Atithi

Guests are always welcome as per our culture.In these times -in metros,where we reside in matchbox type flats,guests lead to a lot of inconvenience but we Bhartiya endure all Mehmaan with smiles galore.Some guests are so accommodating that you end up feeling like a guest in your own house !

When I & my family visit my inlaws ,we eat brunch & drink glasses full of coffee till we have to politely refuse.In this case,though, we are guests,we adjust our breakfast & lunch & dinner to match the timings at the home there.But my inlaws make us adjust, when they come visiting us,  as they are our guests! So here also,we have early lunch almost bordering on breakfast time.Moreover,any new dish prepared is frowned upon-so tastes also have to suit the  guests. I make desperate attempts to like dishes prepared there  when we are visiting ! But, it is a one way traffic-I have to make things to suit them while they are here & the things they make, suit me as I am family,not guest to be pandered to -so obvious,isn't it ? That's why ,I am tense whenever I visit my in laws.My hunger pangs make me angry but, I have to keep smug, for the need to pretend normalcy in such awkward situations !

Then we had a guest the other day- he was a far flung relative.He came visiting & at midnight,he remembered, that he needed to recharge his mobile .My dad went with him of course, but, after trying to make him understand that he could always recharge in the morning.But anyway,it didn't work & our guest had his way.Then, when he was almost ready to depart,he said that he feared that eating at stations enroute may cause him indigestion ! So my bhabhi immediately set to work & prepared rotis & sabzi for the journey.My brother was of the opinion that if he disliked the stuff,he would throw them all & all the man hours nah, woman hours would have been wasted .To this, my dad replied, that nothing would be wasted as he would eat them up.I know that my dad hates wastage but, then ,I did not know that, he would accompany the guest on the journey to keep a check !

I have a cousin who came visiting us recently.She would eat nashta alone later,after all had eaten.When my saas chided her for not eating with others, she said that she is habituated to eating alone .Then we took her to a shop to buy her a dress as a parting gift.She chose the most expensive dress available, making us wonder as to why we  ever  got her to the shop ! Not only that,as she boarded the bus,she said that she had only a 500 rupee note & the conductor will demand change.My hubby took out two to three hundred rupee notes & handed them over to her .His idea was- that was small change compared to the expenses we would have incurred had she stayed longer !

Sometimes the atithi stays so long that he becomes as good as a member of the  household of the host.In such a case,we may be forced to ask,"Atithi,tum kub jaoge ?"

Rangoliyan

I managed to post this blog today -last week,I had got delayed.Today,there was no delay.There are many errors & I have tried to cover them up.

Kundali matching !

When my marriage was fixed,my kundali was matched with that of my husband & when all was found in order ,did we proceed further.But come to think of it now,I feel I & my husband never agree on anything .We are constantly arguing about every topic under the sun.That's why,I wonder as to  how come our horoscopes matched ?  Only the stars know.

I avidly read the weekly horoscope columns in the dailies.Though,they seldom come true-there is no harm in feeling optimistic by reading them once a week.Moreover,I read such columns in many newspapers -with the result, that, I rarely remember them.I also read not just about my star sign but also my husband;s & daughters-so you see,there is utter confusion & chaos .I can hardly recall what was written about which star sign ! But it also has a positive side effect-I take all good & bad luck into my stride .This star gazing  reading is an addictive habit which I am unable to give up.I like a newspaper only when it devotes at least half a page to the horoscope once a week.That is the first thing,I read in the Sunday paper.I feel incomplete without reading the weekly star power.Nowadays,there is tarot power also -old wine in new bottles but the more ,the merrier is my motto.I enjoy reading them all .

But I have a suggestion.In,our Bharat,a marriage is always between two families.The groom & the bride do matter but only a little.The vadhu has to be acceptable to the saas,sasur,the bhabhi,the jeth,the devar,the nanad & so on.Similiarly,the var has to be approved by the vadhu's amma,appa,bhaiya,bhabhi,dadi,naani,bacche & so forth.So,wouldn't it be a wise idea to match the girl's horoscope with that of her would be saas & other inlaws ? Also,the horoscope of the pa in law should be matched with that of the would be son-'in-law . Well,I stumbled upon this brainwave, as my relatives  have discovered lots of faults in my hubby.My better half also feels my relatives  have  lots of deficiencies.So,I felt, that their horoscopes should have been matched but now,it is too  late.I wish, others learn from my errors .But then what will happen to saas bahu sitcoms if the horoscopes of bahu & saas matched ? We will be watching better soaps -that's for sure !

Raangolya

Again ,there has been a delay-this time it is more -these were drawn on Friday.The rangoli drawn above is not symmetrical but as I had no patience to redo it,I let it be.