I have a lot of chunris with me - many of them are the only reminders of salwar kameezes and churidaars which were discarded long back.When I look at them,I can recall the occassions when I got that chunri & the dress.Sometimes,I would get a chunri being unable to resist the colour or the print & then go & buy a dress material complimenting the chunri.At other times,it would be that the chunri would be part of the dress material.I also recall other times, hunting for days together, for a chunri matching the dress material which came without a chunri.Once,I painted a chunri with fabric paint as it had one colour less than the print on the dress material & I felt that it did not match.
I don't have a heart to throw out any chunri as most of the chunris still look new.The cotton ones are so soft, that my daughter curls up with them many times.Some chunris have faded with time & I still have them.I use the faded ones to tie up my clothes into a bundle for giving them to the dhobi.Some of the cotton chunris I use for drying up hair- mine as also that of my daughter after a head bath.The emroidered chunris, I use as covers for the idiot box as they make a pretty picture.
My daughter also plays with my chunris past & present by wrapping them around her body as if she is tying up a sari.Not only that,once she had a fashion parade in which each of her friends wore my numerous chunris as sarees & walked the ramp-albeit at home !
I am convinced that the chunri is a perennial cloth of joy !
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Honeymoon
When I got married,we never went on a honeymoon.The reason being some relatives were staying along & so we opined, that it is better left for a later day.
But then ,honeymoon is not just a feeling you share when you are newly wed.I feel the word honeymoon can be used on so many occasions.A few samples follow.
WhilstI worked in the public sector,whenever we had a new boss or a new colleague joining us ,we would all be praising that person as we were yet to discover his shortcomings,faults et al.So this initial period was the honeymoon.Once,his idiocrancies became visible ,then I would quip,"The honeymoon is over !"
After that we just wished that we were better off without the new person.I am sure,the new person also thought like that only as we all are so oblivious to our own faults but cannot overlook any fault of others howsoever minuscule it is. It is like this in a marriage as well.While we are just discovering each other -the qualities,the shortcomings,etc,we are naive & believe, that we have attained bliss & then as the scenes unfold,we recover to discover that all that was just a screen saver !
We had to opt for a new maidservant this month as the earlier one was shifting base.Weren't we glad- you bet! She was so bad- she would wash vessels in such a manner that I had to repeat the washing.Any extra work would immediately be followed by a demand for a raise.I was unable to chuck her out as she was a representative of the maidservants union.So, I was elated, when she left.I appointed another one thinking she would be more docile,more clean,etal.In the beginning,I was full of joy & my pleasure was boundless as she is clean & not as demanding .But soon the honeymoon with her got over & I was back on terra firma! She would remain absent for days without any information.But I continue with her as I am quite fed up of the honeymoons with so many people in so many situations.
Recently I got a new pair of rebook shoes for a throwaway price- a typical middle class eccentricity.If it was not on sale,it hardly stood a chance of being brought by me.Now,since,I had got it,I had to use it.So,very religiously,I started going for evening walks wearing the pair though at times,I cursed myself that I had to tie the laces which I found to be too much of a bother.But then,I would console myself saying that walking would keep me in better shape & the shoes would give me a better grip & speed in my walking exercise.All this lasted for nearly six months -whew ! so long it appears-the honeymoon with the shoes that is ! But now,I am back to my pair of Bata shoes which have a velcro & they are a convenient pair of slip ons.My walking is not regular & of course neither is my body shape but then,the honeymoon can't go on eternally,isn't it ?
I buy a skin care product after a lot of dillydallying & that too, whenever it is on a discount or is a part of a fantastic offer,which I just cannot resist. Then,after I get it home,for a few days, I use it regularly. I admire myself & thank the Almighty that he has been kind enough to make such a thing so affordable for me !But all this lasts only till the honeymoon. Very soon, the task of application starts becoming a chore which I feel,is better left off there itself & I am thus saddled with so many products which are past their usefulness.But being a typical middle class representative,I have to use it completely -so I end up using it as a body cream even if it was meant only for the face ! That way,I feel that I have made complete use of the cream ,so what, if not for what it was meant for ?At least,I have not thrown it away & seen my money go down the drain literally !
Yesterday,only ,I saw the Virgin slide mobile phone being advertised on the idiot box ! My heart skipped & I feel that the offer is too irresistable - yes,the honeymoon is just about to begin !
But then ,honeymoon is not just a feeling you share when you are newly wed.I feel the word honeymoon can be used on so many occasions.A few samples follow.
WhilstI worked in the public sector,whenever we had a new boss or a new colleague joining us ,we would all be praising that person as we were yet to discover his shortcomings,faults et al.So this initial period was the honeymoon.Once,his idiocrancies became visible ,then I would quip,"The honeymoon is over !"
