The charm of children’s conversations

A few days back, me and my husband, we were sitting in the tranquil and peaceful aura of Gajanan Maharaj’s temple just across our society’s entrance. The statue of the deity is majestic and it’s presence fills the temple with serenity. There was complete silence and it felt soothing away from the hustle and bustle of life.

Not far away from us, a father sat with his daughter, the daughter being probably one or two months old. Even the temple’s atmosphere had influenced the child and she lay there very quietly staring here and there. Just behind them, sat a mother with her two or three year old daughter. The mother was trying very hard to make her daughter sit quietly, but the girl was playful and quite restless. After another try, the mother let her daughter wander around the temple premises, while she herself offered her prayers in peace.

The girl moved around the place looking at different things and may be understanding them with her child’s mind. She was the image of innocence and curiosity of a child. Once in a few moments, when she would discover something interesting or she wanted to question something, she would shout for her mother. Her voice reverberated due to the complete lack of sound and her mother again would ask her to be quiet. After exploring everything she thought worth, she was attracted towards the little child who lay in front of her father.

Very slowly, as if not to alarm the little girl, she moved towards her. She sat down on her knees beside her and stared. The little girl beamed and showed some activity leaving her previous quiet and still state behind. To me, it looked like they were having a conversation albeit a silent one but nonetheless a conversation. The girl ran towards her mother, excitement flushing her cheeks and relayed whatever had taken place. She was not able to be still, kept dancing around her mother. She pointed her finger towards the little child and asked her mother her name. I had a huge smile on my face that instant. It is so natural for the children to think that their mothers know everything. Her mother told her to ask the little child herself.

Meanwhile, the little child kept moving and looking everywhere as if she already missed the presence of the girl. The girl bent low again towards the little girl and asked her name. The little child seemed to understand the question and started making gurgling noise from her throat. Of course, the girl didn’t understand but she was content with playing with her. The girl kept saying something and the little child told her story with her noises and expressions.

My attention had been riveted by the two children talking together. They were having a conversation in a language unknown to adults. I felt its charm and the smile that came with it, remained with me afterwards.

Since Long

It’s been a really really long time since I have posted on my blog. I wonder why?
Today I sit comfortably at my home and feel the rumblings of my mind starting to move making slight creaky sounds. I will it to churn up something for me; it grumbles and complains that since long it hasn’t been asked to do anything, why this sudden demand?

Sudden demand? Well, I look back towards the slack period. To be frank, it can be called slack only for the absence of my posts otherwise it had been the most wonderful time in my life. Calling it just wonderful doesn’t cover it all.

I met my soul mate, my life partner, my friend, my confidant, my husband and so much more. Meeting him was the first thing that happened which was followed by numerous beautiful things and now “Life is Beautiful”. The courtship period is probably the most important time for every new couple. It is the base, the foundation on which our life starts laying the first bricks. It was beautiful and greatly delightful for both of us, it transpired our lives into a colorful rainbow, whose colors I am sure will last for the rest of our lives, it made us into what we are today, not just husband and wife, but so many facets of relationships which emerged and got strengthened as and when their need was felt. I just realized that I wrote a complete para and failed to mention the one important thing which hit us both with its beauty and tranquility, along with it, its breath taking feeling: “LOVE”. It’s the key ingredient that makes up a beautiful life, as my senses witness with my own life.

Moving forwards, I think my mind and I were so much full of thoughts about him that nothing else seemed to enter my mind. And now maybe that’s why I would have to hear the grumblings of my mind and slowly and steadily ask it to start chugging for me. It’s been long but not so long..

Delving into the human mind

The human mind is a curious mix. A single mind has billions of facets, a thousand different reactions for numerous different situations. There is so much we can do and yet we may be only using half of its capacity. Our premonitions, our instincts, our perceptions, the ever filling memory and still as sharp, the dreams and the reasons behind them, a legion of emotions and feelings, the mood swings and the energy and the unconscious behind, it’s all so overwhelming. It is sharp and fast, agile and clever.

We take it for granted and it never disappoints. Think about our lives without so many different aspects. What if, our mind was not equipped so much? Wouldn’t it have been a tad bit dull?

