Presenting 'Juhu Beach'!

Mention Juhu Beach, and the first reaction is, oh, there is nothing like the beaches in Goa... and the conversation ends right there. While there are thousands thronging the huge stretch of the Juhu Beach everyday, another thousand choose to stay as far away from it as possible, citing the place dirty! Well, if so many felt that it was dirty and definitely not worth going with kids, and absolutely not taking a bunch of them for a playdate... my curiosity only grew...

My daughter's school is opposite the beach, though rows of fancy houses block the view! After school, one day, both of us decided to go and check out the beach. We went to a quieter part of the beach, and Anushka's first reaction was, "who says Juhu Beach is dirty?!" I was shockingly surprised too! It was clean, not just by Indian standards, but by decent global standards.

When we visited Spain and Portugal last July the beaches on the Mediterranean and The Atlantic were definitely prettier, but they were dirty too in some parts. The beach at the centre of Barcelona was full of beer bottles, crowns and cigarette butts, and not to mention topless women everywhere! It was quite a task to make Anushka not see those women, and yet letting her have her share of fun!

A playdate was organised for my daughter and some of her school friends today. Not just the kids, but the mothers had a blast too! The 'haters' and the-only-discouraging-ones may change their minds if they read this post, but I just hope the authorities continue to do the good work of keeping Mumbai clean. Hope the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' does not become a part of history as a mere campaign!

Here are some photographs from our playdate today :)

Street Musicians Across The World

"If music be the food of love (life), play on..." - using a part of the famous lines of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare... music transcends all boundaries and brings people together.

Here's my tribute to the wonderful street musicians all over the world who perform in public squares, gardens and markets to enthrall different sets of tourists and locals everyday for a paltry reward.

1. At a local market in Bangkok here is a blind guitarist playing his music to the passerby. He has a microphone and an amplifier to be heard around!

2. An elderly couple performs almost non-stop at the Plaza Mayor, Madrid, belting out popular Spanish songs like Besame Mucho.

3. One of my favourites... Sitting on a chair at Miradouro in the Alfama region of Lisbon this old man can give many trained classical guitar professionals a run for their money... his playing was effortless and soulful!

3. An accordian player with hi-tech gadgets plays different genre of music seated under a lamp post outside the Royal Palace of Madrid.

4. At the Kapellbrücke, Lucerne, this old man played his small accordion while people walked on...

5. This performance was one of a kind... alphorn players at a square in Lucerne.

Anushka at Euro Kids!

Here are the 3 wonderful ladies who have been very important in my Anushka's world. They taught her, looked after her and most importantly loved her. Anushka dotes on her Lupali (Rupali) Teacher, Bhavya Teacher and Zaitun Aunty! Joy and I are extremely happy that we chose Euro Kids for our daughter and that she found such wonderful teachers; we couldn't have asked for more.

My little darling finished Nursery and will be starting Lower KG at Maneckji from next Tuesday. Wasn't she born just yesterday! Today was the last day at Euro Kids; we were all teary eyed while saying our goodbyes. The first teachers are always very special and I want Anushka to feel that way when she grows up. As for me, all I will say, I wasn't this sad when I finished my school as I was with Anushka leaving Euro Kids... well, that's very typical of a mother. Surprisingly, I found a-very-much-in control-of-emotions Joy looking sad while picking Anushka from Euro Kids for the last time!

Age does matter!

In the past 1 month, on 2 separate occasions, I accidentally referred to myself as 'young' and 'girl'... the latter being the most embarrassing! Thanks to my presence of mind and a decent level of communication skills I managed to divert the topic and save my face! 

Well, no matter how much we want to feel young we need to act and say and do things that are relevant to the age; and that's the beauty of life! It did strike me both times and just made me realise that life isn't the same anymore. Guess I feel a little less odd that I am 39, and that it's ok to be my age because I have a daughter. But, I find many people around me who can't handle the fact that they are getting older! To me it's more important to be physically and mentally fit to stay "young" rather than behave stupid to prove a point (and make a complete fool of oneself!).

By the way, I had a 2-day birthday celebration this time! Anushka blew the candle, cut my cake, fed me some cake and had some herself, went to her favourite play area at a mall and had a blast! I couldn't have asked for more!

3 year old Anushka's tribute to the nation!

