The blue sky

काय मंडळी? तोंडाला पाणी सुटलं की नाही, ब्लॉगपोस्ट चे शीर्षक वाचून? हे असं एक त्रिकुट आहे जे कधीच फेल होत नाही. नाही का? मी अजून एक दोन गोष्टी मुद्दामहून तिकडे लिहिल्या नाहीत. सांडगी मिरची, मिरगुंडं, चिकवड्या आणि पापड्या. ह्यातल्या अर्ध्या गोष्टी तर माहिती नाहीत बऱ्याच जणांना. आज संध्याकाळी जेवणाची तयारी करताना अचानक हे सगळे पदार्थ मनात आले आणि सध्या माझ्याकडे कुरडई, पापड, मिरची, मिरगुंडं हे सगळंच असल्यामुळे ते सगळं मस्त तळता तळता मी परत भूतकाळात गेले.    डोंबिवली ला आमचं पहिल्या मजल्यावर घर आहे. त्याला दोन्ही बाजूला दोन मोट्ठ्या गॅलऱ्या आहेत. त्यात आम्ही लहानपणी भातुकली, पकडापकडी, घर घर असं बरच काही खेळायचो. झाडांच्या कुंड्या हि बऱ्याच होत्या तिकडे. आई ला खूप हौस होती. त्यातला एका गॅलरी मध्ये एप्रिल आणि मे महिन्यात हमखास माझी आजी आणि मी काही ना काहीतरी वाळत घालत असायचो. साबुदाण्याच्या चिकवड्या, तांदुळाच्या पापड्या, पोह्याचे पापड, एक ना दोन. उन्ह तापली की आम्ही आत आणि आमची मांजर राखण करायला बाहेर मस्त पहुडलेली असायची. कोणाची बिशाद तिकडे एखादी चिमणी किंवा कबुतर फिरकेल ...

The bond of fathers and daughters is an exceptional one; someone has said this. But to experience it in reality, you have to either be born as a daughter or become a father to the daughter. You can't fathom the depth and nature of a father-daughter relationship from outside. My father, whom I have always called Baba is a testimony to this, and he has pampered me to the core and taught me many valuable things in my life which I try to follow. Sometimes I am successful; sometimes, I am not. He was born into a middle-class family. His father, my grandfather, had made a name for himself by his sheer hard work and dedication, and he tried to give the best to his son, my dad in whatever he could. My dad stayed in Pune and studied at the Bhosala Military School. The discipline and orderliness of the school got inculcated in him so much that even today if someone touches his things or moves things from his drawer, he immediately comes to know from the way the other person keeps things. He ...

The jinxed year 2020 is almost to an end. And Germany is gearing up for the second lockdown. All the non-essential services have stopped, and people are encouraged to be indoors and avoid unnecessary traveling and shopping. I was also in a low mood on Monday just like many others who have no answer to the question, when will the world be back to normal. When will this end? When will this massacre stop?  The year 2020 dealt one more blow to all of us, the school friends, the 1995 year SSC pass-out batch of Kidland English School in Dombivli when we got the news of the demise of our head boy, who was just old as we all are. In our early 40's! We all were in rude shock, and many of us thought that it is a cruel joke someone has played on us.  We girls have a WhatsApp group, and we suddenly were talking about this person, who was no more in this world. We never saw him after school. But he was a brilliant and sharp individual. He excelled in sports and was a school topper. He was ...

२०२० हे वर्ष खूपच वेगळं आहे. सगळ्यांच्या लक्षात रहाण्याजोगं आहे. कोरोना ह्या छोट्याश्या विषाणू ने काय काय गमती घडवून आणल्या जगभरात हे काही आपल्याला आता नवीन नाही. लोकांच्या राहायच्या सवयी बदल्या, कामाच्या वेळा आणि स्वरूप बदलले, मित्र परिवार, नातेवाईक ह्यांना प्रत्यक्ष न भेटता ऑनलाईन सुद्धा भेटता येते, हे उमगले. ११ महिने हां हां म्हणता गेले सुद्धा आणि दिवाळी येऊन ठेपली. जर्मनी मध्ये काय ती दिवाळी! मागच्या वर्षी मराठी मंडळ कार्लसहृ चा मस्त "दिवाळी फराळ" हा कार्यक्रम तरी झाला होता एक दिवसाचा, पण ह्या वर्षी जानेवारी मध्ये हळदी कुंकू कार्यक्रम सोडला तर काहीही करता आलं नाही. मग सगळ्यांनी घरच्या घरीच दिवाळी साजरी केली ह्या वर्षी. आमची ह्या वर्षी चंगळ होती. माझ्या आई बाबानी आणि सासू सासर्यांनी भरपूर खाऊ, फराळ आम्हाला इकडे पाठवला. ते नाही येऊ शकले, पण त्यांचे आशीर्वाद, प्रेम आणि खाऊ मात्र धनत्रयोदशी ला येऊन पोचला. मग काय माझी मज्जा! लहान मुलासारखं झालं होतें मला. एक एक बॉक्स मधून खाऊ आणि इतर सामान काढताना इतकी गम्मत वाटत होती! मी घरी लाडू आणि चिवडा केला होता, बाकी सगळं तिकडून आलं. चकल...

