :( Am sharing some here for you guys...just so you know that age is completetly in the head and my mom refuses to step over 40 whatever it takes. Am hoping she stays that way. (Mom and Co. dancing away at Goa)

Is this where it all started? This murder of brother by brother? This raping of the Motherland? We were fooled then, are we going to continue doing so for ever? Will we never learn any lessons? (Please read the english text on the image to understand where I am coming from. Frankly I have'nt verified the authenticity of this statement but I can't help believing that this or something similar was planned to bring my golden country down to its knees. )

The Taj Heritage building has been destroyed. The landmark which was as much talked about as perhaps the Gateway of India, is badly burnt and it will take months perhaps more to recover its glory. The Taj management promises to rebuild it brick for brick. In the meantime, can we ensure please that those bastards dont get to ever touch a single brick or life in this country again. I am upset and I am crying. For my country, for my countrymen and for the sad state we have brought ourselves to. My humble request is: Please lets be strong for each other and reach out a hand to all those who need it. AND PLEASE lets remember that those terrorists when they fired, fired blindly killing everyone in the line of fire be they be sikh, muslim, hindu, buddhist or atheist. Dont let anyone turn this into a debate about religion. Those guys who did this have none. Lets ensure the guilty are punished with the most exemplary punishment possible for this dastardly act and every such act that this count...

Its Tuesday again…our day for catching a French film at the Alliance Francaise, Delhi. Truth be told at times am not so enthusiastic about going. A list of chores to be handled beckons and I feel going homewards to tackle them or to just put up my feet somewhere and relax with a cup of coffee is a much better alternative. But those feeling vanish within the first five minutes of the film and am all eyes (I can’t understand French so rely on the subtitles for following the film). Each film I have seen is etched in my mind and inspite of almost a year’s regular film watching no two films seem the same nor do the storylines borrow from each other. Mention French films and what you hear are comments like these - ‘noir’, ‘sensual’, ‘too much skin show’ and ‘too arty’. And of course the snide side comments that ‘they are just trying to be oh-so-intellectual’ (this is said in regards to the audience). It’s all so very true including the part about us trying to be intellectual (but then we are...

the nip in the air, the days growing short the cuddles more urgent the kisses more frequent the fragrance of harshingar the urges for a cup of coffee the crawling into the other’s grooves the slipping of a hand into the shirt the open air dining in the chill the hot kebabs and shawarmas the happiness of being together the return of memories pleasant the appearance of the favourite razai the early morning fog the endless cups of steaming tea the breathe which steams as it streams Know what it means? Winter is here!!!

Late October, the chill just beginning to make itself felt, a gathering of people from all walks of life and the staging of an amazing piece (I use the word Piece for calling it a mere play would be to confine it to the rigidities one expects in the genre). It was called Mein Istanbul Hoon . The occasion was the celebration of the 50 years of the National school of Drama and the topic chosen was momentous too – a glimpse of Istanbul past and present as reflected through the various books of Orhan Pamuk – the Nobel Laureate. The stage put up on the lawns of the Indira Gandhi National Center for Arts had as backdrop the huge peepul trees and the slowly growing dark winter sky. It began with a beautiful musical composition which instantly took us to the streets of Istanbul as if on a flying carpet. The young Pamuk and his angst at being misunderstood by the world at large, his mother’s high hopes for her son, whom she wants to make an architect are beautifully shown. The tinge of sadness ...

I want it to be monumental. I want it to be different. I want it to be something I can come back to read after writing another 99 posts. I don’t trust myself to write something that good. So I asked a few blogger friends to write down their perception of me and my blog. They were really sweet and inspite of their very busy schedules (what with Diwali close) they actually took out time and wrote a few words. Here, I share it with you: Phatichar : Pinku, one who leads the enchanted life. When I first started speaking to her a few months back, she seemed guarded. But that is only natural in this online world, isn’t it? Gradually that guard was dropped and pretty soon we got along like wild fire, common interests fuelling our conversations everyday – books, movies, food and a whole lot more. And then I went back and read all her posts. And after reading that, from a good online friend, she instantly transformed into a figure to respect. It was not just the writing; that is awesome anyways....

