एक छोटी सी खबर, लघु कथा by मृदुल प्रभा

एक छोटी सी खबर .. 

'अरे मां देखो फिर रेप हो गया', रिंकी ने अखबार से पढ़कर मां को बताया ।

'अरे बेवकूफ लड़की, कुछ भी बोलती रहती है तेरे पापा सुन लेंगे । बोलने से पहले सोचती भी नहीं '।

'हां सुन लिया मैंने,' पापा ने गुस्से से कहा ।

'अरे पापा न्यूज़पेपर में लिखा है', रिंकी ने कहा ।

'कुछ भी लिखते हैं पेपर वाले और वह भी बड़ा चढ़ा कर और यह सब उन लड़कियों के साथ होता है जो बड़ों का कहना नहीं मानती '।

'पापा यह तो..'

'क्या यह तो... अजी खुद लड़कों के साथ बेशर्मी से घूमती हैं ऐसी लड़कियां..'

'लेकिन पापा... रिंकी ने फिर कुछ कहना चाहा पर पापा ने फिर टोक दिया '।

'तुम जानती भी हो कुछ? इन लड़कियों का चरित्र?' पापा को बहुत गुस्सा आ रहा था ।

लेकिन पापा....

'चुप हो जा .....बड़ों की बात काटने लगी हो?

और वही लड़कियां हैं जो छोटे-छोटे कपड़े पहन कर .......खैर छोड़ो... 

पर पापा...

'क्या पर पापा, लड़की जात को शर्म लिहाज होनी चाहिए।'

'पापा देखो तो सही न्यूज़ पेपर में क्या लिखा है'.. रिंकी ने जल्दी से कह ही दिया।

'अरे जरा सा पढ़ लिख मां-बाप को बुद्धू समझने लगती हैं। जानता हूं ऐसे परिवारों को जहां लड़कियों को ज्यादा ही छूट दी जाती है'।

'अब मेरी बात तो सुनिए प्लीज'

'नहीं सुननी कोई बात । और ऐसी गंदी ख़बरें पढ़ना बंद करो, दिमाग खराब हो जाता है, अखबार तुम्हारे करंट अफेयर्स के लिए लगाया गया है ना कि ऐसी बकवास पढ़ने के लिए । पढ़ाई पर ध्यान दो समझी! हमारे यहां ऐसी बातें ना हुई है ना होगी. बस जाओ यहां से' ।

इतना सुनकर भी रिंकी वहीं पर खड़ी रही और पापा के सामने न्यूजपेपर रख कर बोली।

'पापा एक 6 साल की बच्ची के साथ ऐसा हुआ है।'

धूप.... लघु कथा by मृदुल प्रभा

चंदा के घर में धूप नहीं आती थी । जरा सी भी नहीं . ना सुबह की धूप ना शाम की धूप.

शायद मौसम बदलने पर धूप आएगी, उसको ऐसा लगता था । गर्मियां खत्म हो गई, सर्दियां आ गई लेकिन धूप सर्दियों में भी नहीं आई ।

वन रूम किचन । छोटे से गांव के बड़े से आंगन वाले घर से निकलकर अब यही उसका घर था । एक ठंडा अंधेरा कमरा । बिल्कुल उसके प्रेम विहीन रिश्ते के जैसे ।

इन दोनों में रहते इसको 15 महीने हो चले थे ।

इसी अंधेरे कमरे में उसकी कोख में एक अंकुर फूटा तो चंदा ने जी जान से उसे प्यार किया । कल चंदा ने अस्पताल में एक बेटे को जन्म दिया है । चंदा ने उसका नाम सूर्य रखा है ।

    

Lift your Spirits

We all have bad days when we feel low for no reason. No bloody reason. Normally a walk or a good film helps. I would not recommend shopping as a therapy. Yes talking to the best friend is therapeutic. If you are a woman I recommend you splash your favourite perfume to lift your spirits. And yes, a dash of colour on the lips will brighten up your face and mood too.

Perfume... my favorite is RED DOOR by Elizabeth Arden. Or Beauty by same.

Abode of the Gods

2 MAR 2004 TUESDAY
Published in Free Press Journal Indore by Mridual Kalia Bhatnagar

The temples, mosques, dargahs, gurudwaras, synagogues, churches…. The Indian landscape is dotted with the places of worship. I wonder if any one would know how many? I wonder if the correct number is listed or has figured in any directory. Temples, Mosques, Gurudwaras and innumerable places of worship such as Dargahs spring up at places as weird as the centre of the a boulevard, at crossroads, on the railway crossing, on the highway bridge and in the trunk of a tree, in the cave of a hill and even a steep turning..(even on the Gate pillar of a building) At many places faith arises out of fear because these places are accident prone areas. But the problem arises when these small places to offer obeisance become larger than life. They grow in size thanks to the growing faith and growing number of deities. Is faith directly proportion to the size of the temple? Won’t a prayer be answered if offered at a small place?

