Padharo mharo Desh part 1

 We finally went on a trip to Rajasthan, namely Jaipur and Udaipur for a week. This was an out of Maharashtra trip after six long years! Several physical, mental, and financial reasons plus the two years of covid later finally could go on a long trip. This was also cancelled last year due to my foot fracture plus ligament tear. We did the exact same bookings for the same dates and funnily enough (NOT) I managed to injure the same foot again this January but the healing period in between was more and finally ortho gave green signal to go with strict instructions of not overexerting (which I totally ignored). It was a fabulous experience filled with grand palaces, majestic forts, heavenly food, soaking in the local culture via dances, music, puppet shows, touristy photos, master classes with guides, shopping, gupshup with driver dada, strolls in the old city markets, strolls in historic gardens, random posing, more shopping, meeting interesting people and overall drenching in history and culture giving us lifetime memories!  For more photos - https://www.facebook.com/share/p/iGXMpgKhZpPkjrWG/?mibextid=oFDknk

भुताटकी

भुताटकी

मानेवर बसलीय 

भुताटकी

गच्च धरून ठेवलंय

श्वास रोखलाय

पाठीत उसण भरलीय

खांदे आले मोडत

डोकं सुन्न झालंय

भुताटकी सतत बोलत असते 

कानात किंचाळत असते

कधी डोक्यात मुंग्या सोडते

कधी पोटात गांडूळ

कधी डोळ्यात आग ओतते

कधी पायात बर्फ

भुताटकी बसलीय मानेवर

नाचतेय थयथया डोक्यावर

चेंग्रून टाकतेय आतून

कोण ही? कुठून आली? 

आरश्यात पाहते दिसते का

ओरबडते स्वतःची चांबडी 

ओढून काढते केस

आपटते डोकं

पण जात नाही ती 

सण साजरी करून पाहते

फिरून येते जरा

कामं करते खूप

इतकी पळते की ती पडून जाईल

पण लोचट आहे 

सोडत नाही

आरश्यात पाहते

मीच दिसतेय

मीच माझी भुताटकी 

 भगवा

हिरवा

लाल

काळा 

भगवा

आधी भगवा होता मग हिरवा झाला म्हणून आम्ही परत भगवा केला, चला आता दिवाळी साजरी करूया

पण 93 ला मला फक्त लाल आठवतोय

भगव्यातून पण लाल, हिरव्यातून पण लाल

भारताच्या संविधानातून पण लाल

आणि त्या नंतर फक्त काळा

प्रत्येक मनात 

पण चला आता दिवाळी साजरी करूया

Ye daru jami nahi

Year end

High spirits

Cocktails on minds

My mind a cocktail

of guilt

of anger

of self-pity

of a sense of failure

of pondering over universal justice

of scrapes of hope

like lemon zest

some flavor to my cocktail

but as the night proceeds

the stronger spirits take over

Lemon can't compete

I want to pour this cocktail out

Squeeze my brain dry 

till nothing is left

not even me

पुर्जे

 

बीच रास्ते

रुक गई

चार लोक जमा हुए

धक्का देने लगे

किसी से मदद मांगनी भी नही पडी

चल पडी गुनगुनाते हुए

बीच रास्ते

फिर रुक गई

गुनगुनाना बंद

चिल्ला उठी

धुआ निकालने लगी

होसला देकर उसे 

ले गए डॉक्टर के पास

पुर्जे खोले गए

काफी कचरा जमा था दिमाग में

सरजरी देर तक चली

ट्रान्सप्लांटेशन भी करने पडे

पुर्जे जोडे गए

हस पडी

बिलकुल नए जेसी

गुनगुनाने लगी

फिर भागने लगी...

ये किस्सा था गाडी का 

इंसान का खेर रेहने ही दो...

-----******-------------

गाडी के पुर्जे, चलो फिर भी ठीक हो जाते है

ये दिमाग के पुर्जे कब ठीक होंगे पता नही

Indulgences

 

This stems from a conversation Adi and I were having yesterday. There is absolutely nothing new in this, but I feel many of us forget this and a reminder is needed. If for noone else, I need to write this for myself....as usual it's unfiltered

We are all indulgent.

No, don't even try to deny it.

Indulgence is not just about overspending on luxuries.

 It is mostly understood in that sense, but then what are luxuries and what are necessities?

 Don't we all define things just the way they suit us? 

Buying a huge villa for a small family is an indulgence, spending on expensive clothes, cars, vacations, gadgets, all indulgences...

But who are we to judge anyone on how they spend their money be it hard earned or inherited unless off course it's by illegal means.

 We often judge celebrities based on how much they earn, how much they donate, how rich their lifestyles are. This is a national hobby. Do we know really know them as people, do we know the work they put in, the stress they suffer? I know I am going against popular public opinion but bear with me for some more time. 

The point is we judge

We judge people we don't know anything about, we judge people we think we know based on their social media, we judge people we think we know based on what persona they are showing us, we judge friends, we judge family.

All for what? Based on what our definition is of needs and luxuries and indulgences.

Being born is an indulgence,

So is getting an education,

Staying single is an indulgence so is getting married

Not having kids is an indulgence so is having one or two or a dozen

Staying as a nuclear family is an indulgence so is staying with parents or in-laws.

Leaving a stable job to start a business is an indulgence but so is doing a stable job.

This list can go on

Problem is, getting well-educated, getting married, staying with in-laws, having kids, having a stable job are "society- approved" indulgences so they automatically become the norm. 

Anything beyond the norm becomes an indulgence, becomes self-centred behavior.

Everyone chooses based on what suits their situation, none of us is a saint, when we choose something we compromise on something else and all of us have to live with the results of our choices. 

Again, making new choices is deemed an indulgence but sticking to older choices and not making new ones is also an indulgence! 

The other end of "society- approved" indulgences are "rebel" indulgences. There are a chunk of us who look down upon everything that's society-approved and in the quest to be different we end up creating new norms and stigmas and rigidities. 

Living a simple lifestyle in itself is an indulgence because one chooses to do so. 

Like I said before, none of us is a saint, some indulge in food, some in gadgets, some in homes, some in travel, some in spiritualism, some in living independently, some in living with family.

The question arises that if we all give in to our indulgences what would happen to the less fortunate... There comes the humanity in us, how much can we control ourselves, how much can we help others with and in what ways.

However, no one person can judge another on how, where and why they give in to some indulgences or not. 

This became way to lengthy than it was meant to be.

As always one line sums it up-

Live and let live

But because it's me, I ain't satisfied with one line. So here goes-

Shove your unwanted opinions up your judgemental asses.... Oh and 

Live and let live 

Pssst- pic was just to grab attention 🙈 but it does show we love indulging in food!

somehand

Hands that sign national policies

Hands that hammer away on keyboards,

behind the safety of the screens

Hands that just point fingers

Hands that raise colored flags, and

touch the Supremo's feet

and

then

there

are 

the 

real

hands

the hands that build the nation 

the ones who get the least respect

bcos these hands don't directly save lives

or invent vaccines 

or make software

or have viral videos

but they are hands without which

the nation will be handicapped....