The blue sky

As I sit writing this post, just one and a half hours before Germany rings into the new year, I am overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the year that was 2023. There were many firsts this year and the events and people have brought sheer joy and gratitude into my life. 

My son, aged 11 years old has spent more than half of his life in Germany, and sometimes he acts more German than Indian which becomes a little harder for me to digest and accept. I sometimes feel he is getting away from my roots, my culture, my belief system, the Indian food ecosystem, the morals and values, and in general away from everything that is Indian for me. But there are times when there are pleasant surprises and there comes a small sign from above that assures me that it's not as bad as I assume or believe it to be. 

My little brother K, Yes, you will still be the little brother to me, though you are now all grown up now. I have held you in my arms right after you entered our world with a grinning smile. You made me a proud Tai and I couldn't stop looking at your tiny little hands that held my hands so firmly, to never let go. There was an age difference of around 15 years between us, but that was never a problem in our bonding. Your parents (my mama and mami) considered me as their elder daughter and I could spend a lot of time seeing you growing up, going to school gatherings with you, going to the Girgaon Chowpatty, and having fun during horse rides, having bhel puri, watching Tom and Jerry repeat telecasts with you and laughing our hearts out at all opportunities possible.

सर्वांना दिवाळीच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा  दर बुधवारी रात्री आठ वाजता आम्ही राम रक्षा स्तोत्र म्हणण्यासाठी ऑनलाईन भेटतो. गेले दोन महिने आपल्या मुलाकडे आलेल्या शीतल काकू देखील आमच्या ह्या बुधवारच्या सत्रात सहभागी होत असत. त्यांच्या सुनेला कोणीतरी बर्लिन मध्ये भेटलं होतं आणि त्या व्यक्तींनी माझा नंबर तिला दिला होता. तिने माझ्याशी संपर्क साधून काकूंना आमच्या साप्ताहिक सत्रात जोडून घ्यायची विनंती केली. मी लगेच त्यांना जोडून घेतले. शीतल काकू अगदी उत्साही आहेत, त्यांना बरीच स्तोत्र येतात, त्या अगदी आनंदाने ती स्तोत्र आम्हाला म्हणून दाखवतात. मध्ये नवरात्रीमध्ये आम्ही बुधवारी देवीची वेगवेगळी स्तोत्र, आरत्या म्हटल्या. त्यात ही त्यांनी अगदी छान असे अष्टक म्हणून दाखवले. आता त्या दोन आठवड्यात भारतात परत जाणार आहेत. काल त्यांनी आम्हाला राम तांडव म्हणून दाखवलं. माझ्याकडे शब्द नाहीयेत त्याचे वर्णन करण्यासाठी. इतकं सुंदर म्हटलं त्यांनी ते स्तोत्र कि प्रत्येकांनी शेवटी त्यांना अगदी भरभरून दाद दिली आणि आभार देखील मानले.

The year 2020 changed the course of history and humanity. Things that seemed impossible to do took on a course of their own during this time. Traveling in general was curtailed, and meeting people, which we all took for granted, became a luxury. Due to COVID, meeting people physically was replaced by meeting them online, via WhatsApp, Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, and many other platforms that we might not even be aware of. Musical events, kitty parties, group discussions, and family events all took place online. Slowly, life came back to a new normal, where people returned to their workplaces, but not like before. It got limited to a few days a week, but online meetings were still going strong.

मे महिन्यात पुण्याला आम्ही माझ्या मुलाच्या मुंजीसाठी गेलो होतो. अगदी दोन आठवड्याच्या धावपळीमध्ये सगळं व्यवस्थित पार पडलं. त्या समारंभाला माझी नणंद आली होती. तिने मला अतिशय सुंदर अशी भेटवस्तू दिली, ती म्हणजे भगवद गीतेची इंग्रजी मधील आवृत्ती. का कोणास ठाऊक, त्यामुळे मी अगदी खुश झाले. जर्मनी ला परत जाऊन वाचन करू असं ठरवलं आणि इतर सामानाबरोबर ते पुस्तक अगदी नीट घेऊन आले घरी परत.

