Blog Marathon - Post 30 - Tingly

I have always loved soft toys.

I don't really remember when I began to collect them. But the first soft toy that I remember buying was a chubby doll that I had purchased from a store in Mumbai called Akbarallys. It was a departmental store where one could get everything under one roof ranging from food items to clothes. That was a new concept in India in the early '90s, and it was the most sought after departmental store in South Mumbai.  Then I went to Germany in 2002 and bought a stork from Strassburg, France, when we students had gone there on a trip. And then the collection began to grow by leaps and bounds. I had almost every animal in my collection.

Blog Marathon - Post 29 - The winter sets in

As mentioned in the previous post, the temperatures have suddenly plummeted to one digit from Sunday, the atmosphere suddenly feels very heavy and grey. The clock changed on Sunday, where now the time difference between India and Germany is 4.5 hours. Due to the shift in time, it gets dark at around 5-5:15 pm, and suddenly the evening seems too long and dark till it's really time to sleep.

Blog Marathon - Post 28 - Kid's workshop at VHS

Saturday was a bright sunny day. The sun was shining, the skies were blue. People were out enjoying and having ice-cream. But from Sunday, the weather suddenly changed. The sun vanished from the skies, and the temperatures plummeted. We spent the Sunday at home, not realizing how cold it had gotten outside.

Blog Marathon - Post 27 - Happy Diwali

Happy Diwali to one and all.

May this Diwali help you to destroy the negativity in your life.

May you create a better version of your own self.

May you all attain full inner illumination!

May the supreme light of lights enlighten your understanding!

May you all attain the inexhaustible spiritual wealth of the Self!

May you all prosper gloriously on the material as well as spiritual planes!

Blog Marathon - Post 26 - Diwali FaraL 2019 - By Maharashtra Mandal Karlsruhe

It's raining in Maharashtra. My mom messaged me in the morning telling me that they couldn't set up the lantern at home as it was raining. The whole spirit of Diwali is dampened due to the excess rain. People can't get out of the house to meet friends and relatives. Sitting at home and doing nothing in this festive season is not a very good idea. But there is no option but to wait for the rains to recede. Hopefully, tomorrow, it will be better.

Blog Marathon - Post 25 - The helping syndrome

I was discussing a very delicate topic with a group of friends at tea today. We generally meet up and talk about general issues like life, happiness, travel, hobbies, etc.

"Men are happier than women."

There were three women and two men in the discussion. The women laughed loudly on this statement, and the men just grinned. Do you think there is a difference in the way men feel happy, and the women feel delighted? What exactly is the difference?

Blog Marathon - Post 24 - Don't judge the book by it's cover

I am super tired today but also very delighted. I helped a couple friend to pack the Diwali faraL items. These Diwali items will be distributed to the people attending the Diwali event hosted by Maharashtra Mandal Karlsruhe on Saturday in the afternoon from 3 to 7 pm. We packed close to 89 boxes in a period of 2.5 hrs. We were talking, laughing, watching Marathi program on the internet, and working fast simultaneously. The work didn't seem like work at all. It was something we were doing for one big family of MMK.

Blog Marathon - Post 23 - The story of (almost) lost passport

My husband is a world traveler. He has to travel extensively on business trips. China, Japan, the US are the countries he always visits. Yesterday he came back from a 10 day trip to China. It's very hectic for him, but he enjoys the flight travel, the food on the flight. He also explores the local cuisine once he visits those countries. He often has different experiences to narrate, and the story he described today morning gave me goosebumps.

Blog Marathon - Post 22 - A trip down the memory lanes

I am back on Facebook, mainly to promote my blog and seek a larger audience for it. I met some old friends there. Some send me requests seeing me back on FB. I haven't interacted with them for ages, and I don't want to have any contact with them again. But a few are really long lost and cherished friends. One of them was my Maths teacher's son, Anand. He sent me a request on FB today, and that made me very happy. I went on a nostalgic trip to Dombivli, my home town.