The fact is it is far easier to build a place of worship on a buffer land or on a disputed property. The goons in the builders lobby do it to harass someone. Some others will do it to enforce encroachment on government or private land. They erect four walls and place a religious symbol in it. If someone dares to ask he is blasphemous. Any god fearing common man will get scared to tamper it. The non believer criminals don’t have love lost for anyone and certainly no fear of god.
The Moguls who invaded India were certainly men of criminal bent of mind. They caused lots of destruction to men, material and mandirs during their rule. Many generations later Hindus are trying to settle a score. But this time they should not perpetuate the same mistake because somewhere the line must be drawn. Babri masjid- Ramjanambhoomi has to set a precedent for so many other religious sites where mandir and masjid co-exist. One thing is for sure that Gods, Hindu or Muslim, can surely stay side by side. Although one still does not understand how two diverse religious structures come to be built in the same vicinity in the first place. And if they did, there surely had been harmony at the time of construction.

Few would know that right atop Charminar there is a masjid to offer prayers and right below in one of the four minars towards the east is a small but conspicuous temple. Surely it must be agreeing with the Muslims in that predominately Muslim area. I could not gather more information about its origin. The vendors and shopkeepers in and around Charminar area have no clue about how it came into existence. It is an integral part of the world famous structure that is Hyderabad’s signature on the world tourist map.

Our religion is our social conditioning. Our faith is our own. I know of a Muslim young man who always visits Lord Balaji in Tirupati every six months without letting anyone know that he is Muslim. That does not make him any lesser musalman because he offers his namaz to Allah with the same sincerity. 

We are lucky to be born in a country where religious freedom is fundamental right. There are family owned temples which actually are extended pooja-ghars but on religious festivals they are decked up only to attract devotees and of course donations. The fact is that these places are moolah raking sites. There are people who operate these places as businesses. For them God is nothing but a commodity. This is true for Dargahs as well.

It is important to be religious but it is time we learn to respect each other’s religion as well. Tolerance is the key. We can not go on building religious structures indiscriminately at any place. Some times with such disregard to the surroundings that there is a heap of garbage right behind or a dirty nullah flowing right besides. It is no good to erect new places of worship and abandon the old historical ones. There are famous religious sites, now only the so called heritage sites, and in common man’s terms ‘ruins.’ I would say famous Ellora temple which has lost its religious importance and has been reduced to just being an ancient site. There are many others like that.

The right to religious freedom does not mean that we forget about the future of these structures and the future of the structures we are going to make. We have to plan and develop these sites else we will be disrespectful and blasphemous. There has to be a law that new places need to be registered before constructing them. There has to be a trust to ensure that these places are taken care of. Government should have the right to demolish any illegal and unregistered such place.
One is astounded at the Shiva temple of Ellora which is said to be carved from top to bottom, feels puny standing next to the 7 ft. tall Shivlinga in the Bhojpur temple, and feels ecstatic going to Shankracharya temple in Srinagar where the valley of Kashmir seems so serene. There are many more fantastic religious places which have gathered the dust of time. Why not make these places accessible? Why not develop these and worship there?

Even the new, to be built, places of worship should be placed in locations where loud speakers or big congregation does not cause inconvenience to the residents. There should be minimum specified area and minimum specified requirements to ensure civic amenities to develop such places. Since these places are money collecting centre by way of donations by the public, a percentage of these collections must be paid back to the government to enable better connectivity and better civic amenities around that area. The Tirupati Devasthanam is one such place and Balaji is said to be richest Lord in the world due to the huge sums of donations received. Not only that these places should also be held accountable and they should disclose their statement of accounts to the public vide news papers. The religious heads and leaders should be held responsible for development of these areas and all the activities that take place in these premises. The same should be done for Ajmer Sharif Dargah and Shirdi Sai Baba or any Churches, Gurdwaras, Synagogues or Fire temples across all religions.

History has it on records that the places of worship have been exploited as shelters for nefarious and terrorist activities. Golden temple, HazratBal and may be many others have been the hideouts of terrorists. Such activities can be checked only if regular inspection of these premises is allowed to be carried out.

It’s time that all the religious places are registered and governed by some laws. Its time to stop indiscriminate erection of such structures and evaluate the importance of existing ones so that we and the generations to come learn to truly worship at abode of the gods.

Mridual Prabhaa Writingdoll


This is an old article of mine published in my series of weekly articles "2020" in Free Press Journal, in the year 2004. The subject is topical and relevant even now. I would like to hear your views in the comment section.

Bareilly ki Barfi...Beswaad

Cheeni nahin, swad nahin, mava nahin....Bareilly ki barfi ainwey thi....bakbaki. A badly reconstructed n remade Sanjay Salman Madhuri wali SAAJAN. Stupid songs and average acting... churaya maal. A sheer waste of time and money. TV pe dekh liyo bhaiyeye,  jaldi aajayegi.