लहानपणी आषाढी एकादशीला उपास करायचा, मस्त साबुदाण्याची खिचडी खायची, फलाहार करायचा, इकडे तिकडे थोडी गाणी ऐकायची आणि दिवस संपून जायचा. पण काल मात्र आयुष्यात पहिल्यांदा आषाढी एकादशी काय असते आणि कशी असते ते कळले. जर्मनी मध्ये गेले चार महिने आम्ही दर बुधवारी राम रक्षा स्तोत्र म्हणायला ऑनलाईन भेटतो. गेल्या महिन्यापासून संकष्टीला अथर्वशीर्ष म्हणायला भेटतो आहोत. त्याच ग्रुप मध्ये विचार सुरु झाला, आषाढी एकादशी येत्ये, काय करता येईल, कार्यक्रम करूया का? हा प्रश्न ग्रुप मध्ये मांडताच आपोआप रूपरेषा घडत गेली. कोणी भजन म्हणू असे म्हणाले, कोणी अनुभव सांगू असे म्हणाले, बघता बघता एक सुंदर असा कार्यक्रम तयार झाला.

आपल्या सर्वांना हिंदू शोभन नाम संवत्सराच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा. २२ मार्च रोजी महाराष्ट्रात गुढी पाडवा हा सण खूपच उत्साहात साजरा केला जातो. आता इतकी मराठी माणसं देशाबाहेर आहेत कि ती देखील आपआपल्यापरीने हा सण घरी आणि एकत्र साजरा करतात.  गुढी पाडव्यापासून राम नवमी पर्यंत खूप लोक राम रक्षेचा पाठ करतात. हे मला माहित होतं, माझी आई आणि माझ्या सासूबाई दरवर्षी हे करतात. मी बरीच वर्ष असा एखादा समूह शोधत होते ज्यात नियमित राम भक्ती करता यावी. पण भारताच्या आणि जर्मनीच्या वेळांमध्ये फरक असल्यामुळे ते काही जमत नव्हते. काय करावे ह्या विचारात असतानाच सासूबाईंनी एक कल्पना सुचवली. आणि मी लगेच कामाला लागले. महाराष्ट्र मंडळ Karlsruhe ह्या WhatsApp ग्रुप वर मी एक विचार मांडला आणि माझ्या इतर मित्र परिवाराला ह्यात सामील करून घ्यायचे निश्चित केले. भराभर माणसं जोडली गेली. मित्रपरिवारामध्ये विचार पसरला आणि २२.०३.२०२३ ह्या शुभ मुहूर्तावर एक नवीन संकल्प सुरु झाला. २२ . ०३ . २०२३ ते ३० . ०३ . २०२३ पर्यंत रोज रात्री आठ वाजता ( जर्मन वेळेनुसार ) आम्ही Zoom ह्या ऑनलाईन प्लॅटफॉर्म वर भेटून , रा...

The weather was playing truant again. After a nice 20 degrees and above on Tuesday, it has suddenly become rainy and cold. And then my mind plays truant too. It advises the body to relax, to take a break from the workout, to just chill at home, watching television mindlessly or munching on something, even if I am not hungry. There were bouts of rain and sun throughout the day. I was contemplating how to accommodate today`s walking or working out activity in the day: should I go out for a walk in the cold or should I do a workout at home? I was feeling quite lazy and decided to give myself a break today. The Devil in Me: You work out every single day. It's ok if you skip today. The saint in me says: Working out every single day is good for the body and mind. It keeps one active, and the mood is highly enhanced. The Devil in me: blah blah blah, there she goes again with the gyaan! I know all that. If you don't workout one day, the world is not going to end. The saint in me says, ...

There were days when I didn't know what to write. There were days when I was tired and didn't have enough motivation. There were days when I thought, "Who is going to miss my blogpost if I don't write for a day?" There were days when I thought to take a break and stop writing for the blog marathon. But thankfully, I managed to write every single day. There are 28 posts for the month of February on my blog, and these posts are going to be there online for a long, long time. I had a couple of friends who participated in the blog marathon with me, and it was good motivation to keep going. We read each other's posts, commented, and shared thoughts and emotions. It was like an engagement at a level where we understood each other, though we haven't met in person. And that's the beauty of the art of writing. It connects people from all walks of life based on one common passion. When we start something, it is critical that we see it through to the end—a good e...

