Small Lil Things

In the hustle - bustle of our day to day life we tend to forget or avoid or notify the existance of the small little things around us. The thing is we are awfully engrossed in our day to day chores and big things like managing the home, finances, investments, savings, office, health, fitness, etc we just turn a blind eye towards the small and little things 

But sometimes these small little things can make big impressions on us and easily can change our perception towards life. Today while I was busy making sandwiches for breakfast and my mind was busy maundering in the random thoughts, fears and anxieties of how my life has changed its path since I had lost my parents; then suddenly my attention was diverted by a smoky smell in my living room. (As in Mumbai Ghar shuru Hone se pehele hi khatam hote hai.. Similarly I have a small cute little house in the heart of the city)

When I turned around in the direction of the smell, I noticed that the burning diya (oil lamp) placed before lord Ganesha had just extinguished. Where there was a live burning flame before now there was just a diya emitting smoke. At that very moment my maundering and wondering mind was settled and a deep thought was aroused within me. Thought that burning flame was just a tiny thing but for me at that moment it was a perception changing experience.

The oil lamp (diya) thought me that the burning flame symbolizes life whereas the oil that helps the flame to glow refers to life supportive sources. Therefore it’s our job to source our life and body with healthy food, fresh air & proper lifestyle.

See how sometimes small little things awaken us and shows us the way of life.

After the loss of my parents Life always seemed to me very mysterious. I had just started thinking that now no one is there to advice me or teach me words of wisdom but now I am certainly aware that the guardian of my destiny is guiding me throughout. It made me realsie that there is plently to learn from the very small little things surrounding us.

Yes, big things like home, finances, investments, savings, office, health, fitness, etc.. etc.. etc.. are occupying but now even small little things matters to me.

A Tale of Two Cities

Mumbai

Mumbai - the city of dreams, where Millions of people arrive every day with hopes- hopes to accomplish their dreams.  Mumbaai, which is located on the west cost of India, in the state of Maharashtra, is the financial hub of the country.

Pune

Whereas Pune, which is located in the heart of state Maharashtra is the cultural, educational and IT hub.

Both these cities are very close to each other in terms of distance as well as manner and both these cities are very close to me too. Because I belong to Mumbai and my heart Belongs to Pune. Yes my Heart because MR. R has just shifted to Pune for his further studies and this is how I got acquainted with this cultural city.

It all started in Feb. with the arrival of spring. Spring which marks the beginning, and in this year, in the month of Feb with springs my odysseys to Pune were begun. I had been to Pune long back, when I was a kid.

And that day in FEB, it was like I was visiting Pune for the first time after ages. I left the home to begin my journey in the dawn with a hope and desire to spend few more extra hrs with Mr. R by reaching there early.

Previously two decades ago it use to take 5 hrs to reach Pune from Mumbai, but now Thanks to Shivnery bus service (between Mumbai – Pune), the journey now just takes 3 hrs. Though both the cities are close to each other, there is a considerable difference between them that makes them both unique.

In Mumbai when I left, it was cold but as usual Mum had its warmth and humidity, but as I landed in Pune OMG!!! It was chilly and the weather was so dry.

Coincidentally that day it was Shiv Jayanti and the entire city was colored in the shades of Shivaji Maharaj's glory.. (about whom I had already mentioned in my previous post). Huge saffron flags were raised all over the city radiating it with saffron luminance. And at the junction of every street large loud speakers were placed playing the Marathi songs called “Pawda” specially sung to describe Shivaji Maharaj’s bravery, victorious achievements and his unique impressive ways of administration.

In comparable to Pune Shiv Jayanti in Mumbai is not very grand, indeed it’s nothing before Pune. "Yes Nothing". But one thing for sure you will definitely find saffron flags here, only near Sena Bhavan and near Mantralaya. The reason behind this is Mumbai is a Mega city and moreover it’s secular because it represents the entire country.

In Mumbai Traffic is like nuisance, that’s why people here prefer to travel by trains and so Mumbai Local rocks. In Pune as there are no local trains, people are totally depended on their two wheelers. Therefore roads in Pune are very congested by the two wheeler traffic and traffic in Pune is very haphazard. Punekars are so casual about traffic that in Pune the traffic rules, over the traffic rules. So in order to enforce the traffic rules on Punekars, the Municipal Corporation has taken a step further, indeed a way further,  by appointing bouncers. This tells how mischievous punekars are about traffic.

Newez..

