~ Reflections ~

What is it that makes home feel like home? That makes one come back to it ? I know there are some physical aspects in a house that make it home ..  But IT IS finally, the people who make a house feel like home... People who talk, communicate, are frank with each other...infact I think each person has their own wish list... For someone who likes the banter at home, I've suddenly started to despise OTT and all devices even more... Nowadays. I often walk into a house where each person is attached (read: glued) to their own respective devices...grrrrrr..... I find that my home is missing ?!? Radio silence ....

We have a help who takes care of our Tiny Human in our absence (albeit when we are doing more important things like running in the corporate rat race). It recently occurred to us that she actually has a child of a similar age who she leaves behind at home just to help us run our race. The irony of the situation still makes me wonder. The rat race is keeping us away from taking direct care of the child, but is enabling us to pay someone to do the same on our behalf. Ofcourse that is forcing her to stay away from her our child and being the direct care giver !!!  Strange are the ways of life !

There is a lot said of a House & a Home.. what must be and shouldn't be... But it is as much our choices in life, as much as what we keep at home.. कैसा हो घर का वास्तु  ~ स्वर्गीय अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी घर चाहे कैसा भी हो.. उसके एक कोने में.. खुलकर हंसने की जगह रखना.. सूरज कितना भी दूर हो.. उसको घर आने का रास्ता देना.. कभी कभी छत पर चढ़कर.. तारे अवश्य गिनना.. हो सके तो हाथ बढ़ा कर.. चाँद को छूने की कोशिश करना . अगर हो लोगों से मिलना जुलना.. तो घर के पास पड़ोस ज़रूर रखना.. भीगने देना बारिश में.. उछल कूद भी करने देना.. हो सके तो बच्चों को.. एक कागज़ की किश्ती चलाने देना.. कभी हो फुरसत,आसमान भी साफ हो.. तो एक पतंग आसमान में चढ़ाना.. हो सके तो एक छोटा सा पेंच भी लड़ाना.. घर के सामने रखना एक पेड़.. उस पर बैठे पक्षियों की बातें अवश्य  सुनना.. घर चाहे कैसा भी हो..  घर के एक कोने में.. खुलकर हँसने की जगह रखना. चाहे जिधर से गुज़रिये मीठी सी हलचल मचा दिजिये, उम्र का हरेक दौर मज़ेदार है अपनी उम्र का मज़ा लिजिये.   ज़िंदा दिल रहिए जनाब,  ये चेहरे पे उदासी कैसी वक्त तो बीत ह...

Days pass by without realizing what is truly happening around us... Oh yes, we are living in eventful times, with Djokovic equalling Nadal's record, and India winning the U-19 Women's World Cup, and ofcourse Adani pulling back their mammoth FPO... But the intent is to look around and inside, and truly absorb the elements. It is important to pause and collect, in whichever way works for you... Could be a solo holiday, or a simple massage, or just idling around... In essence, just some time to sit back and truly observe ! You'll be amazed at the things that hit you !  

We recently embarked on our first international trip with the Tiny Human (actually not so tiny anymore !)  and we discovered so many things about ourselves. It was a new geography, new food, different people et all, and we were actually wondering how it would pan out. But the realization that... we always underestimate the ability of strangers to empathize and help... a place might be new, but people are to you, as you are to people.. a change of place actually gives your mind a break, even if the daily chores being followed remain the same.... hmmm.... they were all eye openers :) For all the double guessing and fear we had about this sojourn, it turned out fine... Needless to say the Tiny Human was fairly cooperative, atleast as cooperative as a two and a half year old can be... Ofcourse, it did help that the cab driver suddenly played rhymes in the car when he heard him bawl, and the waitress gave a special empty bowl for him to play with once in a while. All in all, a brea...

Whether we talk about the Noah's Ark, Manu & the Matsya avatar or Nuh, the reference to that hope of a saviour when you are flooded is universal.  Ever so often, in life, when we are in a crisis, we tend to look for a saviour/ help... And more often than not, help appears in different shapes and forms, not always in the direction we are looking.  But what is more important is your will to move along, to accept the help being offered and not stay in denial to let 'fate take it's course'.  Fate will, obviously take it's course, but that is subject to the responses we send to the universe.   If Noah was ushering everyone into the boat, and I chose to say that I won't act on this option because I believe in the supreme and will wait for a suitable (read not tough/challenging) option to come my way, that's our action which is finally determining our fate. So keep your eyes and ears open for any such knock at your door... Often, tying our lifeboat to the horn ...

The world is a family. Our friends are a part of our family. We create our families.. define them, guard them... create walls, open gates... Whatever the definition or boundary, we revel in our family, with our family... It is often that part of our life which is without inhibitions.. M not saying it is all hunky dory, but it is definitely the better parts of our time on this planet.... But what portion of our waking life do we spend with family, knowing fully well that they provide the most joy ! Oh yes, there is work, and the other regular things we do/must do. There is also that annual vacation to the far west or east that one needs to prioritize...  Despite all these supremely important commitments, do we really even try to make the time ? As time is passing by, and showing up on my head in the form of those wiry white strands, I am increasingly caught with the thought of whether we try enough ?

We try and estimate so many things, and try to peg a value, often just figuratively... in being the best, the worst, the first, the last...  But what we end up doing in the process and peg ourselves and that relationship in our life. It's actually an estimate of ourselves, as we perceive it, in the other eyes of the other person...  How does it matter whether someone values you the most... What matters is how much you value them in the true sense...  Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have!!! 

My typical retort to anyone who said that they don't believe in God is whether they believe in 'What you give is what you get'.... because anyone who believes in this fine balance of life cannot deny the existence of the almighty.. whatever name might chose to attribute... But a discussion with a friend recently gave me a eureka moment... while I was seemingly smug about the realization of the existence, I seemed to be making the same error when talking about the form.  Till then, I always believed in the existence of an almighty, but was almost proud in declaring that I don't believe in the current propagated forms, like a Ganesh, Christ etc. Instead I believed in the Nirakaar  or Advaita form. But now I feel like a fool.. the existence of God, her form or the idea of her being formless is all the say. It is just a way we choose to perceive the almighty, or whatever you to choose to call her... The more I think about it, the more obvious my ignorance appears to be... H...

The toughest part of managing a child, besides getting them to eat right, is to get them to sleep :) Oh yes, you might be dreary and sleepy, but that doesn't seem to rub onto the child, or ease them to sleep. Often, one might rock oneself to sleep before the Tiny Human finally dozes off. It makes me wonder if I was as much a pain to put to sleep. With time and experience, each of us develop our own styles and techniques to achieve the ultimate outcome.. no judgement on the means to the end :) :D I've finally found a list of songs which seem to help in the task, without realizing that these songs have become my favourites anyway ! Here are the top 5. 5. Surmayi Akhiyo Mae (Hindi, Movie: Sadma) : Somehow Yesudas singing this song to you seems to be the perfect recipe to call upon sleep. Needless to say Gulzar weaves magic through those words. 4. Sapnon ke Ghar ki  (Hindi, Movie: Daddy)  : This is one is definitely one of the best of Talat Aziz. Hadn't heard of the lyricist ...