My son had a week off from school last week. Schools in Germany have holidays every six weeks on average. To keep kids and teachers stress-free and enable them to take a break every now and then, I think this has been the norm for many years. My son spent last week meeting different friends. He has a friend from his old primary school, and he loves to hang out with him on every vacation. He often goes to his house, as his friend has a big house and a separate room for himself. They laugh a lot and talk a lot, and the friends' mom and I are grateful for their friendship and make every effort to meet up on a regular basis. So my son spent a night out with that friend, and then he planned to go swimming with two other friends from the primary school who stay close by.

I usually go for a walk alone. I mostly listen to music while walking. I have created a playlist of my favorite songs (English, Hindi, and a few Marathi songs) on YouTube, and I mostly play that list in a shuffled manner. Recently, I have taken to listening to podcasts on YouTube. I am sure you all have your favorite podcasts that you listen to on a regular basis. Apple offers a range of podcasts on various topics, and there must be a lot of other providers too.

मी लहान असताना माझे आजी आजोबा आमच्या घरी डोंबिवलीलाच होते. माझी आई नोकरी करत होती आणि बाबांचे औषधांचे दुकान होते, त्यामुळे मला आजी आजोबांनीच वाढवलं हे म्हणायला काहीच हरकत नाही. माझ्या आजोबांना मी आबा म्हणायचे. ते अतिशय हुशार होते आणि स्वकष्टाने खूप मोट्ठ्या हुद्यावरून निवृत्त झाले होते. त्यांचा दिनक्रम ठरलेला असे. सकाळी लवकर उठून, अंघोळ करून, देवाची पूजा करत. आजी सगळी तयारी करून ठेवत असे. पूजा करून झाली कि मग सगळी पाठ असलेली स्तोत्र, श्लोक एका पाठोपाठ एक म्हणत असत. मग ५ मैल फिरून येत असत आणि दोनदाच जेवत असत. इतर वेळ वाचन, लिखाण ह्यात वेळ घालवत असत. ते माझा अभ्यास घेत असत आणि मला बरीच पुस्तकं वाचून दाखवत असत. संध्याकाळी आबा शुभंकरोती  आणि पाढे म्हणत असत, त्यात नेहमीचे एक ते तीस पाढे असत आणि दिडकी, एकी असं हि काहीतरी म्हणत. त्यांचे गणित पक्के होते. आमच्याकडे गणपती दीड दिवस असत, आबा सगळं स्वतः करत. आरत्या मला कश्या पाठ झाल्या, मला आठवत नाही. आजी आजोबांचं ऐकून ऐकून कधी आत्मसात  झाल्या, कळलंच नाही.

I have recently joined two women's groups of Indian women in Germany. There are many interesting discussions and topics in these groups that make me feel happy. But there is a topic that is coming up again and again in these two groups: the physical abuse of women by their husbands and the domestic violence that the woman has to endure. These ladies post anonymously on the group, so we don't really get to know their names, and because we don't know their names or where they live, we can't offer any help. The posts on Facebook are just full of suggestions, "dos" and "don'ts," but beyond that, we don't know if that woman is safe, has found help, or has courage, and we can't offer any help because we don't know their names or where they live. This was quite shocking for me and the other ladies who have read such types of posts.

In this fast-evolving and modern world, we often hear people complain that kindness and goodness are getting slowly eroded from the hearts of people. Everyone is becoming more and more self-centered and not caring about other people or their points of view. The readiness to help, ask if others need help, and understand without asking that others need help is hardly seen in today's world as everyone is so busy with their own agendas. But, in the midst of changing relationships, morale, and culture, how do you know that the seeds of goodness you have sown for the next generation will bloom and flourish, giving back to society in spades?