Blog Marathon - Post 21 - उम्मीद

रोज गुजरता हूँ
तेरी गली से होकर
इस उम्मीद मैं
की तेरा दीदार हो जाए
इतने सालो से 
जो ज़िन्दगी बंजर हो गयी है
उसमे थोडीसी जान
छिड़क जाए

तुम्हारी हंसी,
तुम्हारी आँखों में वो ख़ुशी
तुम्हारी खुसबू
और तुम्हारी वो चुपी
अक्सर याद आती है
तुम्हारी आँखों की नमी
मेरी आँखों में ही
ठहर जाती है 

जानता हूँ के
तुम नहीं हो
कही नहीं हो
कम्भख्त ये दिल
हर बार कहता है
की तुम यहीं हो
यहीं कहीं हो

Blog Marathon - Post 20 - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

On a rainy Saturday evening, T and I had nothing else to do. We decided to watch a children's movie called "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and we were glad that we saw the movie. We watched the new version which was available on Netflix. The famous character of Willy Wonka is played by Johnny Depp, and he has done an excellent job. I haven't watched any of his movies. But this one was perfect. A person who appears evil and eccentric on the outside, but from inside, he is soft and genuine!

Blog Marathon - Post 19 - RIP

We all know that death is an impending thing. It will definitely come someday or the other in some form. Everybody who has taken birth will have to die. The only thing we don't know is when the time comes to leave our loved ones and start a journey to another world. Why am I suddenly talking about death and all? Is it the rainy and grey season that has got into me? No, actually, one of the persons staying in my building on the ground floor died on Sunday, and I came to know about it only yesterday from a German friend who had come home in the evening.

Blog Marathon - Post 18 - Autumn hues

With the change in the season, there is also a change in my activity level. Suddenly from a week or so, I am feeling exhausted and moving around like a zombie. I lay in bed at 9:30 pm but sleep only by 11. I have to get up in the morning at 6:15 am and often feel groggy and tired. I met with a Brazilian friend today for lunch, and she complained of exhaustion too. I think it's the change in the weather and the seasons that tires the mind and the body. It's a significant shift from sunny weather and long days to short and grey days. The body prepares to store energy for the impending long dark nights, I think.

Blog Marathon - Post 17- It's ok to get hurt and cry sometimes, dear sonny!

There exist certain things in our society, our community, our culture, which are expected of women and men. Women are the nurturers, soft, caretakers, emotional. Men are considered to be robust, breadwinners, and practical. Girls play with dolls, and kitchen sets at home, and boys play outside with cricket balls and cycles. Girls cry easily, and it's justified when they cry as they are considered to be weak. But when boys cry, what is usually told to them? "Don't cry like a girl," "Are you a girl to cry"? "Be a man," etc. Crying is often considered a sign of weakness. But I have different views on it, and I tried to explain it to T today during one such incident.

Blog Marathon - Post 16 - A funny incident

I wrote about the lane discipline followed religiously by all the drivers yesterday. And in continuation of yesterday evening's experience, I did something foolish and funny last evening while getting into the bus. I am still smiling at my overconfidence and about the time when I made a fool of myself. Sometimes things happen so fast that you react to them first and then think about it. I did the same. I was very overwhelmed by the traffic yesterday evening. And in a hurry to get into the bus that was already running late, I completely went overboard and didn't think twice before reacting so vehemently.

Blog Marathon - Post 15 - Lane discipline (while driving) in Germany

I was waiting for the bus today at the bus stop nearby. It had just begun to rain, and it was getting colder and darker. It's autumn, and yellow, orange, and red leaves cover the paths and the roads. It's a lovely sight to watch how nature changes its course at the right time no matter what humans are up to. It was evening, and people were getting back home after a busy day at the office. Cars of all shapes and sizes and colors were flocking the road, and mostly only one person was traveling in most of the vehicles. I was observing the cars and the people inside them very carefully.

Blog Marathon - Post 14 - Obsession with the fair skin

What's your favorite color? 

My favorite color is blue, yellow, and orange.

No, I mean, "What's your favorite (skin) color?"

(Skin) color? Obviously, fair and white!! 

There is no other color that sells in the Indian market. We all are obsessed with it. The Indian market sells creams and soaps and cosmetics, dresses, and matching accessories to make a dark-skinned person look fair. As if intelligence, social skills, and social status are directly dependent on fair complexion and skin. It has become a measure of goodness, and if the person is fair-skinned, he/she can do anything and be a horrible person also!