Abey GOOD Kahani chahiye toh just shoot an email to

writingdoll@hotmail.com

Fortified Quickies....what the funk?

Few months back when my brother saw my blog rather carefully (he had seen it many times earlier but never reacted) he almost jumped as if bitten by a wasp. "What the heck doe why this name", he said and although I tried to reason it out I felt that if he, an educated forward thinking man can react like that how would others have felt about me. Chheee....I, at once felt bad and ashamed and guilt ridden. Brothers can actually act as moral police commissioners.

Surprisingly the blog had existed for many years before I changed the quickies to quirkies for obvious reasons. I am not a bad girl. I am not even a BAD ASS feminist. I do not like to flaunt the badness. I love my privacy and decency means a lot to me. Why then QUICKIE? To me it was an innocuous word with simple dictionary meaning.  See Picture...

It seemed apt for my quick n crisp posts. Little did I know that.... well, men react. Men react more than women and it is they who have ruined the entire dictionary. Even the simple "Lena Dena" Give and take in Hindi can have a lewd meaning. The cutest rhymes have been twisted. Every damn thing can be an innuendo for sex.

Recently heard of a FM radio program called some "Quickies"... (must be inspired by my blog LOL).. Oh I must tell you that my blog gets rave reviews and emails. Lot of people sneak peek. Many love the quick bytes.

Coming to point...I am replacing the QUIRKIES to QUICKIES... back to original. QUICK WITS... you moron guys !! Every word in the world is not about Sexuality. Tharkies can excuse themselves to visit Sunny Side Up blogs. For free.

What the funk? This one will remain FORTIFIED QUICKIES !!!!!

Mac Cheaters

I generally would refrain from complaining against people. But this one may not be a solitary case of cheating so I must share this reality about MAC n other Apple Service Centres.

Let me say that we are a big Apple family with at least 16 gadgets or more among we siblings.

Once in 2012 my mac book pro had some issue I took it to this service centre at Charni road..see details in pictures. They replaced the hard disk and charged rupees1000 for servicing plus HD cost. Data recovery was to cost extra and as they were closing they asked me to come again with new request.

I took the old hard disk to the technical support guy at Croma (after 2 years) to recover my data. Wow..The hard disk was not corrupt.  It was fine. Never mind he too charged me rupees 1000 to recover information from an open disk. I could have bought a case for 400 and done the recovery...sorry data transfer because it was not really a recovery but for the lack of knowledge I paid. The second guy was at least educating me about it.

I was appalled n surprised. Most of us who are not aware of the technical details are gullible and can easily be ripped. That too by reputed companies. Earlier there were not many  Apple technicians. Now there are many service centre's n dedicated Apple stores. Please refer 2 to 3 places n people before you get your gadgets repaired.

Issued in the public interest. ..

#Writingdoll #apple #MACbook #Apple

तेल मालिश

तेल मालिश 

नारियल तेल सर में उँडेल कर, आँखे मूँद कर, उँगलियों के पोरों को धीरे धीरे सर में फ़िराने लगी। पर पाँच मिनट में ही हाथ थक गए। हाथ नीचे कर, आँखे मूँदे मूँदे मैं माँ को याद करने लगी। मेरी माँ, मेरी मम्मी अक्सर तेल लगा दिया करती थी। संयुक्त परिवार में तो कोई ना कोई तेल लगवाता या लगाता रहता था। मुझे भी किसी से तेल लगवाना बहुत अच्छा लगता था। मज़ा आता है किसी अपने के जाने पहचाने हाथों का स्पर्श लेकर। अक्सर मैं आग्रह से कि- ‘थोड़ा और, थोड़ा और कर दो’- कहते कहते प्यारी सी नींद भी ले लेती थी। तेल लगाना मेरे लिए सुखद प्रक्रिया है।आज भी बहुत मन था तो तेल सर पे उँडेला, पर स्नेह का स्पर्श भरे हाथ अपने ही कैसे हो सकते है। 

बचपन के दिन याद आ गए। मुझे तेल लगवाना ही नहीं किसी और के लगाना भी अच्छा लगता था। असल में मैं अच्छी चंपि करती थी और मेरे छोटे छोटे हाथों से तेल लगवा कर सबको अच्छा लगता था। मैं बाक़ी बचचों की तरह जल्दी जल्दी निबटा कर भागना भी नहीं चाहती थी। सो सब की चाहेती थी। कभी कभी चंपि करके दस पैसे भी मिलते थे वरना आशीर्वाद, प्यार और असीसें तो हमेशा मिलती थी।

मेरी माँ अध्यापिका थीं, बहुत सारा काम करती थीं और हर काम फुर्ती से करती थी। तेल भी जल्दी जल्दी लगा देतीं थी। जब उन्हें वक़्त ना मिलता तो मैं मुझ से छोटे भाइयों से सर की मालिश भी करवा लेती थी। नन्हें हाथों में सचमुच जादू होता है, अब मुझे समझ आ गया था।

