A Letter to Santa

At the Palladium, Lower Parel.

Dear Santa,

I don't want a fancy gift or expensive clothes

Neither do I want shiny jewellery or leather coats

Nor do I want to lead a luxurious living.

All I want is friendship that is true,

Love that is unconditional,

A promise made that ain't gonna be broken,

Trust which is worthy of it,

Respect which isn't namesake and

A life with not just puzzles but its solutions as well.

I know it’s not feasible,

Is it because I've been a bad kid? Or it is too much of good to ask for?

I guess I'll never know.


Note: This was originally written last year 24th December when I did not own a Blog. So I thought I'd share it on the same day this year! :)

Today's outlook towards independence day.

Let’s bring back the old spirit!

Back in the day:

I sure can’t describe the rush our people felt back in the day when we attained independence in 47! What I can definitely tell you is that the day’s importance has faded away slowly and gradually. 

Real-time experience:     

            

These are not my words; I’m just putting together what my Grandmother shared with me.

"In 1947, there were no TVs, hardly a radio in an entire village; newspapers were the only reliable source medium of knowing about the happenings of our freedom struggle. In my childhood, I’ve seen Gandhiji, lal Bahadur Shastri and even Indira Gandhi when she was small. There were long parades for celebrating the independence and we women would finish our household chores quickly to watch the crowded processions! Every year on 15^th August, we would go to watch the parades and the decorative lightings on big buildings. Watching electrical lights was a sight for us. There was struggle everywhere, but the independence swung things our way."

That’s the difference today; we fail to feel the struggle we faced in the pre-independence period. It’s boring to read about the struggle in a history textbook. Talk to your grandparents; they can share better than any history teacher and with a lot more feeling. My grandmother couldn’t help but smile throughout with enthusiasm while talking about our independence! 

Today:

In the 1980s, the national anthem was played after the closing credits of the movie. This practice was changed because many citizens would simply sprint out after the movie was over; respecting the anthem was too much of an exercise after a three-hour sitting spree.

The anthem is a symbolic gesture to remind us of our bond with our motherland; just a couple of minutes out of our busy lives to find the emotional connect with our brothers and sisters. 

The Independence Day is treated by most of us as nothing but a holiday and not for what it is intended for; recalling the struggle our freedom fighters went through and celebrating the nation’s freedom that they left for us! 

It’s not independence when we’re still ruled by corrupt bureaucrats.

It’s not independence when a woman can’t walk on a street alone without feeling insecure.

It’s not independence when we unite against the foreigners but divide and resort to communism here.

It’s not independence when the largest democracy in the world is unheard by its own Government.

It’s not Independence when our protectors are the ones we are scared of.    

Take a pledge today:

“Be the change you want to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi, Father of our nation – who was fasting and negotiating with communal leaders on the day of Independence after a Hindu-Muslim flare up in West Bengal.

Before celebrating yours, protect her freedom too! 

 










Stop corruption, don’t offer it! 

 

Facts you ought to know about the struggle:

• Even at the age of 61, Gandhiji led the 241 kilometer march to Dandi and proceeded to make salt in defiance of the law by non-violent means

• Bhagat Singh underwent a 116 days fast in jail demanding equal rights for Indian and British prisoners. He was aged just 23 when he was hanged to death.

• Apart from our Indian heroes, Dr. Annie Besant, a Britisher supported India’s freedom struggle wholeheartedly and founded the Home Rule League in India 

• India-Pakistan partition created inter-communal violence which cost more than One million lives! About 3.5 million Hindus and Sikhs migrated from Pakistan to India and 5 million Muslims from India to Pakistan.   

• After independence, the Portugese amended their constitution and declared Goa as their state. The Indian troops invaded Goa and claimed it back not until the December of 1961. 

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My “eco-friendly” Friend Ganesha

Yes it’s just the first week of July and a couple more months for one of our vastly celebrated festivals and personally my favorite festival, but I think it’s the right time for me to make this write-up and spread a word about eco-friendly Ganapati idols.

 

Significance in short:

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated by large communities to mark the birth or rather his rebirth to lord Shiva and Parvati. Ganesha is the god of prosperity and good fortune. It’s a festival which is celebrated for ten days by Hindus not just all over India but all over the world. A festival which is being privately celebrated since the Shivaji era and became a public festival in 1893, courtesy Lokmanya Tilak! Before the start of any journey we loudly chant “Ganpati Bappaaa!” and we definitely get back a louder “Moryaaa!”

Now and then:

Ten days of beautiful Ganapti idols’ sights, from a couple of feet small to three-storey building sized idols, decorations exorbitantly expensive but a treat to the eye and the long and noisy visarjan nights are just unforgettable. But what has been forgotten is the fact that traditionally Ganapati wasn’t celebrated the way it today is. The idols would be sculpted and carved out of earthen or natural clay and decorated using little things from home, flowers and after the festival the idols would be returned back to earth by immersing in natural water bodies.

There is something else that we haven’t forgotten and we aren’t completely aware of it but chose to ignore it- Usage of POP idols and other toxic chemicals for decorating these idols. The growing size of idols induced crafters to use POP because it is easier to make idols out of it and make them colorful rather than clay.