After that we just wished that we were better off without the new person.I am sure,the new person also thought like that only as we all are so oblivious to our own faults but cannot overlook any fault of others howsoever minuscule it is. It is like this in a marriage as well.While we are just discovering each other -the qualities,the shortcomings,etc,we are naive & believe, that we have attained bliss & then as the scenes unfold,we recover to discover that all that was just a screen saver !
We had to opt for a new maidservant this month as the earlier one was shifting base.Weren't we glad- you bet! She was so bad- she would wash vessels in such a manner that I had to repeat the washing.Any extra work would immediately be followed by a demand for a raise.I was unable to chuck her out as she was a representative of the maidservants union.So, I was elated, when she left.I appointed another one thinking she would be more docile,more clean,etal.In the beginning,I was full of joy & my pleasure was boundless as she is clean & not as demanding .But soon the honeymoon with her got over & I was back on terra firma! She would remain absent for days without any information.But I continue with her as I am quite fed up of the honeymoons with so many people in so many situations.
Recently I got a new pair of rebook shoes for a throwaway price- a typical middle class eccentricity.If it was not on sale,it hardly stood a chance of being brought by me.Now,since,I had got it,I had to use it.So,very religiously,I started going for evening walks wearing the pair though at times,I cursed myself that I had to tie the laces which I found to be too much of a bother.But then,I would console myself saying that walking would keep me in better shape & the shoes would give me a better grip & speed in my walking exercise.All this lasted for nearly six months -whew ! so long it appears-the honeymoon with the shoes that is ! But now,I am back to my pair of Bata shoes which have a velcro & they are a convenient pair of slip ons.My walking is not regular & of course neither is my body shape but then,the honeymoon can't go on eternally,isn't it ?
I buy a skin care product after a lot of dillydallying & that too, whenever it is on a discount or is a part of a fantastic offer,which I just cannot resist. Then,after I get it home,for a few days, I use it regularly. I admire myself & thank the Almighty that he has been kind enough to make such a thing so affordable for me !But all this lasts only till the honeymoon. Very soon, the task of application starts becoming a chore which I feel,is better left off there itself & I am thus saddled with so many products which are past their usefulness.But being a typical middle class representative,I have to use it completely -so I end up using it as a body cream even if it was meant only for the face ! That way,I feel that I have made complete use of the cream ,so what, if not for what it was meant for ?At least,I have not thrown it away & seen my money go down the drain literally !
Yesterday,only ,I saw the Virgin slide mobile phone being advertised on the idiot box ! My heart skipped & I feel that the offer is too irresistable - yes,the honeymoon is just about to begin !
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Activism.
Yesterday,I read a news item "PETA under fire for culling most animals under its care."
I was informed that PETA was doing this as it was unable treat some animals as also give them up for adoption & hence was doing what it called "gives them a humane end."PETA has also confessed that some animals among those that were killed could have been treated as also could have been adopted.
I think that this confession by PETA has left me seething with anger,to say the least & also a great sense of shock.I had become an online member of PETA.I was not much of an activist in the sense of joining their street fights,morchas etc but to a lesser extent,I tried to forward some of their messages which depicted how cruel some actvities like skinning fur of animals,rat traps,etc .could be as I found those videos too revolting.I genuinely believed, that a vegetarian human world is more humane as all animals have a right to live.
The rat trap is very harmful & cruel to the rodents but, then, I am sure, that like me, many will wonder, as to how to get rid of a rodent which destroys millions of food grains year after year which could be saved & fed to the poor.But I suppressed my thoughts against the rodent as PETA endorsed that the rat trap was too inhuman for rats.I was also trying not to buy any leather goods-namely wallets,handbags etc as I felt, that this was the least, I could do, in my individual capacity, after having become a member of PETA.
Now,I am wondering, if PETA is really what it purports to stand for.Are all organizations like this ? Really,this makes me ponder, as to take nothing at face value.It is as if a lofty ideal has fallen & we all are just trying to pick up the pieces.I had thought of joining GREENPEACE online as well but then after this revelation about PETA,I may decide not to join.No, it is not, that I will start buying leather articles etc but I will become a partner only if I am convinced about something beyond doubt & not because, it has got a backing from a reputed organization.
I was informed that PETA was doing this as it was unable treat some animals as also give them up for adoption & hence was doing what it called "gives them a humane end."PETA has also confessed that some animals among those that were killed could have been treated as also could have been adopted.
I think that this confession by PETA has left me seething with anger,to say the least & also a great sense of shock.I had become an online member of PETA.I was not much of an activist in the sense of joining their street fights,morchas etc but to a lesser extent,I tried to forward some of their messages which depicted how cruel some actvities like skinning fur of animals,rat traps,etc .could be as I found those videos too revolting.I genuinely believed, that a vegetarian human world is more humane as all animals have a right to live.