आज मैं महानगर में अकेली थी। बिलकुल अकेली। हल्का सा सर भारी लग रहा था तो मैं तेल की शीशी उठा लायी। शहरों में बहुत कुछ मिलता है पर फिर भी बहुत कुछ छूट जाता है जो सिर्फ़ परिवारों में मिलता है। ख़ैर अजीब सी कसक लिए हाथ उठा कर पोरों पर ज़ोर दिया तो शायद दिमाग़ के किसी कोने से यादों का स्विच ही आन हो गया।

मेरी ममी बेहद स्टाइलिश औरत हैं। जवानी में तो और भी ब्राण्ड कॉंशियस थी। वो कन्थराडीन नामक तेल ही लगाती थीं और मुझे उसका सुनहरा पीला रंग और ख़ुशबू दोनो बेहद पसंद थे पर जाने कौन सी वजह से मेरी ममी मुझे वो तेल नहीं लगाने देती थी। मेरे लिए था सिर्फ़ नारियल और सरसों का तेल। ख़ैर जो भी वजह हो पर यह मन भी ना। बस एक दिन चीन पर रखी एक कटोरी में सुनहरा रंग दिखा तो झट उँगलिया डाल कर बालों के ऊपर हाथ फिरा लिया। ममी तो स्कूल चली गयीं थी सो डर भी नहीं था। अगले कुछ घंटे तो बिलकुल नहीं। मुझे ऐसा लगा कि आज मैंने मैदान मार लिया। फटाफट अपने दमकते चेहरे और चमकते बालों पर एक नज़र मारी और मैं स्कूल का बसता लाद कर घर से निकल गयी। मैं पैदल ही स्कूल जाती थी। स्कूल पास ही था। १-२ किलोमीटर। रस्तें में मुंसिपलटी के कूड़े दानो के पास से गुज़री तो मखियों का झुंड मेरे सर पर मँडराने लगा। कितनी भी उड़ाया मगर वो ज़िद्दी अड़ियल मखियाँ थकी नहीं और पूरे दो किलोमीटर मेरे साथ साथ मेरे सर पर मँडराती रही। अजीब लग रहा था। मैं रास्ते भर गंदगी फैलाने वाले लोगों को कोसती रही। अनपढ़ गँवार मखियाँ, सारे पिरीयड, पूरे दिन मेरे सर पर सवार मेरे साथ स्कूल भर में घूमती रही। मुझे कुछ समझ नहीं आ रहा था। क्या इसीलिए मेरी ममी मुझे यह तेल नहीं लगाने देती थी। ऐसे क़िस्म क़िस्म के कई सवाल मेरे दिमाग़ में कौंधने लगे। अब तो स्कूल की छुट्टी का समय हो रहा था। डर भी लगना शुरू हो गया।

घर पहुँच कर मैंने हाथ मुँह धोया पर दो चार मखियाँ फिर भी सर पर चक्कर लगाती रही। मेरी हालत अजीब थी। ना तो कुछ पूछ सकती थी और ना ही बता। ममी भी स्कूल से आ गयी। 

खाना खा कर बैठे तो ममी ने पूछा, “यहाँ चीन पे शहद रखा था, कटोरी में, किसने गिरा दिया?”

मैंने ऊपर की तरफ़ देखा और सोचा, हाथ तो मेरा ही लगा था, लुड़क गयी होगी कटोरी। मैं सोचने लगी पर बोली कुछ भी नहीं। 

“सुना तुमने बेटा, यहाँ शहद रखा था कटोरी में”, ममी ने कहा । 

“शहद?”  मैंने सकपका कर पूछा। दिमाग़ की सारी बतियाँ जल गयी । बस सारी गुथियाँ सुलझ गयी। मैं अपने चिपके चिपके मीठे बालों  में हाथ फिरा कर, बची हुई तीन मखियाँ जो मेरी चोरी की गवाह थी, के साथ चुपके से वहाँ से खिसक ली।

मृदुल प्रभा

मेरी आने वाली किताब में  से एक 

your comments are solicited.

पैसा पैसा करती है***क्यों पैसे पे ये मरती है?

पैसा पैसा करती है***क्यों पैसे पे ये मरती है?

WRITINGDOLL·FRIDAY, 16 DECEMBER 20163 reads

बेंकों में पैसा नहीं है। ए॰टी॰एम॰ पर लम्बी लम्बी क़तारें हैं। कल SBI की बड़ी ब्रांच में १०० से अधिक लोग लाइन में लगे थे और शटर डाउन कर दिया गया। लोग चिल्लाने लगे। जनता का ग़ुस्सा जायज़ है। कुछ लोग पिछले गेट पर चिल्ला रहे थे। मैंने अपने होम लोन की आख़िरी किश्त देनी थी, हाथ में कैश नहीं था, बैंक के पास डिजिटल इंटर्फ़ेस नहीं था, स्वाइप मशीन नहीं थी, और तो और, प्रश्नों के उत्तर नहीं थे। ग़ुस्सा तो बोहोत आया पर मोदी पर नहीं। अकेले प्रधानमंत्री मोदी क्या कर सकता है। उनका इरादा नेक है तभी तो इतना काला धन बाहर आया है। watsapp पे चुटकले और मज़ाक़ की भरमार है। एक साथ कितने ही नए इकानमिस्ट, अर्थशास्त्री पैदा हो गए हैं। मैं एक साधारण इंसान हूँ। कुछ कोमोन सेन्स की बातें लिख रही हूँ।