Girl meets boy. Likes him for what he is, his smartness, his foolishness, his awkwardness, and his cuteness and promptly falls in love. Boy meets girl. Likes her good looks, the way she carried herself, the perfectionist mind and attitude, her knowledge and even her pretensions at times, finds it all so very adorable and promptly falls in love. Boy and girl profess undying devotion, love and tenderness. Then they get married. The guy’s smartness starts to rankle when the wisecracks get targeted at her. The girl’s good looks are a matter which sees money drain into Beauty parlours. The guy’s foolishness tastes dour when it means overlooking the obvious. The girl’s poise is cause to lose repose. The guy’s awkward comments aimed at her family or even friends are difficult to swallow The perfectionist mind is now settled on dusting cobwebs There are children to be look aftered, clothes to be darned, utensils to be washed and food going bad in the fridge. The dream turns into a nightmare n...

She was a stunner, green eyes, great body and an exotic dress to boot. Anyone would give her a second glance even a third. She was selling cowboy hats at the Chirag Dilli red light, wearing them all one on top of the other as she walked through the maze of cars. Everyone from the autowallah to the bus passengers to the car drivers and their owners looked out to see her gliding past. She made for a good shot for me while I waited for the red light to turn green. And then we all went our ways forgetting her, forgetting her plight. She belongs to a tribe from Rajasthan that had to move from their ancestral dwellings in search of money and food. She is a bewildered person, who has been made poor and a destitute by the unthinking, uncaring attitude of the powers that be. She is someone who has recently joined the ranks of the poor in Delhi. How do we help? Buy one of her hats perhaps? Does that really solve the problem? Today an initiative was on to talk about poverty through Blog Action D...

Thanks everyone for the responses to the last post. From your comments I sense two things: 1) We are ourselves to blame for the relaxed attitude to law and order and even basic hygiene and good manners that we face in India. 2) A better enforcement would ensure more compliance I have only one suggestion can we get to work on it right away? Who better to enforce any law than our own conscience? I am listing here 5 things we could do to bring about a change.These are very small things and executable on an individual level, hence not dependent on anyone else but us. That should make it easy to achieve success isn’t it? 1. Garbage goes only into garbage bins – this includes no dropping of nutshells and empty bottles out of your vehicle in an attempt to keep it clean. 2. Using Mobiles necessitates knowing mobile etiquettes and FOLLOWING them. 3. Use minimum plastic – look at an option where you can carry an eco-friendly bag with you so that you can say no to those extra plastic bags while ...

I received the below letter as a forwarded mail, it said that this is the speech that President Dr.A P J Abdul Kalam made. Whether that be true or not, I feel the issues raised and questions asked are immensely relevant today and each one of us needs to answer them. Spare ten minutes and read on, it may ensure a better tomorrow for our children. Why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why? We are the first in milk production. We are number one in Remote sensing satellites. We are the second largest producer of wheat. We are the second largest producer of rice. Look at Dr. Sudarshan , he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters. I was in Tel Aviv once and I w...

May the Goddess destroy all evil and give us all peace and prosperity. May she teach us love, brotherhood and tolerance. May she give each of us the ability to see things from the other's point of view also. May she make us a superpower not because of our ability to harness nuclear energy but cause of our spiritual strength. May she unite us not by painting us all in one colour but my making us resemble a beautiful collage of unity in diversities. May she bless us with wisdom.

Its Gandhi Jayanti….(hurray a holiday in the middle of the week and if you can afford to take the Friday off, you got a long weekend infront of you to relax, shop or prepare for Durga Puja too). Gandhi, a much abused in private and revered in public, man. When I was growing up I blamed Gandhi for dividing the country into two and creating what seems like an eternal enmity between two countries. It was stylish to say things like: Gandhi: that guy who spoke of abstinence and couldn’t walk without the support of two women under his arms. Gandhi: who with his blackmailing techniques of fasting didn’t allow any decisive action to be taken and would hold the country to ransom for the smallest thing. Gandhi: who slept with his thirteen year old granddaughter to check whether he has been able to control his body completely. Gandhi much like God was to be blamed for everything that was wrong with us. But now that I am on the other side of thirty and I see the rampant violence that’s engulfing m...

