Being uselessly busy...

To begin with, it feels great to write after such a long while. I have been busy a bit...and uselessly busy a lot. The last year was filled with experiences, many a times I promised myself that I would write about them but then I was busy, in fact got caught into the popular trend of being busy. Now when I look back I think, was I really that busy? Or was I just projecting that I was? What did I achieve by being so busy? I lost track of friends, have not bought a new book for a while, did not write, did not sit with relatives and laughed at past antics? Does this sound familiar to any one of you? 

So busy we have become with our lives, that when we think of calling friends, we stop because - ; "Why can't he/she call me?" or " She would think I have nothing to do" and we all can guess other stupid reasons we make. It gives us an unnecessary high to think we are too busy to be in touch with people around. Too busy to pursue a hobby? Is taking out ten minutes from our "so called" busy schedule so difficult for us? Maybe we are stuck in the vicious circle of our own making, first we let go of things because we are genuinely  a little busy, then we pretend to be busy, then we regret being busy(of course we won't accept it), then we become busy in thinking about the reasons of being busy. And this makes us feel so special and important.

When it rains, we don't stop and enjoy but crib about jams. When a friend calls we don’t chat but put across reasons for  not calling, when a relative calls we search for reasons to drop the call, for me when a book calls I have started looking for excuses not to pick it up(believe me I have done so). In the last few days I have thought a lot about this mess that I have created, I arrived at the conclusion that – “ I have been busy no doubt, but at times I have been uselessly busy” and it’s the time to stop this nonsense. It’s the time to give myself a chance to enjoy – “ Kya pata kal ho na ho” (I am a Shahrukh Khan fan, and won't apologise for being one).

So stop being busy, give life a chance. Enjoying it won’t make you small but a happier and healthier person.

P.S -  Don’t be uselessly busy , if you want to write a comment , do it.

Do you need a haircut???

I am not a hair stylist nor is this an advertisement for some salon but still this question has been troubling me a lot lately. Maybe something to do with my crazy ideas or could be a hidden connection or maybe just a fad i have developed due to being free and lazy now-a -days, and the question is -  Do I need a haircut ?

Why do I have such strong bonding with haircuts? I have no deep love for long hair, have always believed that hair are "ghar ke kheti...jab chaho bada lo and jab chahe kat lo". (Translation courtesy film Bol Bachchan - Hair are crop of the house, you can cut and grow them as it pleases you). And, somehow I see myself heading towards my favourite salon, each time I am looking for a change in life or planning to bring about a change in me or starting something new. I still remember the moment when my waist length hair got shortened to shoulder blade length in a razor cut style...that was the moment I felt free and better. Thus, in spite of all my resolutions, every time I go for a haircut, that now I will wait till they grow long....I start longing for the moment when scissors will touch them and reduce them to a length manageable by me.

Think about how many times we feel liberated after going for a haircut, with a new hairstyle, or a new highlight or just plain trimming. I have seen people going through personality change by changing their hair style. And why not? After all, hair is one of the most visible part of our body...errr I mean hair on the head. It changes people perceptions about you and even your perceptions about yourself, at times. Or to put it simply - it changes the way you look visible to even the most casual observer in the world.

The change it brings about me is not just physical but more of emotional - like letting go ... of split ends (relations and situations) that can't be repaired and putting in shape the rest of the hair(my life) so that the final result suits me, looks shiny and healthy and makes me feel good - that's what we all want from life. So going for a hair cut is more related to deeper aspects than just pleasing the lazy me with short hair.

So, next time you feel uneasy...ask yourself " Do I need a haircut?"

P.S : Lately I have been confused...Do I need a haircut or just  want to pamper myself with a hair spa???

As She Stumbled ... Again

Saw a little girl playing in the lane

Laughing aloud , she jumped again and again

Surrounded with friends, her hair all messed.

Suddenly, losing her balance, she

Stumbled and fell, on the ground.

She got up quickly, dusted her frock, 

Looked around with a big smile and jumped,

Laughter and joy, joined that group again.