If Mumbai is a City of illusion – Maya Nagri then Pune is a city of Education – shikshanache Maher Ghar. Life in Mumbai is accelerated whereas life in Pune is calm, casual and smooth. As I have spent my entire life in Mumbai, I have seen Mumbai developing – first spreading across horizontally and now I am seeing it developing and rising vertically. Mumbai was born with the time gradually. Therefore Mumbai is the city of Today on the other hand Pune is the city of tomorrow. Pune is being planned and developed as the city of Future. I know Mumbai personally and I bleed Mumbai it is obvious I will compare each city to it. So one thing that annoys me the most about Pune are the dangling electric wires hanging all over the city. And one thing that annoys me the most of Mumbai is the crowd.. oooffff!!!

Whatever every city has its flaws.

But When Mumbai makes me proud about its prosperity, opportunities, glamor and its exquisiteness on the other hand Pune makes me proud about my "Marathi Bana" and my "Marathi Pana".  When Mumbai inspires me to reach for the skys pune reminds me of my soil and my roots.

Therefore in true means; I belong to Mumbai but somewhere I also relate to Pune.

JAY MAHARASHTRA.

The Wedded Bliss

I am a today's Gal. I am a girl of new hi-tech era. I'm independent, strong, self-sufficient and I belong to Mumbai - a city that neva sleeps. I want everything smart like my smart phone. I get what I want myself, keeping in mind what I can afford. Like every girl of today's info tech age I am smart, bold and I know what is good or bad.

Though I flaunt through my attitude that- “I’m a girl, so what!!! Do

I need a man to buy me a house or frost me with diamond or help me to survive???...!!! "

haan!!! Nooo..Noo wez...

I'm not a damsel in distress but I'm a girl who has strong inner-strength.

And I know am not unique or special there are thousands and millions of girls like me in this city who are struggling their existence as a strong female with the faith, determination, dedication and confidence on their femininity.

But like every common girl on this planet I too spin a beautiful dream of my wedding.

And today this dream was provoked by my colleagues news of marriage. In the office today, when she gave me this good news I was damn happy for her.

But deep within me it created a lollapalooza kinda thing. This lollapalooza thing within, haunted me throughout the day. Seeing her happy and blushing all day long I myself got impatient of getting married. Not because I am desperate or not because seeing her cheerful and chirpy made me jealous but becoz I am a girl who just pretends to be strong, bold and independent. And there is a part of me jus like a dark side of the moon N like every modern girl who hides the emotional side - that part which still desires to be a bride, a traditional bride.

Today I was taken a back in my teen age days when I use to dream of having a very cultural and traditional Royal Maharashtrian wedding. I was inspired for this after watching a Marathi TV series based on Maharaj Shiv Chhatrapatti,a brave Maratha worrier king, who eradicated the tyrannical Moghal Empire from Deccan (south India) and established Swarajya i.e soverign republic government in Deccan in

18th century. - (I will surely mention in detail about Maharashtrian Weddings and Raja Shiv Chhatrapatti in a separate post)

Newez back to the 21st century and back to the present.

Today I am not sure that whether I can have such grand wedding eva specially afta the loss of ma parents.

But for a moment I felt she (my colleague) is getting lucky and I wondered when shall be I???

This question hindered me the whole day...

In the morning there was turbulence within me... there were storms inside me... I was so excited seeing her excitement and I was panic too.. I had an urgency of belonging legally to my Mr. Right but later on I recollected what my beloved mother.. My aai had told me about marriages. Though I’m a modern age girl I still have a faith on my mother’s words about marriage - that a marriage is a sacred union of male and female...

On the other hand I suddenly recollected a dialogue between Radha and Krisha in which Raddha interrogated Kirshna saying "Lord!!! If you love me then still why did you marry Rukmini (Krishna's wife)???" On which Lord Krishna answered "Radhe!!! I married Rikmini because a marriage requires two separate individuals where as we both are one".

Then I realized I already belong to him, I already belong to my Mr. Right who had stood beside me in all my glory as well as my dark my abysmal days. Who is my strength and who is the reason, I'm still alive.

In the morning I felt she is lucky and I wondered when shall be I!!! And at the end of the day Lord Krishna made me realize that I have My Mr. Right in my life and that I am already lucky.

And now all at once the panic, the storm, the fear of being alone,the turbulence, the fire has cool down. The urgency and the disturbance have vanished and all I have is tranquility and peace of mind.

Now in the true means I have "the bliss" - the "wedded bliss".

Eternal v/s Material Soul

Nothing is permanent so do is the tomorrow.

Tomorrow brings the mornings-  the mornings which I love.