देश में तीन प्रतिशत लोग ही इंकम टैक्स भरते हैं जिसका मतलब है कि बाक़ी लोगों की आमदनी २,५०,००० रूपेय से कम है। यानी बायीस हज़ार प्रति माह से भी कम। तो लाइन में हर रोज़ कौन लोग हैं और किसका पैसा निकलवा रहें हैं? यह सच में सोचने वाली बात है। बिल तो ATM कॉर्ड से भी चुकता कर सकतें हैं। तो इतनी मारामारी क्यों है? कुछ लोग अनजान हो सकते है पर इतने सारे स्मार्ट फ़ोन वाले लोग नहीं।

बैंक का काम, इस नेक काम को ईमानदारी से करना था पर वो तो “बिल्ली के ज़िम्मे दूध” वाली कहावत सच कर गए। सारे नहीं पर बोहोत से बैंक कर्मचारी तो हवाला और काले धन के दलाल निकले। काले धन की दलाली में अपना मुँह काला करने से भी नहीं डरे। यह नहीं कि पैसा नहीं था, पैसा था पर चोरों ने मिलीभगत से काले धन के ठेकेदारों को पहुँचा दिया। आम आदमी हाय हाय करता रह गया। इसमें अकेला मोदी क्या कर सकता था?

मैं नहीं जानती कि देश द्रोह की परिभाषा क्या है पर यह जानती हूँ की देश का अहित सोचने वाला ही देश द्रोही है। सारे चोर और बैंक कर्मचारी जो काले धन की दलाली कर रहें है देश द्रोही हैं और इनको कड़ी से कड़ी सज़ा दी जानी चाहिए। इनको नौकरी से बर्खास्त कर जेल में डालना चाहिए। जिनके पास भी काला धन है उन्हें भी धन छीन कर सलाखों के पीछे डालना चाहिए।

इन दिनों मैं भी बहुत लोगों से मिली हूँ और बात करी है। सबसे ज़्यादा तकलीफ़ उनको है जिन्होंने कभी टैक्स नहीं दिया, इंकम का हिसाब नहीं रखा, शराफ़त से काम नहीं किया। आम आदमी भी अगर परेशान है तो उसे परेशानी मोदी की पॉलिसी से नहीं बैंक के लालची बंदरों की वजह से है।

जितना धन हर रोज़ पकड़ा जा रहा है उस से पता चलता है कि पैसे की कमी नहीं है। ख़ास करके २००० के नए नोट भी,,,, अगर यह नोट ATM पर मिलते रहते तो इतनी हाय तौबा ना मचती।

विपक्ष के दल और दूसरे राजनेता जो भी इस नोटेबंदी का विरोध करते हैं या आम आदमी का हितैषी बनते है वो सबसे बड़े चोर हैं। उनको आम आदमी की चिंता नहीं बल्कि अपनी पूँजी हाथ से निकल जाने की चिंता है। आने वाले दिनों में बहोत कुछ बदलने वाला है। चोर भयभीत हैं और आनन फ़ानन में जुर्म पे जुर्म करते जा रहें है।

एक ईमानदार हिंदुस्तानी को डरने की कोई ज़रूरत नहीं है। देश को इस वक़्त हिम्मत और धैर्य की आहुति चाहिए। अगर इस वक़्त हम ने मोदी का साथ नहीं दिया तो चोरों को टक्कर देने वाला पैदा ही नहीं होगा। !!

मैं छोटी मोटी परेशानी झेल कर अपने भारत को संवरता देखना चाहती हूँ। देशभूमि में चल रहे इस महायज्ञ में मेरी यही आहुति है।

मृदुल प्रभा writingdoll

आप सहमत हैं तो इसे share कर सकते हैं।

Dear Zindagi.... Ek Kursi Chahiye... Wtf !!

Dear Zindagi.... the film....Jug the healer....Kursi...

I liked the film. Its good. Its about looking inwards....looking at our problems and tackling them. Engaging tale of human mind....but only till the time I am not told to look at relationships like furniture. Yes.

Well its a film and comes with a disclaimer but tell me if a relationship between men and women is actually like buying a piece of furniture. A chair...a Kursi... I mean seriously?? Should one go check out prospective partners like Kursi? She fits? He fits? And fits what? Comfortable? Hard? Soft? Cushioned? Like Kursi? I do not know how do the modern girls n boys look at it. May be its a very good idea to check out people before we zero in on someone but it is certainly not my idea. I could never think of relationships like materialistic things. Certainly not Kursies.