Blog Marathon - Post 13 - A Sunday well spent

Twice a year, in almost all cities and towns in Germany, the shops are open on Sunday. Though not the whole day, they are open from 1 pm to 6 pm, and today was that time of the year. T and I decided to make good use of the free time and the lovely weather outside. To our surprise, the traveling was free. T didn't have to pay for this ticket, and he was very excited to learn about it. The bus was full of passengers with their kids, and we reached the city center in no time. I met one friend and her son there, and we started our chit-chat and going to different shops on the demand of our sons.

Blog Marathon - Post 12 - Random thoughts

It's one of those days when you feel very low for no reason. Your day has been fantastic, the sun is shining after a week of rainy weather, and still, you feel bleak, heavy and murky inside. You try to find the reason behind this untimely sadness, but don't find any concrete one. You decide to let it be and enjoy the moments of silence with yourself. You hope that tomorrow will be better and the sadness would have made way to a better mood. I realized today that the sunny weather outside doesn't really make you feel the same on the inside.

----

I think after a few decades, human beings will lose the ability to talk. They will be able to communicate only with the help of gadgets and screens. Every person in almost every household is hooked to a screen, anywhere you look around. There is hardly any communication between families now. Kids are hooked to online games, parents on their office laptops and mobiles. Transportation to a different and virtual world is a way of escapism, I think. People in flesh and blood around are overlooked and given the least importance, but the people in the virtual world look enticing. With less and less of words around the human being, we will soon lose the languages and the ability to express ourselves verbally.

Blog Marathon - Post 11 - Amitabh Bachchan - A phenomenon

Today is Amitabh Bachchan's 77th birthday. This man doesn't stop amazing us Indians and the Bollywood industry at large. There might not be a single person in Mumbai who doesn't know or worship him. He has ruled the hearts of movie fans for almost 5 decades. He started working in the movies in 1969. He hasn't stopped till now in spite of a life-threatening accident while shooting for a film called "Coolie." People prayed for him, did fasts, waited outside the hospital just to get the news that he is out of danger. Today on every Sunday, he comes out on the terrace of his house and waves to the crowd standing outside his bungalow "Jalsa." It happens every Sunday (whenever he is in Mumbai), and people from far and near come to just see him. That's the awe of his persona. That's the magic of his work and personality that he has created in the hearts of the people. He still rules them!

Blog Marathon - Post 10 - ती आणि तू

तूच सीता, कधी चंडिका 

कधी राधा, तर कधी दुर्गा 

तूच आहेस शक्ती आणि 

तूच आहेस अंबा

सृजनशीलतेची आणि कर्तव्याची मूर्ती तू

अखंड इतरांसाठी जगणारी तू

मुलांच्या स्वप्नांना पंख देणारी तू

सदैव अविरत झटणारी तू

घे उंच भरारी 

त्या निळ्या आकाशात तू ही कधीतरी

पसरून पहा पंख

जग तू ही कधीतरी स्वतःसाठी

शोध घे स्वतःचाच तू 

ठाव घे त्या मनाचा 

शोध घे अस्तित्वाचा 

तुझ्यातल्या मी पणाचा

Blog Marathon - Post 9 - May the tribe grow!

I spoke to a friend today after many years. After I was back on FB, I saw her posts about her son's origami skills. I was pleasantly surprised that the boy had taken up a completely different hobby. In the age of online games and screen addiction, this boy was creating wonders with his hands and the ancient art of Origami. I learned from her today that she had shifted to New York to pursue a course, and her family was back in India. She would spend one year doing the course and probably the next year she would get a job and then her husband and son would join her later. But she was going to stay alone for two years, away from them. It must have been a tough decision for her, but for better future prospects, she chose to take the plunge and move to New York. I didn't have any words to say about her decision. I was no one to give an opinion after all. But I instantly had tremendous respect for her husband and family and for her to have taken that bold step of moving away alone for a short time. How many women in India are really able to do this?

Blog Marathon - Post 8 - Happy Birthday Aaba

It's Dasra today. The last day of the Navratri festival in India. It happens to be the day in the lunar calendar when my inlaws got married and also the day when my aaba, Mr. Devidas Vinayak Velankar, was born, according to the lunar calendar. The date was 25th October in that year when he was born.

Blog Marathon - Post 7 - The Seasons

It's time,
Whispered Summer to Autumn.
It's time.

It's time for me to go
And for you to stay
To cover the ground
With hues of orange, yellow and red
And the skies in grey

Autumn said, yes but not for long
Winter will meet me somewhere down the road
Leaves will wither and the trees will standstill
Not a single sign of life, only cold winds

Winter smiled.
My days are numbered too
I won't stay here forever
I have something else to do.