The morning sea waves and buzzing breeze; the chirping birds blissfully manifesting their joy by singing the morning song - "its morning... its morning" but I hate the most is the morning blues.

They spoil all my plans which I make every night laying down on my bed. Every night I deicide to get up early and go for a walk to see the rising sun, smell and breathe in the morning airs and do some yoga. But these dreams of night melt down and crack up like a cracking mirror every morning.

As every common human I drop this blame of my not getting up early on someone else. The blame of my morning laziness goes on over to my two quarrelsome selfs. One is my eternal self who does all the planning in the night of waking up early and like an angelic child my other self which I call “the material self" accede it innocently.

But in the mourning it shows its chaste behavior. When the birds sing and dance on their morning song, the sea breeze buzz around the city giving a wakeup call to all my fellow Mumbaikars and the waves with all the excitement dashes on the shore, I lie lazily in my teeny tiny apartment struggling to get up.

And it all begins with it – My eternal Self V/s My Material Self.

The eternal self is the mind and the Material self is the body. They both are quarrelsome they both are egotists. They both try to rule us. Sometimes the mind wins but in the morning overcoming the material self is very difficult.

The chattering discussing in the conference of my mind is as;

Eternal Self (All exited to explore the morning) – its 6:30 wow!!!.

Material self – It’s just 6:30 and the office is at 10:00 … 1 hr is sufficient to get ready and traveling just takes 15 mins… Please.. not today am still tired of yesterday’s hustle and bustle. And there is still plenty of time and its useless getting up and what can be done anyways.

(And sleeping in the morning it seems just perfect at the very moment.)

Eternal Self - But, what about rising early and cleaning the house and cooking the food?

Material Self  – Ohh!! Well it can be started all over tomorrow again. And the house is anyways clean – thanks to the Baai (maid) and when the food is available outside then why to cook. And it’s always tomorrow but today needs rest.

With all this flibbertigibbet discussion and conversation in my mind the time passes from 6:30 to 7:00 and from 7:00 it finally drops to 8:00 A.m. Then the same voice inside me shoots me an order “get up, its 8:00 or else it will be late” and Finally as I have no other options rather than gettin up 8:00 Am to start my same boring life.. Home – office, office - home...

I know every morning all of us have experienced this. And only because of them we, most of us, have- No Morning walks… No yoga… No morning excitement Yet!!!

The only things we have are “Disappointments”. Disappointments of - not conquering the lazy soul, not getting up early and continuous falling prey to adamant- laziness … laziness and laziness..

We all know that we all love to get up.. Rise up.. But the life which presently we all live with 10 hrs of working in a day - all this early morning excitement and enthusiasm gets killed.

It’s not the job who kills the excitement; it’s me, you and we all who kills it.

I know -I have a life of 24 hrs in a day. And I know I can conquer someday these quarrelsome selves within me who discuss, who continuously chatter, who are ninnyhammers and actually hammers ninny (sleep in childish lingo) on me every morning.

I know I only work around 10 hrs and I have 14 hrs still left for myself. In which I can actually live.

But When???

And I know I’m not the only one who is trapped in the debate of these selves. With me there are many people who have experienced this. And the only way to get or rise up, above from this is, conquering the material self.

Its truely said in the vedas that one who conqures and proves victorious on these morning blues is even able to conqure the world.

And surely people like me will soon stop pampering the material self who is witty and always comes up with all the good reasons to rise up late.

So Let’s judge this quarrel some day and release ourselves from this trap.

Surely we shall all smell the sweet fragrance of dawn and begin each morning with a New Beginning, soon…

But When???

The answer.. I know ..is within me…

Similarly like the answer is within me. The answer is within you.

So lets just answer this;

“But When???”

Jazz N Bluezz

Jazz and Bluezz both represent Music. Jazz refers to happiness and blues inclines towards the tint of sadness. Life sometimes seems Jazzy and sometimes it floats in the "blues" and therefore “Jazz N Bluezz” is an ironic combination of life.

Jazz and Blues always goes in hand in hand like winter is followed by spring and spring by autumn. Jazz and Blueszz combines together to draw a beautiful landscape of life to demonstrate how notorious life is. How sometimes it so colorful, attractive, Jazzelling and with no time it can twist itself to be shadowy, gloomy, shady and dark.

Life is tricky, complicated and complex like a Jazzy Sunday evening followed by a Monday morning blues. That’s what Jazz and bluezz is for me it’s a musical sensitive refection of life surrounding me.

So live, enjoy and Jive both the Jazz and Bluezz of the Life.