Whatever the origins of the human mind are considered, either the scientific evolution or the grace of the God, it is complex, intricate in its design and even after centuries of research, for the human, it still stands as the greatest unknown in our lives.

The human mind is so much interesting. One can observe it for years together and yet not get bored. In a collective way it is so much similar, the way the complete human tribe lives. It amazes to watch its intricate similarities amongst the billions of minds parting through the vast individual diversities. Most minds think alike, act alike, behave alike and yet there are the subtle changes in the way they do it. No two minds are completely similar and yet no two minds are colossally different.

The city of dreams

The city: where Indian dreams are born, lived, squashed and reveled in. Some dreams make it big, some don’t. This is the Indian land of dreams and don’t stop dreaming.

So much has been said about the city by different people in all kinds of different media, that it momentarily makes me stop writing about it.

A short visit to Mumbai: the city of dreams and my mind was full of its thoughts. The city is boundless, not restricted by limits; according to the geography, other districts might start and end, but as a whole everything around is known as Mumbai. Some parts of the city are ethereal, with the beauty being though wild yet pleasant. From the windows of the local train, a carpet of green cover can be seen around the edges of the ocean, which peeps in and out across the city. The ocean is eye-soothing, though it is not the exotic kind like in other cities, but it has life.

It seems like the city has a soul which is benevolent and kind. It houses in itself people from all over, believing in different religions, of different social classes and most important of all, it tries giving employment to every individual. The city is like a mother, which helps her children grow by encompassing everyone in its loving embrace.

The city’s history is magnificent in its grandeur. The parts which were built by the British still exist. Such structures give the occasional tourist a feeling as if he has stepped back in time. The CST terminus which is majestic and looks more like a ancient palace than a railway station; the building that houses the Times of India and the structures nearby. The Gateway of India stands tall with the undulating waves of the vast ocean lapping its feet.

There are many more such things that are awe-inspiring in the city. But, what exactly strikes a human heart is the spirit with which people live in the city. And unfortunately the number of people living there also becomes the dent in its shining armour. There is crowd everywhere in the city. Not a single place exists across the city where there is peace and quiet and travelling becomes a pain. Though the life line of the city: the local trains are too efficient and try to make the travel a bit bearable, the crowd again becomes a problem and especially for the people who are new to the city.

There will come a time, when the city won’t be able to take anymore and it will collapse. Its serenity is getting lost somewhere.

Zayka North India ka..

It was in the second week of December that I and my family went to attend a cousin's wedding in Lucknow, well to be specific it was Suprit weds Anuradha :). It was a fun fare and the shaadi was North Indian to the core. There was lots of food, great amount of dancing and even more of healthy discussions, conversations and very loving people. I had fun meeting everyone there after such a long time. The fantastic part was that, even though a long time had passed, all of us met as we were in contact on a daily basis. Not even for a moment, did I feel like an outsider. It was a refreshing change to see people talking to each other and enjoying each other's company just because they wanted to and not because they had to. And there was color, glamour, music, fun and every needed masti ingredient.

And that's the zayka of north india. I stared with wide eyes at the glitz of the wedding. The amount and taste of food had me feeling as if i was eating for the first time in my life. It had an allure that you cannot find anywhere in the world. And the loving way I was fed everything (twice!!) was very touching.

I fell in love with some of the things. Fufaji's home where we stayed, it was a history in itself. A kothi from the nawabi era, it has housed generations of people. I could not get over its greatness and grandeur. The chudi wali gali that housed a number of bangles's shop and which was so narrow that at a time only two people can walk together. The winding narrow lanes getting connected at numerous places and yet when the houses emerge in those lanes, they were huge and great structures. The malai makhan, a delicacy I haven't had anywhere. The chat that was prepared right there in our house the night before the wedding. And last but not the least the dholwala and the incessant dancing. In saari cheezon ne mann-moh liya humara :)

Every part of India has a different flavour to itself. It is unlike any other. I loved every moment of the wedding. Though it was not the first time i had been there nor was it the first time I enjoyed, but it is just the first time to write about it. Even after so many days have passed, we at home still talk about it, as a moment in time we savoured.

(I just wish I had some images to go with this)