Akshaya says I am to do a tag. Like all true tags it seeks to reveal a part of me which may not have been shown so far on the posts I write. I am supposed to jot down my top 5 addictions. Now here is the first problem, just five???? I have so many and to just write about five would be such a mean thing to do for all those others who make my life interesting. Anyways, since I have been tagged there is nothing much I can do but comply, so here goes but be warned this list is not made in a matter of importance: Addiction No. 1: To lie in bed and have a cup of coffee or tea – I just can’t manage to get out without a cuppa in the morning. And yes, it better be good. So much so, that I keep an electric Kettle handy whenever I am alone so that my cup can be made ready without my needing to leave bed. Addiction No. 2: Non Veg food – seafood to chicken to red meat I need my dose of high proteins regularly in order to survive. Keep me off them for a week and like the shorn Samson I lose all m...

The doll lay by the side of the street as if left behind by a careless hand. I had almost crossed the site before the fact that a perfectly good looking doll was lying there permeated through my thoughts and I stopped to look at it. I retraced my steps and looked at the doll again. It was a neat little thing in a pink frock and golden hair flowing down her back and tied up with a pretty pink bow at the end. I looked around for any child who might have dropped it. There was no one in sight. The thought crossed that it maybe a bomb, left there by miscreants who wanted to surely hurt some children. I kept looking at it for a while and then my curiosity took the better of me and I picked it up. After a quick check to see if it had any wires or batteries sticking out I dusted off the loose dirt that was clinging to it. Still uncertain what to do with it; I looked around for someone who would be the owner. The street looked completely deserted. Finally taken in by the charm of the doll I dec...

Indian Home Maker (by the way never saw anyone question her for saying Indian…have seen many question another blogger for daring to call himself an Indian Muslim) awarded me this for writing on Peace…she was referring to the My God strongest post. Rayshma too deemed me worthy of an award and I humbly accept the same. Being a million dollar friend feels very good (though the financial condition am in am almost tempted to trade in the award for the cash). But I wont cause her friendship is very important to me too. How am I too go ahead? The protocol I believe is to pass on the awards to a few others, but I will desist. I consider all those who visit my blog as precious and I will not be partial by mentioning a few. So I dedicate the Million Dollar Friend award to Peace, the best friend any of us can have.

Kislay wrote about the plight of Biharis. No not of the ones who are illiterate, living in villages or in scores of slums in the cities and towns or even dying in floods. He was talking about the average middle class Bihari or even the upper class privileged one who is forever taunted and haunted by the badge of being of all things ignoble, a Bihari. Most of us when asked where we are from mention the names of our states like Bengal, Punjab, Karnataka or Rajasthan – those who belong to Bihar try to skirt the issue by saying the name of their city or preferably their caste or subcaste. When the state was divided my cousins who had lived all their growing years in Bihar were pleased, not because they had any political motives but because now they would be able to escape the Bihari tag by saying they belong to Jharkhand. Why is one state in the country subjected to so much ridicule? Biharis I am told are cowards, ignorant, uncouth and they speak a language that’s just so ghatti. When I w...

Young boys in their early twenties, they came from regular middle class families. Like thousand others they were in the capital city looking for a better education which could lead to a brighter future. They were shot down or arrested one morning, the reason: They were the terrorists who worked under the banner of Indian Mujaheedin. I am not debating whether it was a fake encounter set up by the Police to save face or not. I am also not debating whether they were targeted because of their religion. What I am wondering about is this: How come people who come from regular families, have a decent upbringing and education are turning to such hard line stances? And mind you I am not looking at just one community. I am looking at everyone, minority, majority and across language and state barriers. When we were in school, someone being a Christian meant that you visited them during Christmas , said ‘Merry christmas’ and had the yummy cakes. And during Ramzaan you asked your Muslim friends ev...