And why do we feel that only conjugal relationships between men and women have to be like choosing a kursi. Your relationships with mother, father, brother, sister or even your children who come through that bond with a stranger are not tried and tested like a kursi. Whether one loves or hates, one never goes on trying to find that perfect father or mother or brother or sister or child. We accept the loved ones we have in our life (by blood) and accept them as they are. When it comes to loving a man or woman for a 'relationship' we are aware that this is replaceable... if it works fine, well... if it does not... and so on. That is why acceptance becomes difficult. We all know there is a way out if it does not work. Sadly it is this mindset which is causing 'complicated' relationships and divorces and moving on. I hear these terms a lot these days.

There is neither acceptance nor surrender in conjugal relationships. These are lacking depth and respect. Sex is confused with love. Love is confused with commitment. It is a complete mess when two people are trying out partners to see who fits best. This is happening not just amongst 'single ready to mingle' but even in the 'already married but not committed' people.

What about love at first sight and that going weak in the knees feeling? Are those the things of the past? Hopping into beds, trying out sleeping partners is confused with search of love. If sex could be sole source of happiness whores would have been the happiest.

And yes, a relationship between two people evolves over a period of time. No one can find that perfect partner even after trying many. It is just that after every break up one learns to own up at least one mistake of his/hers and improves upon that.

I would say just shut the external noise and listen to your heartbeat. A flutter will alarm you when love knocks at your door. Say "Dear Zindagi" and do not let it go.

And forget that "Jug head"and ....Forget the bloody Kissa Kursi Ka !!

Disclaimer: The views expressed are personal and not to preach morality. Those who disagree can go on trying Kursies.

Hare Krsna !!! ISKCON shows the right way !!

Yesterday visited the #ISKCON temple at Girgaum. Everything was so beautiful. The arrangement was simply the best one has seen in any temple ever. 'Beauty'.... everything lived in the essence of this word. It was simply awesome. No chaos, no noise, no pushing, no filth, no nonsense.... it was prayers, chanting, smiles and fragrance of flowers decorating the mandir. Wonder if all other temples could learn a thing or two about it.

I really wish people go and see for themselves. ISKCON temples have a wonderful way to conduct the rituals and everything is done in the most enchanting way. Visit one.... #ISKCON visit will change the way you look at going to temple. The experience is more spiritual than religious.

Here's more.  RadhaGopinath !!! Hare Krsna.

Ban those Billboards outside the city limits.

Scenic #Nevada is doing a great job trying to preserve nature and banning billboards. I had a chance to meet these people at Washoe Valley in Nevada and I admired their conviction and the work they had already done. I remember that on my road trip from Leh while crossing over Barlachala from the Lahol Spiti end and entering Rohtang near Manali I witnessed the annoying change in the landscape. Damn every mountain alongside the road was painted with advertisement. Including the rocks in the flowing streams. Commercialism had overtaken the nature. It was heartbreaking. 

What Scenic Nevada is trying to do in Nevada would seriously make sense anywhere in the world. Of course in India too... God has created a beautiful world around us. Billboards kill the joy of beauty of nature. Billboards stick out like sore reminders of man's hunger and greed and selfishness. Billboards are an annoying mind pollution and are driving away the birds and animals away. Do we really need them? Frankly it is an encroachment on nature's territory. I think it should be dealt with seriously.

http://www.scenicnevada.org/wp/reno-to-discuss-billboard-ban/

@writingdoll #writingdoll is with #ScenicNevada and for #Eco preservation.

No Prescription For The Illiterate?

Case: A domestic help earning a small salary, suffers itching on her feet. Could be due to many things including excessive use of cleansing agents and bare feet walking. She goes to this doctor (with credentials to boot.... consultant to Kaya Clinic and Jaslok) who gives her medicines to eat and ointment to apply. His fees is rupees 500/= for each visit, this includes the cost of medicines.

Beena (name changed) has been there three times. All she has is this doctor's visiting card, where he writes the dates when she has visited his clinic (on the reverse of it). He does not give her any prescription or case sheet. In fact he does not give her any receipts/bills for the medicines or any document that can explain her diagnosis or his treatment. Even the tablet he gives her are pre-cut and without label or any proper packing.

Where are ethics of medical profession? Here is his card and the medicines he has given her.

Whether or not the person understand it, shouldn't it be the duty of the doctor to make a proper prescription. I seriously wish you to share this post and tag #IMA to take necessary action against such #medical professionals. Also please take some time to educate the less educated #helpers around you.