Scientific explanation:

 

The visarjan of such POP Ganesh idols converts the POP to gypsum, which breaks down very slowly in water, increases its hardness and degrades the life carrying capacity of water bodies. It forms a waterproof layer at the bottom of the water body. The rampant use of harmful paints, usage of metals like cadmium, lead is wreaking havoc in the environment and contaminating seas, lakes and ponds. 

This is what happens to every single POP made Ganapati idol every single year! When will we learn?

Furthermore, it can impact you too via the consumption of fresh water from lakes, seafood and fish. The impacts can be narrowed down to problems related to heart, kidneys, liver, circulatory and central nervous system. 

Avoid the above explanation:

In simple words, tackling the scientific gibberish – visarjan of clay idols is returning what is earth’s whereas visarjan of POP idols is pressurizing the earth to intake what is man-made and harmful for its well being.

We resort to such a harmful act at the cost of the beauty He has created.

Solutions in action:

Other than the use of traditional clay idols, other suggested solutions which are in action:

A brass idol which can be re-used

Immersion of a clay idol in a bucket.

• Use of a permanent Ganapti icon made of stone and brass, used every year and a symbolic immersion only.

• Recycling of plaster idols to repaint them and use them again the following year. 

• Ban on the immersion of plaster idols into lakes, rivers and the sea. 

• Creative use of other biodegradable materials such as papier-mâché to create Ganesh idols. 
   

 
Our Lord Ganesha is friendly-by-nature; why not make his idols nature-friendly too?






Click on the following link for List of stores of ecosensitive Ganesh idols from Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad

If you stay in Kandivali, Borivali or Dahisar, here's the Rotararct Club of Dahisar Coast's initiative for you!

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A Hopefully Rainy Father's Day!

Well, its Father’s Day so I’m making this short write up for the Best Dad in the World- Didn’t I just consider everybody’s Dad?

My definition of a Father:

As a baby, well obviously I don’t remember. But if I did, it would’ve been the memory of a guy with a beard who would throw me up in the air, catch me again and still I’d never be scared!

As a kid, he was my first favorite superhero, someone I would want to take leave from work and play with me- I would go to the extent of blocking the door with a chair and hold fort all by myself!

As a teenager, he was a person who stood by me always although in the background when friends, school, college, sports etc came into the bigger picture!

Well that’s it I’m still a teenager! 

He might be your Daddy, Baba, Pappa, Bapu, Appa, Pops etc but still he's your buddy, the first sports teacher for a guy and the first guy in any girl's life!

  

Significance of this day:

Plain and simple, it’s the day when you gift your dad something, take his blessings, a return monetary gift and perhaps a dinner with the family!

In depth and still not complicated, it’s the day you get a chance to thank your Father for anything and everything, for being the strong pillar in your life, guiding you through hurdles and doing the best thing he does- always watching out for you.

In reality:

It was school time when we would make greetings with drawings of animals that would look Extra-terrestrial for the occasion! Well now, we seldom forget its Father’s Day, we don’t celebrate coz of lack of time, we hardly show him gratitude and with so many commitments in our routine life we don’t share, talk or spend time with our Dads.

Change things this Father’s Day!

Luckily it being a Sunday this time there’s a lot that you can do. Firstly, eliminate all non-family plans. Take his blessings, wish him, thank him! Secondly, be simple in your celebrations. It’s all about expressing your affection, not showing it off! Do an activity that will involve interaction so avoid movies, go for brunch, a sport perhaps- I chose swimming, or just talk and share with him, make him feel special with something different, it’s his day! He has fulfilled all our expectations. It’s our turn to do things he won’t expect us to do and put a big fat smile on that face! 

Don't forget, you're getting busier and he's not getting any younger- so cherish every moment with him!

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The Day YOU and I were born.

Birthday. Simple.

This day has a different meaning to every person. It's the day you grow older, of course that's just numerically and we celebrate it hoping to experience this day again and again in our life! 

For most people, it's a day which they spend with their family and friends. For few it's about secretly hoping for a surprise party or being nervous about someone forgetting to wish them, for some it is just their day and nothing else matters, it's the day they have been waiting for an entire year. It's like a festival of some sorts for some! 

For me, well, it's just a day I realise how fast the earlier year went by. My friends and family are more enthusiastic about my birthday than me. 
It's a crime to sleep before midnight of course! 

I don't really wait for everyone to wish me, that gives me a chance to exploit them the next day if they don't!
It's a day for me when it becomes monotonous saying "thanks", the tone changes after a while.
It's a day when many acquaintances call me after an year and never show-up for another year.
It's the day I prefer family over everyone else. 

I write this on my birthday, for the first time - far away from home, family and friends. It's definitely different altogether, not bad, just different!

So far it's been an hell of an expensive day coz of incoming roaming charges. Lost most of my balance  (It was a lot by the way). Haha. 

I'm amongst many strangers here. Only some are aware of the significance of this day for me. It doesn't feel like a birthday at work. The occasional wishes via calls and messages are reminding me that it is, indeed! 

A celebration is not feasible here. Gifts and celebrations, they all await me home! I don't miss it. The delay ups the craving though.  

I'm not the happiest today, but content! 

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