Yesterday, after work, I met up with a German friend, Sonya, whom I teach Hindi. We got to know each other two years ago, and since that time, she has been a very good student when it comes to learning Hindi. There is one more lady with her, but yesterday she was away and hence couldn't join us. We went to IKEA in Karlsruhe, and while overlooking the road and the beautiful skies behind us, for about two hours, we had a hearty one-on-one conversation with one another.

It's not easy to stand alone against the tides of the sea. It's not easy to stand barefoot in the scorching sun. It's not easy to let go of the emotional ties after a bad fall. It's not easy to remain positive in today's uncertain world. Yet,  One has to move on, carry on, and try to complete the circle called life. with the help of faith, trust, and listening to your inner voice. One has to be hopeful; one has to surrender. Sometimes to your flaws, and sometimes to the Almighty God!

Yesterday at about 10 pm, I got a WhatsApp message on my number from my son's school friend's mother. They are no longer together from class 5 and earlier in primary school; they were thick friends at the beginning. My son joined the school in January 2020, when we shifted to a different place, outside Karlsruhe. This friend stayed close to our house, and that's how they hung out together even after school. His mom invited me for tea; we got to know each other, and I was happy that I have a friend here in this new place.

I am currently reading a book called "Raise Your Vibration" by Kyle Gray. And every word on every page is just mind-blowing. You would say there are many books written on this topic in vernacular languages; our ancient Indian culture prescribes various practices and rituals to reach the highest potential of the mind and the body; what's so great about this book? Unfortunately, staying in Germany, I am far away from the Marathi literature that talks about these things in our culture or environment. Also, the books in Marathi are not easily available online as e-books or paperbacks in Germany. So, I have to satisfy my thirst for reading my favourite topics in a language that is easily available, easily comes to me, and easily connects with me.

Life evolves Life teaches Life preaches Life throws you off-balance Life teaches you to get back on your feet Life challenges Life soothes Life protects Life gives Life takes Life changes Life never waits Life always moves ahead Life lets you make mistakes and gives a chance to correct them as well All you need to do is just breathe and live life to the fullest

Intermittent fasting and I have been thick friends since 2017. It's a lifestyle where I have cut down the meals to either one or two a day. In that meal, I try to have all the components—like carbs, good fats, and proteins—in one sitting, spanning an hour. I also indulge in a piece of cake or chocolate sometimes.

I have recently joined a group on Facebook called the Sneh Forum Germany. This group is exclusively for women and is a platform to seek information and guidance and also ask questions related to how to adjust to a different life in Germany, how to keep oneself engaged, etc. There are various experts from different fields who help women find answers to their questions. The questions could be of a serious nature or seek some simple information. Every question is welcomed here, and there is no shortage of positivity and readiness to help each other in this group.

Can you fall in love with a person you have never seen in flesh and blood? Can you become one with a person who shares nothing in common with you? Can you go out of your way to fulfill something the other person had dreamed of doing? All these questions are answered in a Telugu movie called 18 Pages, and I am so under its spell even after a week has passed since I saw it! Here's a little background on why I watch Telugu movies in the first place: The scene at Bollywood is really very sad now, and I have no interest in watching the remakes of movies from the southern part of India churned into Hindi movies one after the other.

  This quote is dedicated to all my friends who have been with me all these years without having expectations of me or judging me as a human being. They just want the best for me, and they always keep me in their prayers. They are far away from me physically, but in my heart, they are always near. Without friends and their love, I would never be the person that I am today. Being a single child, I was an introvert and had an inferiority complex. But thanks to the people whom I met in my life who helped me come out of the shell, I am a supercharged person today. I spread positivity, I try to look ahead in life, and I try to make the most of this lovely life! I am eternally grateful for the lovely time that I spent with my friends, and I look forward to the time together with old and new friends!

Like every year, Maharashtra Mandal Karlsruhe will celebrate the signature event of Gudhi Padwa on March 25, 2023. The previous two events, the Diwali program in November 2022 and the Sankrant (haldi kunku) event in January 2023, were both sold out, so we anticipate that this event will be as well. And the expectations of the public have increased a lot. We need to give our best this year too. How does this event get executed? Who are the people behind the scenes? I would like to tell you the story behind the scenes today. MMK usually does three events in a year. Starting with Sankrant, where it is only for women and kids, then it is the Gudhi Padwa event, and then we close the year with the Diwali Faral event. Every event at MMK has a theme. Every event has a coordinator and a co-coordinator. They both overlook other teams, e.g., the cultural team, technical team, food team, communication team, judging team, etc. Each sub-team has a coordinator and a co-coordinator, too. Within teams,...