The whole world is gloomy, waiting for the pandemic to end, everyone is trying their best to adjust to the new normal around them. It's a paradox, if I look within me, Outside it's so dark and inside me a glistening peace. There is no time to think, brood and, be sad about what will happen tomorrow, I am very much engrossed and happy in whatever that is today. The grey skies outside, have no effect on my inner yellow warmth, The cold winter is about to come, and will be aghast to find me beaming. I am happy in my space, prancing all around, radiating joy and smiles, and trying to make a small difference in someone's life!

आज सकाळी सकाळी आईचा व्हाट्सअँप वर मेसेज, वेळ झाला की कॉल कर, एक गम्मत सांगायची आहे.  आज काय झालं - मी मनातल्या मनात  पटकन कामं आवरली आणि तिला फोन केला. आई: अगं तुला ती मनी माऊ आठवत्ये ना, रोज आपल्या बाल्कनी मध्ये येणारी?  मी: हं आई: ती अगं बाळंतीण झाली होती, पण तिची पिल्लं कुठे ठेवली होतीं इतके दिवस हे काही कळत नव्हतं. परवा बाबा आणि मी बाल्कनी मध्ये उभे होतो रस्त्यावरची गम्मत बघत तर खाली बघतो तर काय, एक पिल्लू निपचित पडलं होतं, आपल्या बाल्कनी च्या खाली, त्या दुकानाच्या वरच्या पॅसेज मध्ये. काही हालचाल करत नव्हतं. आम्हाला वाटलं मेल बिचारं. पाऊस खूप पडत होता. नंतर त्याला वर काढू असा विचार करून आम्ही घरात गेलो. २४ तास उलटून गेले, तरी पाऊस थांबायचा काही पत्ता नाही. ते पिलू तसंच तिकडे होते आणि काय चमत्कार, ते हालत होते अगं. बाबा तर एकदम ओरडले, ते हलतंय, ते हलतंय. त्यांच्या ऑफिस मध्ये एक बाई कामाला आहे झाड पूस करणारी ती सांगायची मांजरीचे पिल्लू मला द्या ती व्यायली की. त्यांनी तडक तिला फोन केला, ती धावतच आली, तिच्या नातीला ही घेऊन आली. भर पावसात बाबा खाली उतरले आणि त्यांनी त्या प...

After the lockdown worldwide owing to the Corona pandemic, everyone is trying to cope up with the new way of life. Kids couldn't go out to play, adults couldn't go to their workplace daily, going out on vacation became a distant dream, leave alone going shopping groceries became difficult. In Germany, it was comparatively better than anywhere else in the world, and the kids here could play with each other in the open areas after the infection curve came down. My son has a lot of friends, mostly from his school, and he spent time playing with them and talking to them about the online games on Playstation 4 like Minecraft and things which I do not understand at all! Being at home gave me a chance to observe my son very closely during these 4 months. He is growing up by leap and bounds in the way he talks, thinks, and acts. How are boys wired to think and feel? This topic always intrigues me! Relationships, friendships, my family has always been very dear to me. But I see a very d...

Your last movie, Dil Bechara released yesterday on the OTT platform! Your last movie!? Really? I am still in two minds! I am not sure if I should watch the movie, which I know for sure is an emotional ride and a tear-jerker! I cried the last time when I watched you die in "Kai Po Che." I knew you aren't around in person anymore, then why did I cry watching you die in that movie? The movie Kedarnath has the same ending where you die, and I am sure the film that released yesterday would also be having the same end, of you, dying with a big smile on your face. The songs of your last movie are the right tribute to you, I feel. A. R. Rahman is a magician who has done full justice to the album, and I can't stop listening to the music in a loop and imagining your smiling face in all those numbers! Like millions of your fans, I am not still able to come to terms with your departure, your sudden departure from this world. You had so much potential, so much love, so much...