My 3 year old daughter Anushka is definitely one of the very few of her age to be so patriotic! Why not, she was born on August 15! Yesterday, when we went shopping for her birthday she sang "Jana Gana Mana" repeatedly covering almost the entire stretch of Lokhandwala (Mumbai) holding the National Flag in her tiny hand! Her rendition of the National Anthem, in my opinion, is the most heartfelt, though her words are not very clear. Watch the video to figure out for yourself! I don't know who to thank for this, the almighty or her lovely teachers at Eurokids? Whoever it is, I am a happy mother! She doesn't know what a nation is and why is there an anthem; for a child it's not necessary. I just hope she feels the same enthusiasm, and learn to feel the emotion while singing the National Anthem when she grows up. She also loves the fact that her favourite Robi Thakur (Rabindranath Tagore) composed "Jana Gana Mana"!

Sale begins and so does shopping!

How life changes with the passing of time....  I started writing this post while I was waiting in a huge queue at Shoppers Stop yesterday, and I'm finally finishing it now (I have no control over time)!

There was a time, not so long ago, when going out shopping meant buying stuff for myself and sometimes for others. Now, the focus of buying is only on Anushka. I walked the length and breadth of a fairly large Inorbit Mall, Malad Mumbai looking for things that are good and worth buying, but I didn't feel like buying anything for myself! It's not that I don't need anything; in fact, I badly need a whole lot of things! 

During the off season sale at malls the clothes, in particular, are not always that reasonable; they are often over priced and some of the stuff are unbelievably rotten! Wonder who designs them and who wears them! It's my baby's birthday next month and I have the onus of buying things on her grandparents' behalf. I went to Shoppers Stop and Lifestyle twice each and scouted like mad to find just a few things that interested me. I got tired and gave up, hence I'll have to go back again!

For now, I got two really cute dresses, a Snow White figure toy (one more to add to our Disney collection) and a Dora Snakes and Ladder game! I'm not sure if Anushka would have any interest in these beyond a few minutes, but I know I enjoyed shopping for these in spite of getting tired hunting around for something worthwhile! It's almost as if I am fulfilling my unfulfilled wishes and reliving my childhood again!

And the music begins...

At 2 years and 11 months Anushka had her 1st music lesson on the keyboard! She knows what are high notes and low notes, she identifies the black notes from the white. She can even identify groups of 2 and 3 black notes. She can identify all C's on the keyboard and also knows that there is a Middle C; she doesn't know which one is middle C though! The 10 minute lesson ended with a promise that I'll let her play the piano when she's 5!

Recycling plastic bottles

I have been selling all used plastic bottles, boxes, and all other plastic things that are waste in my home to the local scrap buyer (kabadiwala) for many years. I know for a fact that if a kabadiwala is paying me money to buy old plastic then there ought to be a reason for it. I googled and figured that used plastic is crushed and processed to make different things, but I did not find a well written document which explained what really happens with all this plastic.

Just today, I read an article in the newspaper which gave me more reasons not to throw away the plastic that gets accumulated at home into the garbage bin. My husband sometimes makes fun of me, and my parents and sister think that I'm mad. Don't know what my friends would call me; I never discuss my recycling madness with them. I know what I'm doing and I'm happy being myself!

School admission dilemma!

Getting through to a good school in the Indian big cities is no joke. The reasons for this varies from one city to another.

Our main criterion for a good school is that it should be inclusive. School ranking etc. can be secondary as we don't even know what our daughter wants to become when she grows up. If she wants to study any form of performing arts in Berkley or The Julliard School, no elite Indian school can get her there unless she has the talent and we have the means to be a part of such schools!

For now, Anushka will go to either a regular (good) school, if she gets through; or, she starts at a pre-school.

2012 is ending...

The one thing I really wished for was peace and happiness in this seemingly chaotic and unpredictable world when I wrote my new year post early January this year. Sadly, through the year, in spite of many highs on the personal front, several unfortunate incidents happened all around the world, and all of those affected me deeply. The young Delhi girl who was brutally tortured only to die was no friend of mine, but her death has a deep impact on me, and I know the dent that has formed will take a long time to fill. Every time I muster some courage to get on with life something bad happens, and I am back to square one. I often wonder how will I bring up my daughter, what values do I pass on? No, that’s not the exact question… I am worried about how will I keep my daughter safe, and yet, give her a reasonably independent life? I am sure that most Indian mothers with young daughters have this question on their minds at this very moment!