संथ श्वसन श्वासाची गती संथ नॉर्मल ब्रीदिंग हे शब्द कानावर पडले कि एकदम शांत वाटतं, प्रसन्न वाटतं. रोज सकाळी प्राणायामाच्या  ऑनलाईन वर्गात हे शब्द हमखास ऐकू येतात. पुण्यात राहणाऱ्या सपना मॅडम योग शिकवतात, त्यांच्याकडे बरेचजण योगा शिकतात. एकदम प्रसन्न व्यक्तिमत्त्व आहे त्यांचे. कायम शांत आणि संयोजित असतात. त्यांचा आवाज हि खूप गोड़ आहे. मी जर्मनी वरून गुगल मीट वर वर्ग जॉईन करते!

Read the first part here:   My black beauty (Part 1) On the evening of January 13, 2023, we brought the black beauty to our home. My kind German neighbor, Gila, gave me her parking space because her car was with her son-in-law and that spot was empty. She had given the spot to different people who wanted an extra one without any extra costs. When she got to know that I got my driving license in October last year, she immediately told me, "Lini, whenever you get a car for yourself, I shall let you park on my parking spot." And she stood by it. The day before we were getting the car, she asked the other person to take her car out of the spot. After we brought the car home, I did puja on the car. I welcomed her into our lives and thanked her for being the first car ever in Germany. The next thing I did was order a learner's board and stick it near the number plate. I had asked my Brazilian friend about it, and she told me that it is easily available on Amazon. It's not e...

It was love at first sight. The first time I saw her pictures, I knew she was the one.   And when I saw her in person, I knew that this was going to be a long time together. And why not? I had finally found her after a long and hard search. I didn't want to lose such a beautiful creation only to have to restart the search. I wanted her in my life, and I think she also wanted me, and that's the reason she was still there, waiting for me to give me happiness and fill my life with joy and mobility.

Read the first five parts in this series here: Man proposes, God disposes (Part 1) Man proposes, God disposes (Part 2) Man proposes, God disposes (Part 3) Man proposes, God disposes (Part 4) Man proposes, God disposes (Part 5) My parents flew back with LOT Polish Airways. While coming to Germany from Mumbai, they didn't get food to eat owing to some confusion. I was not hoping for great service on the way back. However, we were in for a pleasant surprise when the crew went out of their way to assist my father with his surgically repaired leg.They took great care to ensure that he had enough space to keep his leg and also assisted him in going to the toilet. At Warschau, my parents were the last to leave the plane. As my father was unable to climb the steps, a lift-like device arrived to transport them from the plane. They had a stopover of around 4 hours. The person came back to take them to the next flight from Warschau to Mumbai. Everything went smooth, and we were all very happy...

Read the first four parts in this series here: Man proposes, God disposes (Part 1) Man proposes, God disposes (Part 2) Man proposes, God disposes (Part 3) Man proposes, God disposes (Part 4) The most interesting part of the hospitalization was that I never got to speak to the doctor about my dad's condition after the surgery. Every time I asked the attending staff in the evening about his health condition and if it was improving, the staff told me they were not supposed to reveal anything to me. When the doctors came in the morning for a visit, they had no time to talk to me on the phone. They were always busy and had a lot of patients to attend to. That also left me with a bitter taste in my mouth, as we are not supposed to be in this kind of situation in India. The doctor is very much present to answer our queries and give us assurance that the patient will be okay. But here, it was all done and dusted with the surgery, leaving us with the hope that the surgery was successful and...