The thought doesn't leave me that a bright soul ended it's journey so abruptly without a proper goodbye but definitely with lot of things that remained unheard and unsaid What he went through could possibly be never known He had so much potential He was such a genuine soul His sudden departure leaves everyone in shock Disbelief, anger and tears  loom large Did we fail as a society to nurture that soul? Did we fail as human beings to understand his loneliness and pushed him too far? Let's look around  and help someone like him Let's make a difference and help others to fight demons in their heads Let's talk, let's listen, Let's be open and above all Let's be humane.

Waking up to a dull and gloomy grey Sunday morning, the news of one of my favorite actors gone away from the world struck me very hard. He was an all-rounder. He was an avid reader, interested in astronomy, a health freak. Coming from a small town, he had carved a niche in Bollywood, which was dominated by the Khans. He started with the famous television serial, became a huge hit, and then entered Bollywood. He chose movies carefully, not getting into a stereotype role. I had watched a few of his films and had a lot of regard as a fan. He had let the viewers a sneak peek in his home for a program done by Asian Paints. The house was so tastefully done and looked so cozy and comfortable! Every corner of his house showed his genuine interest in small things and showed his eye for beauty. The outside world had no idea of what was raging in his head. No one was really aware of the tough times he was really going through! Similarly, I was lost for a day or two when Robin Williams, the greate...

मला लहानपणापासूनच गोष्टी ऐकायला आणि सांगायला खूप आवडतात. कोणाला आवडत नाहीत? सगळ्यांनाच आवडतात! पुस्तक उघडून किंवा हल्ली किंडल उघडून पटकन कोणते ही पुस्तक वाचता येते. पुस्तकांच्या किमती हि हल्ली कमी झाल्या आहेत. डिजिटल पुस्तके हल्ली खूपच स्वस्त दरात उपलब्ध आहेत. सहा महिन्यांसाठी एक रक्कम भरून अमेझॉन वर किंडल अनलिमिटेड ह्या सदराखाली तुम्ही बरीच पुस्तक मोफत वाचू शकता. हा एवढा खटाटोप नको असेल तर ग्रंथालय हा दुसरा पर्याय. पण हल्ली वेळ असतो कोणाला तिकडे जाऊन, पुस्तक शोधून ती घरी आणून वाचायला? बरं ज्यांना वेळ असतो, त्यांना पुस्तक आवडतंच असं नाही. कंटाळा येतो बऱ्याच जणांना वाचायला बसलं की. आपल्याला सगळ्यांनाच माहित आहे वाचन केल्याचे काय काय फायदे आहेत. ते मी इथे परत नमूद करते: https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-benefits-reading-why-you-should-read-everyday.html तुम्ही म्हणाल बघा परत वाचायला सांगत्ये, त्याचाच तर कंटाळा आहे ना, त्यावर काय उपाय? गोष्टी तर आवडतात आम्हाला पण आम्हाला कोण सांगणार आता गोष्टी? लहान नाही राहिलो आम्ही काही! लहान मुलांनाच फक्त गोष्टी आवडतात असं कोण म्हणतं?...

गिरगाव आणि ती आज सकाळी दुपारच्या जेवणासाठी तोंडली चिरताना तिची आठवण झाली. तारखेकडे सहज लक्ष गेले तेव्हा जाणवलं की तिला जाऊन आज बरोबर एक महिना झाला सुद्धा. तिच्यासारख्या काचऱ्या काही मला जमत नाहीत. मलाच काय कोणालाही जमत नाहीत, जमणारही नाहीत. भेंडीच्या भाजीचं ही तसच. इतकं बारीक चिरायला कसं काय जमायचं कोणास ठाऊक? आणि चव वर्षानुवर्षे तशीच. आंबेमोहोर भाताचा वास आणि गरम गरम आमटी हे माझ्या तिच्याकडच्या सुट्टीत असलेला हायपॉईंट. आणि चिवडा इतकं चविष्ट असायचा की किती ही खाल्ला तरी कमीच पडायचा मला. मे महिन्यात आंब्याच्या पेट्या घेऊन भय्ये यायचे गिरगाव च्या चाळीत. तेव्हा शेजारची शोभा बेन आणि ही तासंतास त्याच्याशी घासाघीस घालत बसायच्या आणि शेवटी एकदाचा भाव झाला की दोन पेट्या ठेऊन जायचा तो. मग काय आमची चंगळ. आमरस, पन्ह, मँगो मिल्कशेक, मँगो केक, आंबा वडी एक ना दोन असा रतिबच लागायचा. मग कधी राणीच्या बागेची सफर, कधी म्हातारीचा बूट, कधी मत्सालय, कधी चौपाटी, तिकडे भेळ पुरी, घोड्या गाडीत बसून केलेली धम्माल नेहमीच लक्षात राहील. सुट्टीत एक तरी मराठी किंवा हिंदी चित्रपट पाहायला जायचोच सगळे. गणपती मध्ये तर चाळ...