Protests, debates, candle light march, interviews… they all happen, but cruelty towards people just keeps going on and on and on. Today, in spite of all the good and the bad things happening around the world, I am living my life just like any other day; just that I am a little more shaken inside.

Tomorrow when I celebrate the coming of the new year with my family and friends I will be a little unsure about what to expect of the coming year. One thing that I am sure going to pray for is safety for my immediate family first and then everybody else. With such amount of filth in the society who knows if my family becomes the next victim!

  

Diwali decorations!

I don't celebrate Diwali as such, but I like the idea of lights and decoration everywhere. Mumbai literally dresses up during Diwali. This year I decorated my house a bit as I wanted Aanya to know what Diwali is. Had I not fallen ill I would've done a lot more. I also want her to understand and appreciate the need to recycle things and value all that she has. Hence, most of the decorations at our home were reused, like the diyas, streamers etc. or recycled. 

I made paper diyas from some lovely paper I had at home. Here's one below!

I am not too fond of electric lights that most people put up in houses. I love the conventional diyas. But this year the problem was about safety. I couldn't put any diya where Aanya could reach. So, Joy stretched outside the ledge in the living room and placed the diyas, and kept reoiling them too! I stood on the ledge to take the pic below!

Recycled toy holder

I love cane baskets to keep things, and I planned to buy a big basket for my daughter to keep her toys in them. While cleaning up the house I found a lot of cardboard boxes lying around, and one of the boxes gave me an idea. I believe in recycling, and I spend a lot of time recycling different kinds of things. I didn't realise when this became a hobby. 

I pulled out the scanner-printer carton and cut the top flaps and it was ready to use. Initially I thought of putting colourful paper and pictures to make the box look nice. Later I decided to paste my 2 year old daughter's beautiful drawings to adorn the box. This I felt would make her toy holder look very unique and she'll enjoy using it. 

This is what it looks like!

This box may not last too long. But, this post will bring back childhood memories to my daughter when she grows up!

Kasab dead... is justice served?

Today as I read this I remember that night I was glued to the tv just hoping and praying that the terrorists are caught and life in Mumbai gets to normal. Later in the morning I fell off to sleep for some time only to suddenly wake up to the sound of the tv. The news of the dead made me shudder inside. I still remember some of the faces of people who either lost a family member or just survived by luck.

Four years have passed. Everybody has moved on in life, and so have I. But i know that I am not the same person I used to be. I live in fear of death every single day. No matter how hard I try the fear inside me is intact. I think I'm scared of losing someone dear rather than fearing about myself.

Ajmal Kasab is finally dead. Finally the martyrs and those who died on that fateful day rest in peace. Judgement is done. Just that people like me need to know of many more criminals' deaths to live in peace.

For the record, Ajmal Kasab's execution is believed to be the second quickest in India. Considering that the second quickest execution took almost 4 years I am not sure whether I should be happy or utterly astonished. 

My tribute to a genius called Jagjit Singh

Last year on September 24 I heard on the television that Jagjit Singh was hospitalised after suffering brain haemmorage, and in the next few days the news only got gloomier. On October 10 he passed away. He created a void in the music world, especially in the ghazal singing fraternity; he also created a void in my life. I haven't had the privilege of knowing him, nor even meeting him, yet I felt a huge loss in my heart. I guess that's what the 'greats' do. Through their works they become a part of your life, your world!

I was introduced to Jagjit Singh's music at home. I was about 7, when there used be endless small, informal parties at my place. There was always good food and drinks, and a lot of music. In most of those sessions Jagjit and Chitra Singh's music was played as their music was everyone's favourite! This was life for me and my family and friends and it went on. One day we heard about the death of Jagjit and Chitra Singh's son, and soon we realised that Chitra Singh would no longer sing. Like typical Bengalis, who like to discuss everything (almost), they discussed the tragic death, Chitra Singh's absence from singing etc. 

Many years passed and I had moved on to listening to more western music than Indian. It was just by chance that  I met a few people while I lived in Hyderabad, who quite unknowingly and unintentionally got me back into the world of Jagjit Singh's ghazals; and, this time I guess I became a more intense fan.