Read the first three parts in this series here:   Man proposes, God disposes (Part 1)   Man proposes, God disposes (Part 2) Man proposes, God disposes (Part 3) Right from the third day of his operation, my father was asked to start walking. With the help of the nurses and a walker, he had to do a few rounds on the hospital floor. He was given antibiotics and painkillers, and that kept him going. He had lost the confidence to walk, but there was no other option for him. He did exactly what he was asked to do by the nurses and doctors there. He didn't quite like the food that they gave him there. He was not used to the German food of bread, soup, and salad at all. And being a vegetarian, my options were limited. We carried some home-made chapatis and some fruits for him. He was happy to eat that and was constantly asking when he would get discharged from the hospital and when he could go home. The nurse who brought the food every evening saw me and my mom there almost everyday, ...

Read the first two parts in this series here:   Man proposes, God disposes (Part 1) Man proposes, God disposes (Part 2) At about 7:30 in the evening, I called the number given to me by the attending doctor. My dad was on the fifth floor (for patients with orthopedic emergencies) in St. Vicentius Hospital in Karsruhe. I talked to the attending person and asked him about my dad. He said that he was doing well. I asked him two or three times about how the operation went, but he just said he was doing OK. In spite of speaking German so well, I sometimes feel helpless when I talk to people here. How could I explain to him our concern for my father and the fact that he is alone in the hospital on the second day of his visit to Germany? I tried to be calm and cut the call. I prayed to my deity and asked the deity to give him and us all the strength we need to sail through this emotional and physical turmoil. I trusted the doctors and the medical science in Germany, and I was sure that my ...

Read the first part of this write-up series here. Man proposes, God disposes (Part 1) My father lay on the floor for 5 hours because the ambulance came at 7:30 a.m. I was trying to call for an ambulance since 3 a.m. But because there was another emergency somewhere nearby, I was constantly told that an ambulance would arrive once that patient was taken care of. We were all aware of the fact that just because my dad wasn't howling or shouting in pain didn't mean that he wasn't in pain. He was definitely looking pale, and he was brave enough to bear that pain, which I can't imagine having to bear. We gave him some water to drink, and he could sleep a bit. The time was running as if on pause, and finally, at 7:30, I got a call from the ambulance services. A team of three doctors and two attendants came home with all the equipment and medicines. They took his blood pressure, which was obviously high because his body was in shock from the hip injury, and he also had a slight...

I owe a lot to my father when it comes to making a career in the German language. From assisting me with the preparations for my first trip to Germany on a scholarship in 2002, to assisting me in relocating to Bangalore for a job as a German translator at Hewlett Packard, to assisting me in relocating three houses in Bangalore and caring for my son while I was working, to accepting the fact that we would be away for some time in Germany beginning in 2017, my father has been a solid rock in my life, supporting me in everything I have ever wanted to do.

  February is supposed to be the coldest month in Germany. Soon, it will be spring, daylight saving time will end, and the days will begin to get longer. But being the shortest month, I think February goes by very fast. This is also one of the reasons I choose to do a blog marathon every year. I just have to write 28 blog posts, sometimes 29 when it is a leap year! The other time of the year for a blog marathon is October, by birth month. Last year, I completed it successfully by posting 31 posts in 31 days. At the beginning, there were a few friends who started writing with me, but then they gave up later, and I was the only one to carry on till the end. I felt bored on some days and didn't know what to write or how to continue, but because I had made the commitment to myself, I couldn't just give up. This time, there are a few new friends who have shown interest in doing the blog marathon. I am excited to read what they have to share.

The year 2022 flew by in the blink of an eye. So many interesting things happened last year. Starting a full-time job at a German company filled me with excitement and confidence. Trips to Luxembourg and Südtirol filled me with gratitude and respect for nature! Getting the licence after a lot of effort boosted my self-confidence immensely, and now I look forward to driving my own Mercedes A 160 in Germany to begin my driving journey. My parents visited me for the first time in Karlsruhe, and my dad had an accident on the same night. The experience with hospitals and doctors in Germany was an eye-opening one. These experiences helped me grow, changed me as a person, moved me to tears of joy, and sometimes made me sad too! What do I wish for myself and my people in the new English calendar year 2023? We have all been through two years of Corona, and we have learned our lessons. During this pandemic, I realised that health is of the utmost importance. One can earn the lost money or get a ...