The rat trap is very harmful & cruel to the rodents but, then, I am sure, that like me, many will wonder, as to how to get rid of a rodent which destroys millions of food grains year after year which could be saved & fed to the poor.But I suppressed my thoughts against the rodent as PETA endorsed that the rat trap was too inhuman for rats.I was also trying not to buy any leather goods-namely wallets,handbags etc as I felt, that this was the least, I could do, in my individual capacity, after having become a member of PETA.
Now,I am wondering, if PETA is really what it purports to stand for.Are all organizations like this ? Really,this makes me ponder, as to take nothing at face value.It is as if a lofty ideal has fallen & we all are just trying to pick up the pieces.I had thought of joining GREENPEACE online as well but then after this revelation about PETA,I may decide not to join.No, it is not, that I will start buying leather articles etc but I will become a partner only if I am convinced about something beyond doubt & not because, it has got a backing from a reputed organization.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Puppy love ? !
My daughter has this love for puppies.She has asked me many times if she can have a puppy as a pet.I have vehemently said "No".But she persists by asking again & again.I have to keep saying the same thing that is "No".
Once,I retorted by telling her,"The moment you get a puppy home,you,your dad & the puppy go out of the house."But she is not the one willing to give up.My husband is not one who takes kindly to having puppies messing around perhaps, because, he knows, that he along with his daughter are more than a handful when it comes to muddling the house.But the love for his daughter can at most times override whatever concerns( if any ) he has for any neatness.So he got her a small fluffy dog from a mall - no it was not a live one but a soft toy !When I protested that he was indulging her too much ,as it was quite expensive,he replied ,"At least,she will stop demanding a puppy."Really,how illogical can any man get ?But then one cannot argue with a chap who is in love - love is blind.My kid loves the toy very much but she still believes, she can cajole me into saying yes about getting a puppy home.Getting her dad to say yes is a cakewalk for her.
I asked her as to who will clean up when the puppy messes around.Her reply flabbergasted me out of my wits.She said."You."But ,then..Her argument is that as I cleaned up after she dirtied when she was a baby,it was just natural nah, obvious, that I will only be cleaning up as & when the puppy messes up.I always suspected my kid & her dad had ganged up against me & this reply just confirmed my suspicions.Her dad will eventually give in, as he thinks, this is the only way, he can show his affection for her & she knows this psychology of her dad more than the dad himself.
Meanwhile,I am bracing myself up for having three beings dirtying around with poor me to clean up!Shhhh.... I can hear some talk between the father & daughter about getting a puppy home...
Once,I retorted by telling her,"The moment you get a puppy home,you,your dad & the puppy go out of the house."But she is not the one willing to give up.My husband is not one who takes kindly to having puppies messing around perhaps, because, he knows, that he along with his daughter are more than a handful when it comes to muddling the house.But the love for his daughter can at most times override whatever concerns( if any ) he has for any neatness.So he got her a small fluffy dog from a mall - no it was not a live one but a soft toy !When I protested that he was indulging her too much ,as it was quite expensive,he replied ,"At least,she will stop demanding a puppy."Really,how illogical can any man get ?But then one cannot argue with a chap who is in love - love is blind.My kid loves the toy very much but she still believes, she can cajole me into saying yes about getting a puppy home.Getting her dad to say yes is a cakewalk for her.
I asked her as to who will clean up when the puppy messes around.Her reply flabbergasted me out of my wits.She said."You."But ,then..Her argument is that as I cleaned up after she dirtied when she was a baby,it was just natural nah, obvious, that I will only be cleaning up as & when the puppy messes up.I always suspected my kid & her dad had ganged up against me & this reply just confirmed my suspicions.Her dad will eventually give in, as he thinks, this is the only way, he can show his affection for her & she knows this psychology of her dad more than the dad himself.
Meanwhile,I am bracing myself up for having three beings dirtying around with poor me to clean up!Shhhh.... I can hear some talk between the father & daughter about getting a puppy home...
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Meri Padosan
I have a padosan who is one of a kind ! She will come in almost every alternate day when my bai who cooks rotis for me is there & chat up with her.My bai works at her home as well.Now, really,she can instruct her when she comes home but nah,she has to do it when the bai is at my house.All this happens early in the mornings, when I am preparing my kid to get ready for school.So I get quite bugged .
Also,my padosan will come & borrow items like potatoes,onions,ginger,cucumber,tomatoes,etal.I readily give her but am quite unable to understand as to why she cannot wait till my kid leaves for school at seven in the morning.I am in a tearing hurry at that time & attending to my padosan becomes a chore for me.Perhaps, she wants to let me know that she is in a bigger hurry in the mornings-that's why she urges me up to quickly open the door & address her needs.