We have a daily ritual in the evening where my mother-in-law takes the practice of Geeta Adhyaay (lesson) from my son and then narrates a story to him. This happens via WhatsApp Video call almost every day. Yesterday she recounted a story to him, and I was also nearby and happened to listen to it. I was so moved by it that I decided to write about it on my blog. It also brought tears to my eyes, and then in the evening, I happened to see a program on television about an old man who had a similar experience as described by my mother-in-law in her story. And that was a sign again, two times, I had heard about the same emotion and sentiment. How can this be?

It will be a month soon that the schools and offices and shops are closed owing to the Corona pandemic. Everyone has the same routine of getting up, having 3 meals a day, watching TV or surfing the internet, and sleeping. A few activities like baking, writing, reading, sketching, going for a short walk in the fresh air may be the activities for the few privileged ones. Still, for an average woman, it's just cooking, cleaning, and answering many questions. The man of the house is busy working on the home office model, and his help can hardly be anticipated in this new scenario.

If one is open to new things and if one has a passion for doing something and keeping oneself busy, life always gives you chances and opportunities to make the best of it. A similar opportunity knocked on my door, and I decided to grab it with both my hands. What exactly is the title of my blog post today, and what does Urja mean? Urja means energy, your inner light, that deep voice within which guides you to do good things to keep you happy. And that's precisely the name of our new venture, which I have started with my friend, Sarwari. It's a platform for women where we encourage and motivate them to come out of their houses and do something for themselves. I will tell you more about it as to how did we reach here and what brought Sarwari and me together in this.

Drawing and painting was never my forte, at least I had thought that for me. I had assumed that I was no good in this beautiful branch of Arts. There are many negative blocks in my head, and this was one of them until I decided to let go of my fears of not being able to do it or being good at it. Anagha Mahajan, my friend from Stuttgart, is a hobby painter and she is damn good at it. She is very humble and doesn't agree that she is outstanding at this art. But I consider her to be one of the budding talents in Stuttgart. She has done many exhibitions, workshops for small kids. She has recently ventured into drawing Mandalas. And that's precisely the title of my blog post, which in my view, the meaning of Mandala is.

Everyone is at home, I am sure. Corona has managed it to slow us down, to teach us mindfulness, to enjoy the day to day routine things that were quite boring in the modern, fast-paced life. We are doing our bit to save us and others from getting the Coronavirus. India is in lockdown for 21 days, and if you observe carefully, social media is abuzz with different ideas and things that people are doing in this compulsory lockdown. Various authors are offering free story reading sessions to kids; many people are keeping themselves busy with cooking, painting, reading, and entertaining the kids.

Corona Virus has brought the whole mankind to a standstill. It has held the entire world to its ransom. From the time it was first discovered in Wuhan, China, it has claimed many lives and has literally terrorized people. Many countries are in a lockdown state, and the movement is restricted. Social gatherings are a far-off dream now. No one knows how long it will last and how long will this phase go. Every country is trying it's best to cope up with the crisis and making all the arrangements to slow down it's spread. Europe has been grappled with it too, and desperate measures are taken to curb the spread in every possible way. The schools are closed in the town, where I stay in Germany. My husband is instructed to work from home, and the institute where I teach is closed down too. Till 19th April, we all are home. We had to devise tricks and tips to keep ourselves engaged and not bang our heads against the walls out of sheer boredom.

I have been practicing Intermittent Fasting since July 2016, and it has given me tremendous benefits. I no longer crave food throughout the day, and I am very conscious about what I put in my mouth. I don't buy fruit juices or packaged items loaded with sugar from the supermarket. I see to it that I cook every day at home with whatever resources are available to me in Germany. I am a vegetarian, and whenever I go out traveling within Europe, the options available are cheese, vegetables, and salads. I enjoy them now as under no circumstances would I ever eat the meat that is abundantly available here without any problems. It's easy to pick up unhealthy and packaged meals from the supermarket. It saves time and energy. But what about the quality of the food that you are eating?