I've had the privilege of attending two of his concerts in Hyderabad, and what musical treats they were! The man was a genius! I remember the second concert that I went for, he was not well, but one couldn't tell! He was at his best throughout! We refer to him as a singer, a ghazal maestro, but what is hardly spoken about him is that of his performance style. It is rare that a singer from a serious genre of music entertaining the crowd while performing at the highest level. Most Indian classical and semi classical artists sit with a tanpura or a harmonium and sing and talk about the songs or the ragas only. Jagjit Singh would crack a joke and get back to singing some of the most difficult notes without any effort, leaving the audience spellbound!

Today, on his first death anniversary, I pray to the almighty that He keeps our dear Jagjit Singhji safe and happy. His genius is irreplaceable, but I do hope that there will be enough talent to keep his legacy going.

These 2 tickets are a part of my most treasured possessions! In fact, I went to Viceroy (now Marriott) in Hyderabad all by myself to watch this concert! It was a bit awkward to sit all alone amidst so many people around, but as the evening progressed with one gem after another I became one with the music around me. "Badi nashili raat thi..."

The grind begins - school admissions!

I picked up Anushka's 1st school admission form today... I said 1st as I'll have to pick up many more so that she gets a seat in one of the good schools! It is not easy to get your child in one of the top schools in the city unless you are quite rich or famous or both! Joy and I are none! But, we will do our best to get Anushka in one among the 4 schools I have shortlisted. They are counted among the best in the whole of Mumbai and the most preferred and sought after in the Western suburbs of Mumbai. I don't know who needs more luck, Anushka or me? But in all of these tense moments, it is such a wonderful feeling that my baby is soon going to go to school! :)

Anushka turns 2!

I have been planning this day for a few months. There have been nights when I was awake, and thinking of all the things that we'd do on our little one's birthday. I believe in doing things myself, and that becomes quite a challenge often, like putting streamers, balloons etc. I had no idea that putting streamers along the edges of the ceiling can be such a task! I spent many hours planning how to put them, and imagined for a few more hours as to how will they look like, but my planning failed completely because of the shape of the room, the fans etc! Thank God, Joy was such a sport and my mother-in-law was around to help!

I wanted the birthday to be a simple one, but it had to have all the fun elements. Visiting Sneha Sadan is no plan, it has become a part of our lives. Even before I conceived Anushka, Joy and I had decided that we will visit either an orphanage or an old age home for her birthday, and also have a regular get together with family and friends. It was just by chance we got to know about Sneha Sadan right before Anushka's 1st birthday and we visited there. We didn't have to think or plan anything after meeting everyone; without saying anything Joy and I knew that it is this lovely home that we will visit whenever we want to! In the 1 year we have built a bond with the children and the sisters, and they will always be a part of our lives.

We went to Sneha Sadan in the afternoon as we organised lunch for them. The children decided what they wanted to eat and accordingly, food was ordered. I'm not too keen that Anushka cuts a cake at Sneha Sadan as I don't want to remind the children another time that they don't have parents to take care of them. I know their pain and hurt and regret can never be reduced, but I don't want too add to what's already there. So, the plan was to have another 2 children whose birhdays were in August too to cut the cake along with Anushka... everyone cheered and sang , and it was such a beautiful moment! I hope my Anushka grows up to cherish these extra ordinary moments.

There was an early evening get together with family, and some of my students who Anushka just loves! Anushka loves ducks, her bath time mates! So, Joy suggested that we have a duck shaped cake. After a lot of research we decided on  a Donald Duck cake from Birdy's (our favourite cake shop). It goes without saying that the cake was heavenly to taste!

I always wanted to play the piano while singing the birthday song for my family, but that never happened, and another 1st time experience in my life happened with Anushka!

Here's the video!

Anushka participated during a game of passing-the-parcel by moving her hands and legs, as if she was dancing, while the music played! I think she loves gifting people; that was one thing she thoroughly enjoyed... giving away the return gifts!

Four years of blogging and the Olympics!

I started blogging 4 years ago the day Abhinav Bindra won the first individual gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. I was so happy that my country got a place at the medals tally with a gold medal that I wanted to do something, and I dared to step into blogging! The past 4 years I have blogged about a variety of things that touched my heart, and today I am writing this post as many Indian athletes have touched my heart and their achievements make me happy.