She has borrowed money from me quite a number of times even though all in her family are earning members.Even she gets a pension ! They own a factory or two & she still need to borrow even as small an amount as a fifty rupee note to pay to the plumber or the electrician.The excuse, is that she has no change.In other words,I am always rolling in change as I am middle class & she is well, upper crust ! So,how will she ever have such change-she will have notes of only bigger denominations ! Also,though, I have tried not to lend her money,I have failed.She has always managed to borrow from me saying that if I did not have the amount she needs,she will settle for a lesser sum.Her persistent attitude just gets too much & I give in.
She will give cakes to my daughter whenever they celebrate a birthday.Then after two three days,she will again give the leftover cake ! I have a harrowing time denying that leftover cake pieces to my kid as I don't want her to fall sick ! I once gave her the choicest Gulf dates as my hubby had just returned from the Middle east.The next day,she requested for more dates.She told me that she had to return a box to her married daughter & the dates were so tasty that they would make a good impression !
Yesterday only,she came & used my telephone as usual . She has informed me that only incoming calls are allowed on her phones. Also,I have to dial the number on the instrument as she finds the device too cumbersome! All members of their household have cell phones but she has told me at other times when she has used my telephone that she wanted to talk something to someone which she did not want her family to know.So you can see that she trusts me more than her family !
None of the bais in our building are ready to work for her as she pays a pittance & also calls them at different hours each day.The security guards posted at the entrance of the building turn away as soon as she spots them as she asks them for small change to pay for the autorikshaw fare ,which she promises that she will pay some day.
Once,she had given the keys to her house for safe keeping when they all had gone out of station.After they came back,something was amiss & so she asked me ,"Did you make use of the house ?"I just mumbled,"No,I did not".
Her house keys are still handed to me whenever she feels like it but with specific instructions each time ! One more reason for this fondness for me is that she has broken up with all the other neighbours for some reason or the other-primarily bais.She feels her neighbours have lured her bais by paying them more.She has hit back by thieving their milk packets ,their dustbins etal !
One must always remain optimistic whatever the circumstances .I have opted out of joining a laughter club as my padosan keeps me laughing on a daily if not hourly basis ! What more can I ask for in these stressed times ?
Also,my padosan will come & borrow items like potatoes,onions,ginger,cucumber,tomatoes,etal.I readily give her but am quite unable to understand as to why she cannot wait till my kid leaves for school at seven in the morning.I am in a tearing hurry at that time & attending to my padosan becomes a chore for me.Perhaps, she wants to let me know that she is in a bigger hurry in the mornings-that's why she urges me up to quickly open the door & address her needs.
She has borrowed money from me quite a number of times even though all in her family are earning members.Even she gets a pension ! They own a factory or two & she still need to borrow even as small an amount as a fifty rupee note to pay to the plumber or the electrician.The excuse, is that she has no change.In other words,I am always rolling in change as I am middle class & she is well, upper crust ! So,how will she ever have such change-she will have notes of only bigger denominations ! Also,though, I have tried not to lend her money,I have failed.She has always managed to borrow from me saying that if I did not have the amount she needs,she will settle for a lesser sum.Her persistent attitude just gets too much & I give in.
She will give cakes to my daughter whenever they celebrate a birthday.Then after two three days,she will again give the leftover cake ! I have a harrowing time denying that leftover cake pieces to my kid as I don't want her to fall sick ! I once gave her the choicest Gulf dates as my hubby had just returned from the Middle east.The next day,she requested for more dates.She told me that she had to return a box to her married daughter & the dates were so tasty that they would make a good impression !
Yesterday only,she came & used my telephone as usual . She has informed me that only incoming calls are allowed on her phones. Also,I have to dial the number on the instrument as she finds the device too cumbersome! All members of their household have cell phones but she has told me at other times when she has used my telephone that she wanted to talk something to someone which she did not want her family to know.So you can see that she trusts me more than her family !
None of the bais in our building are ready to work for her as she pays a pittance & also calls them at different hours each day.The security guards posted at the entrance of the building turn away as soon as she spots them as she asks them for small change to pay for the autorikshaw fare ,which she promises that she will pay some day.
Once,she had given the keys to her house for safe keeping when they all had gone out of station.After they came back,something was amiss & so she asked me ,"Did you make use of the house ?"I just mumbled,"No,I did not".
Her house keys are still handed to me whenever she feels like it but with specific instructions each time ! One more reason for this fondness for me is that she has broken up with all the other neighbours for some reason or the other-primarily bais.She feels her neighbours have lured her bais by paying them more.She has hit back by thieving their milk packets ,their dustbins etal !
One must always remain optimistic whatever the circumstances .I have opted out of joining a laughter club as my padosan keeps me laughing on a daily if not hourly basis ! What more can I ask for in these stressed times ?
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