But then, she lost her balance,

Stumbled and fell again.

It took some time and a little cajoling,

But she got up again, teary but smiling,

Slowly and steadily she joined the game again.

Maybe the ground was slippery or she was nervous,

She stumbled and fell again.

Would she get up? I watched

Would she cry? I feared

Would her friends help? I wondered

Would she jump again? I hoped

Would she laugh again? I prayed

Yes to all above, as I watched amazed,

All she needed was a little time,

and a lot of love and support,

But she got up again, smiled a little,

and joined her game...

The little boy who amused us all...

A couple of days ago, I met a really cute and charming little boy, again. Staying in Bangalore and going to an international school had made him very comfortable in English. Having met him more than once , I had never heard him talking in his mother tongue i.e. Hindi. It sounded very enchanting to hear such a small boy with an impish smile, talking nine to dozen in fluent English. At the same time, everybody was a little sceptical about his proficiency level in hindi.

When I met him this time, which was pretty late in the day, around his sleeping time. He surprised us all by pulling out his " Hindi" book and reading the words from it. Being just 4 years old, his book just had words and not complete sentences. And this boy was confidently reading them all, albeit a little slowly , and the relief on the mother's face was visible. Even after her daughter pointed out " Mom, he is not actually reading the words but recognising the pictures alongside them." The mother replied with a smile , " I am happy that at least he knows them by their hindi names." and she looked at me , and said , " This is the first time he has shown any interest in reading/speaking in hindi and this is enough to satisfy me at the moment." And everybody there agreed with her and revelled at his reading aloud those words.

Now, elder sister knowing her brother well, smelled a prank and snatched his  book and handed it to me....and when I saw the page, I started smiling broadly . Everybody wanted to know the reason...and they had same smile on their face, when they saw the book - Where on the page - there was a picture - next to it was its English name - then in hindi and to top it all - the hindi was written in English. The little champion was not reading hindi letters but the hindi written in English script - "khargosh", "golakar". The moment he realised that he had been caught - he laughed aloud and took away his book with his eyes twinkling at his attempt. He left us amused and a little bemused. And it left a little smile on my face long after he went to sleep.

God Bless you Parth...May you keep smiling and spread happiness around always.

Shukrana...It's the Time to say Thank you

Life is as beautiful as you wish it to be...the only difference is that of perspective. Remember that half full half empty glass of water. Still there are moments when we simply forget to use the magical words " Thank You" , for all the times somebody does something, for us. This is mostly true when our prayers get answered, when a hand of fate pulls us out of misery, when suddenly the clouds part to give way for  the sunshine to pour into our life and when frowns pave way for smiles.

 

I was just going through the chain of events of my life in the last few years and realized that I have forgotten to say thank you to so many people in the world, so using this platform to convey the same. Beginning with my parents - Thank you for being the most wonderful and supportive people in the world, to my brother - Thank you for being the pillar of strength through all phases, to my trio friends(Neena, Rids and Arun) - Thank you for bearing with me and believing in me, to my sweet cousins - thank you for those little gestures that made me smile through tears, to the uncles and aunts - Thank you for the blessings you sent my way, to the Facebook updates - Thank you for keeping me entertained, to the wonderful colleagues I have worked with - Thank you for great times that we spent together, to my teachers - Thank you for the patience in guiding me to give my best, to my students - Thank you for adding so much love and adoration in my life , to the great set of people who have been my classmates cum friends at some point in life - Thank you for the awesome moments of life we had together and to all those people who have wished me well -- thank you coz your wishes came true. And not to forget - Thank you GOD - you took me through a long route with lots of sightseeing, I cried ,I laughed , I frowned and I smiled but you gave me the best in the end.

 

Oh, I forgot all those who wished me ill - Thank you because you made me a stronger person and appreciate the value of life more. Lately, I have realized more I hang onto the circumstances that made me upset, the more I miss out on smiles. And Life is beautiful ... a dream come true at the moment...so saying it again, Thank you everybody.

 

P.S : There is somebody I haven't mentioned above but then there is a lifetime to say thank you to...him.