Soon the flowers will bloom,
Colors will return,
The butterflies will come out and
The birds will start their chirp

The sun will start shining again,
The summer will return.
The only permanent thing is change
which no one can escape

It's the circle of life that takes place
Every single year
Without fail

Blog Marathon - Post 6 - The power of music

It was a rainy day today. It was dark, gray, and the clouds were sprinting from one end to the other. I had to go to the city center twice at different times in the day. I couldn't cycle due to the rain. I avoid cycling when it is raining. I had to take the bus and the tram to reach the destination. Being a Sunday today, the city center was not abuzz with people. Fewer trams and trains and people gave it a very deserted look. It suddenly has begun to feel as if the winter has arrived. It has got colder compared to the last few days. I was waiting for the bus. The bus would have come only in another 20 minutes, and I had no other option but to wait for the bus there. Suddenly, something pleasant fell on my ears. Something that made me feel warm on that cold and rainy afternoon. I looked around.

Blog Marathon - Post 5 - Happy 40th to me!

4th October 1979

- I was born in the morning hours in Mumbai when people rush to the office in the local trains. My mum traveled by train every day to the office, and she claims that my arrival at that particular time coincided with the local train she always took to work.

- I grew up amongst my grandmother and grandfather. I had no siblings. They doted on me like anything. I was their world, and their lives revolved around me. My grandfather was a great disciplinarian, and I inherited respect for the time of others and the thirst for knowledge from him. My grandmother was a homemaker, and her world was her kitchen. She made the choicest of dishes and was always eager to feed me my favorite things every single time I demanded.

- My parents were a working couple, and they taught me the importance of being independent, to be confident, to be self-sufficient. They also taught me the value of money and the value of people. Money and value can't really replace each other, I learned from them.

Blog Marathon - Post 4 - Zirkus Kaiser

Yesterday was a holiday in Germany. I finished the regular household stuff of cleaning and washing and cooking and was looking for some opportunity to have a good time in the afternoon. T reminded me that he had got flyers of a circus and that we should go there to check it out. I had a talk with my friend, Yasha, and we both decided to take our kids to the circus show at 4 pm, which was very close to my house. Yasha picked us up, and we reached the circus venue in about 5 minutes. It was just 4 pm, and the show was about to begin.

Blog Marathon - Post 3 - The first trip to Germany in October 2002

I had boarded an Air India flight on 2nd October 2002. Along with two other girls from the English Department of Mumbai University, I was going to fly so far off from my family for the first time. There was apprehension, there was fear, there was joy, and there were butterflies in the stomach. We were going to stay in an East German city called Magdeburg. Otto-von-Guericke University had an exchange program with the Mumbai University, and that was the reason we were going to Germany. We were going there on a scholarship for 5 months and were going to attend lectures there.

Blog Marathon - Post 2 - At the Dentists!

As a child, I neither paid attention to oral health nor cared about it. It was also not very common to visit a dentist regularly in the 80s and 90s as the trend is nowadays. I drank a lot of cold drinks for snacks while at college. I also ate a lot of chocolates from my dad's medical stores and never bothered to rinse my mouth after eating every meal. Only after the teeth started suffering from pain and cavities, I realized that the damage was already done. My grandfather died at the age of 80 with every tooth of his intact, with no holes or tooth extraction. Here I was, his granddaughter with root canal treatment done on almost every alternate tooth.

Blog Marathon - Post 1 - The blogkeeper

October came with pomp, just like the other months announcing an end to 2019 soon. It's festival time in India where people are celebrating Navratri (9 nights), a festival celebrating 9 goddesses. People celebrate by playing Dandiya and Garba during the nights dressing their best with the best of music. Women wear different colors for 9 days to office. The festive atmosphere lifts the spirit of one and all. With October, the Autumn arrived in Germany and brought rainy weather, gray and dark days, hardly giving way to the sunlight. It's a sign that days will now become shorter and winter is just around the corner. In this gray and dark days, I have something that keeps me going. I manage the blog Antarang along with a friend in Stuttgart, Ms. Anagha Mahajan, which is for women writers. And yesterday, it featured a whopping 18 posts for September 2019 written by different women around the globe in Hindi, Marathi, and English.