Hindi, the missing link

कितनी आग लगा रखी है सोशल मीडिया पर हिंदी के विरुद्ध. आज पहली बार हिंदी की पैरवी करने का दिल करता है. इतनी खूबसूरत भाषा जिसे विदेशी भी सीख जाते हैं और दिल से पसंद करते है, अपने ही देश में नफ़रत और हीनभावना की शिकार हो रही है. बच्चे अंग्रेज़ी फर्राटेदार बोलते हैं. हिंदी बोलना गन्दा माना जाता है और बच्चे हिंदी की ट्यूशन लेते हैं क्योंकि स्वाभाविक तौर पर हिंदी उन्हें मुश्किल जान पड़ती है.

सबसे अधिक विरोध दक्षिण भारतीय कर रहे हैं. यह देखिए. और उसमे भी तमिल भाषी.

என். சொக்கன் ‏@nchokkan 5h5 hours ago

Hindi is yet another Foreign language for me.That's all.It deserves as much respect as Kannada,Telugu,French etc. #StopHindiImperialism

44 retweets 26 favorites

 என். சொக்கன் ‏@nchokkan 5h5 hours ago

Hindi is yet another Foreign language for me.That's all.It deserves as much respect as Kannada,Telugu,French etc. #StopHindiImperialism

44 retweets 26 favorites

वाह ! इसमें अंग्रेज़ी का नाम नहीं है. अंग्रेज़ो ने भाषा से प्रान्त बना कर देश का सबसे बड़ा नुक्सान किया है. तमिल सुन्दर भाषा है पर पूरे देशवासियों को तो नहीं आती। हिंदी सबसे अधिक बोली समझी जाती है. अब समूचे देश को जोड़ने वाली कोई तो कड़ी होनी चाहिए. हिंदी वही कड़ी है. संस्कृत भी हो सकती थी पर हिंदी का पतन देख कर लगता नहीं कि लोग संस्कृत बोल समझ सकते. इसमें दिक्कत क्या है? दक्षिण भारतीय या फिर कोई भी प्रान्त के लोग रोज़ी रोटी के लिए दूसरी जगह जाते हैं तो वहाँ की भाषा सीख ही लेते हैं न तो हिंदी के प्रति इतनी नफ़रत क्यों?

एक ट्वीट मिला नहीं जिसमे लिखा था कि हम तमिल लोग बिना हिंदी जाने पूरे देश पर राज कर सकते हैं. क्यों नहीं ? काबिल इंसान कहीं पर भी राज कर सकता था पर मैंने उन श्रीमान जी को लिखा था की भाई साहब आप के यहाँ से महान हस्तियाँ जैसे कि चिदंबरम, श्री श्री रवि शंकर, जग्गी वासुदेव और रजनीकांत बेहतरीन हिंदी बोलते हैं।  ख़ैर, अगर दूर की सोच हो और दूर तक पहुँचना हो तो ऐसी भाषा तो सीखनी ही पड़ेगी जो आपकी आवाज़ को दूर तक ले जा सके.  मैंने हिंदी में लिखा था पता नहीं उन्हें समझ भी आया कि नहीं। 

बात ख़त्म नहीं हुई है.... यह तो एक शुरुआत है. हिंदी के लिए मैं तो लड़ूँगी क्योंकि हिंदी और सिर्फ हिंदी से ही यह देश जुड़ेगा.  

My Independecne Day

Just now saw the Tricolour being unfurled in the school next door. It conjured up emotions. I love this moment when Tiranga opens up and showers its petals all around ..like blessings and then sways proudly. I thank God for sending me to this Great Nation. Its an amazing feeling to be Bhartiya, Hindustani.

During childhood my mother ensured that we made this day special. Her nana was a freedom fighter and so our mom had lot of stories to tell. She was a five year old when the country was divided. Though our family was rooted in Punjab my mom had heard/seen poignant stories including that of a Muslim family staying with them as tenants. So we kind of knew the price we Bharatwasis paid for this freedom. And we value it. Thanks to all that she shared with us.

I still remember myself, an eight year old, singing patriotic song... 'Desh de Tirangaya' at Azad Chowk.. a prominent city chowk for official Independence Day celebrations. In my school it was the most beautiful ambience. We sang, we paraded and we ate ladoos. Yes, we always got two ladoos on this days... the sweetness of those is lingering till this day.

After school days got over, my youngest brother Vineet used to wish all of us.. "Happy Independence Day" and make our day so special. It was amazing when the expected D day for my second child was marked as 15th Aug. Mostly the actual date of delivery changes. On 14th my doctor said, "Ma'am, we will induce on 16th Aug" .......as 15th Aug is a national holiday. The doctor came for a short round on the morning of 15th August and was taken aback seeing a baby next to me. "Yeh kab hua?"
"Wee hours... last night...early morning of 15th August."
He smiled. I smiled. My child was born on the most wonderful day when there is festivity and joy in the air. Always. Year after year. The ladoos are distributed.

Happy Independence day... !! Lets hear our great PM from the Lal Quila and feel that pride in our hearts.

Jai Hind!!

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam...People's President

In the year 1991, in DRDO, Kanchanbagh campus where we had gone visiting an uncle (an army officer who was posted there) we saw one maverick missile scientist taking an evening walk. We were told that he works on missiles and is very unique kind of a person. I found that long haired man very interesting looking. It was getting late and we could not meet him.