This year it didn't snow at all in Karlsruhe. The winter didn't seem like it in South Germany this year. The temperatures were pleasant, and it was 20 degrees last Sunday! It's not that I am complaining! I am happy when it's not very cold, but the rate at which the climate is changing everywhere in the world is quite alarming. It creates an imbalance in nature, in people's health too! And this is often the season where most of the people fall sick. T was no exception as well. His friend had come for a stayover, on the weekend and he had a cold. Before that friend left and we knew it, T had it too!

After coming to Karlsruhe, I got time to do things that I never did in India, e.g., learn cycling and swimming. I enrolled in a swim course, and it was there where I met S for the first time. We were members of an informal WhatsApp group of Indian women in Karlsruhe, but we never had the opportunity to meet each other before. S seemed a quiet girl in the beginning, but later after spending time with each other, we became good friends.

When my close friend M broke the news that she is expecting, I was overjoyed. I so wanted it to be a girl, and yes god and the baby listened to all our prayers, and a baby girl decided to enter the life of my close friend and her husband. The extended family of friends and relatives was eclectic too. On 26th January 2020, a baby shower took place, and on that occasion, I wrote a letter to the baby who will come into this world in 2 months. The would-be mother and the father and all her friends and relatives loved the concept. I was quite emotional when I penned this letter and even more nervous when I read out to the audience there. Read the letter here and let me know how you like it!

Dear K, Yesterday it was your 26th birthday. How time flies! I remember taking you in my arms as a newborn, and my joy knew no bounds that day. I had become Tai, an elder sister, and was ready to take on the full responsibility of this title. Your tiny hands and legs and that toothless smile made my heart sing. You were my brother. I was going to take you under my wings. I was going to tell you stories, dress you up, take you to play. I didn't spare a single moment of seeing you. Though I stayed far away, I came to see you every time I could, sometimes directly from the college for a weekend or sometimes during holidays for a longer time. We loved each other so much. You shared everything with me as you grew up and started going to school. I was present for every special day in your school, be it elocution competition or your annual day. We went to Chowpatty to play in the sand and eat Bhel puri. We also rode on horses there. We went to our favorite restaurants to eat our favori...

The year 2020 started with a bang. I flew back to Germany to a new area and a new house and a new routine on the first day of this year. T was with me and bags full of love and stuff, back from Mumbai. It was a freezing evening, and due to the delay of the Air India flight, our whole schedule got upset, and we reached Karlsruhe in the evening at 7:30 pm. There wasn't a single taxi on the Karlsruhe central station, and our friends, Monika and Harshal, rushed to our help. Harshal picked us up from the train station and took us home. Monika had cooked the tastiest meals as always, and I felt so much at home. They both accompanied us back and brought our stuff to the new house. God shows his presence in such people and their selfless help.

As I have already mentioned in my previous posts that I was in India for 3 weeks, it is but obvious that we flew with some airlines there. And which one did we choose this time? It was, of course, Air India, the national carrier of India. Due to last-minute booking, the cheapest option available was only available with Air India. And due to it, we had to wind up from the old house in Karlsruhe on 9th December itself. We flew on the 10th, and the return tickets were on 1st January. We had to miss T's school for two weeks. He was not very happy with it, but we had no choice. We had obtained special permission from the school on its letterhead, lest we would be questioned at the border control. But the officer there didn't take cognizance of the fact that a 7-year-old was with us. We didn't have to show the letter. We went to Frankfurt airport well in advance, and our flight was scheduled to depart at 4:30 pm.

On my 3 week trip to India, I couldn't help but notice the different buildings in the 3 cities that I visited. Pune, Bangalore, and Mumbai are different cities with different vibrancy, yet they all are so similar. Similar because of the people, the inhabitants there. A few random thoughts that came to my mind about the people living in houses, apartments, and buildings! Have tried to create a parallel world of people with the homes they live in!

The month of December was very crazy. I didn't realize how the month started and how it ended. It has been very hectic, and I didn't realize how time just flew, and our tenure ended in the first house in Karlsruhe, and it was time to move to a new home and start a new life. Our tenure in Germany got extended, and I looked forward to another exciting phase and a beautiful new year 2020.