To start with, what a lovely way to mark the last day of Olympics 2012... wrestler Sushil Kumar scripted history in Indian sports by winning medals in 2 consecutive Olympics! My favourites, Saina Nehwal and Mary Kom created history too! I am sure these 2 women will continue to play exceedingly well and make us all proud for a long time to come! Parupalli Kashyap was such a surprise at the Olympics this time! If he continues to play like this then the day isn't far when he too will bag an Olympic medal too! Vijay Kumar, another unsung hero, got a sliver medal - how many of us knew him before he won the medal? Through the 2 weeks there were so many highs, many really disheartening moments, some really disappointing moments, but on the whole, India has done a pretty good job this time at the Olympics. 6 individual medals in 1 Olympics is definitely a fairly encouraging thought. Who knows we may double it up at Rio in 2016! 

A new beginning!

One of my new students in one of the schools (not mentioning the name) is autistic. I know a little about autism, but this was the first time I met anyone with the condition. Though it was difficult to get his attention at the start, and make him play the piano; however, towards the end of the session he showed me the middle C on the piano and responded when I called his name. I felt it was a good start!

This school has quite a few children with various difficulties, and weak motor skills is the most common. Some of these children come to the music class, and respond quite well. And, when they are given a little extra attention they play correct notes on the piano! But this autistic boy's condition is a little bad, though he is good at math!

I always wanted to work with differently abled children, but I did not have the courage to do so mainly because of lack of training and experience.  Life, however, has presented me with this wonderful opportunity to prove to myself whether I can really do something to make a difference to those children who are a little different from most of us! 

London Olympics 2012

Olympics 2012  is just 10 days away, and how much do the Indians know about the Indian contingent who are going to paricipate at the London games? There has been bits and pieces in the newspapers about some of the participants for some time now, and suddenly, there are write-ups about quite a few of the participants in the past week or so. There is a little on television as well, thanks to the sponsors! But, the excitement that gets built during the IPL matches or the regular cricket matches or the European football tournaments, there's almost nothing for the Olympics, sad isn't it?

The tiff between Lee and Hesh made headlines for many days; hoping it is kinda sorted now! Wonder how will Sania Mirza perform at the Olympics! She is more of a star than a real player!

Last Olympics, at Beijing, some Indians made us hugely proud. Abhinav Bindra brought home the 1st individual gold medal!  Sushil Kumar and Vijender Singh's bronze medals did encourage many to take up boxing and wrestling! 

Over the 4 years I have come to know a little about a few sports people, like, Mary Kom, Krishna Poonia, Ngangbam Soniya Chanu and a few others.

India is particpating in 13 categories. I know about all the 6 badminton players and most of the boxers... wow! I can be quizzed on them; I completely admire Mary Kom! Some of the shooters, besides Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang, have become famous like Ronjan Singh and Sodhi Rahi Sarnobat. Among the ace archers brother-sister duo Rahul and Dola Banerjee, Dola will be missed! Do we know Garima Choudhary will represent Indian as only Indian judoka to qualify for the upcoming London Olympics. I didn't know what judoka was till a couple of weeks ago!

The Indian sports fraternity needs more support. There isn't much difference from the last Olympics till now. The Indian Government is so deeply immersed in scams and mismanagement  that there is no time left to concentrate on sports (other than cricket of course!). It is only because of some sports enthusiasts that there is a significant improvement in quality and facility in the past 4 years.

Through this post I am wishing Team India all the very best! My favourites are Saina Nehwal, Abhinav Bindra and Mary Kom, but I am going to cheer for everyone in the team. May the medals shower on the Indians at the London Olympics!

Recycling audio cassettes

Audio cassettes are obsolete and are never going to make a comeback, I think. But, there are so many memories attached to those cassettes. Most of us have grown up listening to music on cassettes. Since recording music from one cassette to another was easy, many of us had our own personalised music albums.

With the newer technology for listening to music there is just no use of cassettes in our lives anymore, but to throw away such memories really hurts. I still have some of the cassettes that contain the compilations I had made several years ago. In fact, I threw away a few just a few months ago, and my heart broke! 

Just yesterday I was reading something on the Goonj site and while going through their recycles products catalogue I found that purses and folders that are made out of audio cassettes. What a lovely idea! 

This is how a folder made from audio cassettes looks like! There are other products, such as, pouches, wallets available as well. Find them at:

http://www.unwrapindia.com/shop/goonj

The few cassettes that I still have will go to a great place to get recycled, and I am not going to be upset anymore!

I googled a little to find out about products made by recycling audio cassettes and I found this video quite interesting. Here it is :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5ePKiCYd4o