Shri Ganesh Stotra - An online musical experiment

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.

Blog Marathon - February 2023 - Day 9 - My black beauty (Final part)

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 exactly an L like in India, but it's close. It says on a small sticky board that I am a beginner, and there's also an appeal to other drivers to be gracious and understanding. I thought it was important for my confidence, and that would make other drivers around me less hasty and more considerate.

On Sunday, 15.01.2023, we as a family went for a small drive together. I was, of course, in the driver's seat. And my husband was sitting next to me. That was somewhere he has never been in the 10 to 12 years that he has been driving. He was always used to driving, so it was a sort of discomfort or challenge for me to sit next to him. He was afraid that I was driving on the right a little too much. He was constantly giving me instructions and suddenly shouted to tell me to brake, etc. It made me extremely nervous, and that ride was not a very good one. With some hiccups, we came back home in half an hour, and I decided not to let my husband come with me until and unless I became a pro at driving.

The next week, I went out alone, once to the nearby industrial area where we usually go shopping. It's around 6 km away, and there is also a landstraße (highway) where the speed limit is 100 km. I went confidently to the supermarket, Aldi, parked the car in the parking box, went shopping, and came back home safely. The next time I went, I went to my friend Monika's place in Untergrombach, which is around 15 km from my place. I enjoyed the drive and came back very happy.

The interesting thing that I found here is that I had absolutely no fear when driving my own car, but when I was learning to drive, my heart raced every time I sat in the trainer's car. I knew that the trainer had all the controls if something unexpected happened. It was actually safe in there. But I was not driving without fear, or I was never at ease in that car. But in my car, I was a free bird. I was responsible for my and others' safety. I had to drive with caution and confidence. And that was such a liberating feeling, I can't express it in words. It was exactly the same feeling as when I learned to cycle in Germany and started cycling around. It gave me mobility and freedom, and it was extremely important to boost my morale and self-confidence.

In the coming weeks, when my husband was away, I picked up my son from school twice. And I can tell you that he was extremely proud of the fact that now even his mom has come to pick him up from school. All these years, he just saw a few of his friends' moms doing it. Now, it was his mom too. He specifically mentioned to me that when his father is not around in the car, I drive extremely well. "What happens to me when he is around?" he asked. I told him that we both get extremely tensed and feel the pressure because he is a pro at driving and I am just a beginner. I will slowly and steadily get there and make Baba feel at ease when he is sitting next to me.

I drove my neighbor Gila twice: once to the city, where she had to give away her old stuff for a flea market, and the next time to her old friend in another town, 15 km away from us. She was very impressed by the way I drove, and she explicitly told me that she had no fear sitting with me and that she would love to do it in the future too. Coming from a German lady who has been driving all her life, this really meant a lot to me.

I also chauffered my good friend, Yasha, who is a role model for me when it comes to driving. She is an excellent driver. She makes it look so easy! We had a dance practice on Sunday, and I picked her up from her place. She was overjoyed to be able to sit back and relax in the car for a change. All this while, it has always been her who took us places, and now it was my turn. She complimented me on my driving and said that I drive well. I could convince my dad, who had resolved not to come back to Germany owing to the accident and the hospitalization, to come to Germany and sit in my car and go places. When we had our car way back in the 80s, an Ambassador with the numberplate MAP 3859, he always took me to school or picnics, and now it was my turn. That cheered him up so much that he said he will definitely come and will work towards getting back on his feet as soon as possible.

Taking different roads, different routes, exploring small towns and villages, and upgrading my driving and reaction skills is now going to be fun. It's exactly the same as how we live our lives, isn't it? We all have different experiences, and we take different decisions that seem best for us at the time. I realized one very important thing in this process of learning to drive on my own. It's not really important what others think about what you can do or not do. It is extremely important what you think you can do. It's your trust in your own skills and abilities that matters most, and everything else is secondary. So this is a shout-out to all my Indian friends who want to learn to drive but have self-doubt and hesitation. Just come out and trust yourself. You are capable of miracles, and learning to drive is easier than giving birth to babies and nurturing them and giving them a great life.

Take that first step towards independence! It will definitely add color to your personality!

 

Blog Marathon - February 2023 - Day 8 - My black beauty (Part 1)

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.

Blog Marathon - October 2022 - Day 23 - Article in a Diwali magazine in Germany

I was introduced to Rasika through a singer friend, Ketaki Vaze. Ketaki and Rasika knew each other from the time Ketaki was in Munich, and Ketaki introduced Rasika to our channel, Vaachan Ranjan. Rasika is an artist. She paints, she sketches, and she makes many things out of craft. She is also a brilliant reader. She emotes so well that one gets involved while listening to all her stories. I got to know later that Ketaki and Rasika are a part of the Natyavaachan group, and they meet online on weekends to do readings of famous Marathi plays. It's no wonder both Ketaki and Rasika are such brilliant narrators, and it shows in every story that they both narrate on our channel, Vaachan Ranjan!

When Rasika approached me to write something for the Diwali magazine of Maharashtra Mandal Munich, I was thrilled. She very specifically told me to write on a topic that is very close to my heart. She didn't give me any chance to while away time thinking about the topics to write about. She asked me to write about how Vaachan Ranjan came into existence and how it has been running for the past two and a half years, with the help and support of all my reader and writer friends, who do it for free, without expecting anything in return.

When I sat down to write about it, I realized that it is indeed not easy to put all those emotions into words. Sometimes, I get frustrated and tired and want to discontinue uploading Marathi stories on the channel. Our subscriber base is just 304. I wonder if anyone really takes the time to visit our channel and listen to the wonderful stories there. My son often jokes about the fan base. He watches some stupid videos on YouTube and that person has a million subscribers. We do put a lot of time and effort into the channel, but there has been no growth in the recent past. Who has time nowadays? The thought of closing this channel has crossed my mind many times. In the recent past, my life has been quite busy with a new job and other household responsibilities; doing most of the things single-handedly; doing follow-up with the writers and the narrators; converting the mp3 audio file into a video file; uploading it on the channel; scheduling its release; and queuing the stories for at least the next two months. Phew! It's not easy. It's hard work, and I'm not even sure if this effort is reaching people or appealing to people. But then if I don't do it, who else will do it? I love my mother-tongue, Marathi and am proud of it. At least for that love, I should continue to make stories and upload on the channel.

All these emotions about my channel are brought to life in the Diwali magazine of Maharashtra Mandal Munich, and I can't thank the entire team behind this for their brilliant efforts.

Please have a look at the creativity of people here and do read the different articles published in the magazine. It feels so proud!

https://mmmunich.com/mmm-diwali-ank/

Thank you, MMM, for giving us writers a platform to express our thoughts and feelings. I wish you many more of these wonderful years of Diwali magazines and wish you all a very happy Diwali!