He went on to become India's most revered and most loved President. The one and only #Dr APJAbdulKalam. I could not meet him but I read his biography 'Wings of Fire' and felt connected with him. I am sure he touched the hearts of those he crossed in any way. The news of his death at 84 came like a blow to many like me. We never wanted him to go... isn't it? Even as a President. India's people wanted him to come back as President again but the corrupt politicians did not. He stood apart like a lotus in the dirty pond. Every time I read about him or re-read his books I was awed by his personality. He was nearly a flawless creation. He was so inspiring. That is why his words are timeless. He read Gita and Quran and lived a very pious life. That is why perhaps he goes back on this day of Ekadashi completing this round of life on this earth.

Dr ‪#‎APJAbdulKalam‬ was an institution, an icon, an idol.... a leader with a difference, with principles, with integrity. No one can ever come close to the stature he rose to, the reverence he earned. He will remain People's President....will live in the hearts of millions of Indians. No one can ever take his place. May his soul rest in peace.

I am in tears as millions of Indians. A million salutes to you Kalam Sir !! India will never ever forget you.

(Pardon any mistakes..writing with blurred eyes and mind and stream of tears... )

Neem Hakim...well yes!!

Have a look at this picture.... These are Neem leaves put to dry in my living room..

Neem Leaves in my Drawing room...

Have a good look at these pictures and then read this very interesting blog post. I dry Neem leaves every two three years and keep in my boxes, cupboards etc. Oh yes, I belong to some old era and I trust the knowledge I received from my grandmother. Few years back I had moved to Bombay and one of my cartons which had some Soybeans,  snowwhite Rajmah and red Moong from Kashmir had got misplaced.  I located that carton two years later when I moved places again and when I opened it I expected everything to be rotten but to my surprise everything was fine and eventually I used it too. I think that was because I had put dried Neem leaves in all of them. Now that kind of made me a Neem lover. I have made Neem packs for boxes, edible items, shoe racks, cupboards, book shelves, bathrooms...well just about everywhere. I even put it under my matteresses... crazy? Wait till I tell you more.

We have a dog at home and the finicky me is disgusted with dog hair on the rugs and carpets. For the past two months she had some skin rash too.  Medicated shampoos, powders, tablets, de-worming, ointments...doctors kept writing prescriptions n we tried all. Then one day I searched the net for 4 hours to find some homeopathy or alternative medications for this poor being who was so restless and itchy that she was biting into herself. No, there were no fleas but a few ticks every day after the walk would emerge. Ticks was not the real problem. I read about home remedies for doggie problems. I included garlic pods in her khichdi. Tried applying some coconut oil and vinegar solutions and blah blah... (you can find more...) But this blog post is not about it. Then I thought of Neem...my wonder drug. I said why not?

We managed to get Neem leaves and boiled them and cooled them and bathed our dog. I do not think it made any noticeable difference but one day while I was chewing on a twig I thought about how good it is for teeth and skin (when I swallowed the bitter juice) I wondered if my dog will drink the bitter Neem water. We boiled and made a decoction, cooled and gave our dog with some curd. She finished it in one go (because of the curd). For the past fifteen days she is being given Neem water with two spoons of curd early morning and evening. Within first week her bowel improved. Her skin rash is cured. Her skin tone is becoming normal. Her hairfall has miraculously stopped. STOPPED. I still can not believe it. That to us is an achievement. This was an experiment we had carried and not with any bad intention. After all people have safi (also Neem extract). My dog now does not itch and sleeps peacefully. Someone who has been getting Neem for me has gone crazy and had brought in load of it to dry and swears that he will fill his home with Neem too.

There was Neem all over in my house for the last few days. My daughter was having a bad cold and cough just before that. Within two days her cold was gone and suddenly her cough too had vanished. Was it the smell and the aroma of Neem leaves in my house? I really do not know but I can logically think of only that to be the reason.

Friends, I do not have cockroaches or any such insects in my house. Is it also Neem, I do not know. Possibly yes because I do not use sprays or chemicals or Naphthalene balls in my house.

Well, that is the story. There are Neem trees everywhere. Be grateful to God for giving us such wonderful plants and yes take only the twigs but never harm a Neem tree.

Plant more Neem trees and share this story with everyone you know.

Bombay Well What, Waat laga di....

Bombay Velvet... my unpaid review. Even if Karan Johar or Anurag Kashyap would have paid me for a review I still would write this....

I have just come back after wasting my money, time and brains trying to make some sense out of 'Bombay what what'. There was no story. Quite understandable as four people including Anurag Kashyap has written some random things. So, clearly too many cooks have spoilt the broth. Karan Johar's dead pan expressions killed the villain's part thoroughly. He was not at all convincing as a Parsi τοο. In some shots he looked switching over to AIB. Actually that is his forte and he should stick to that. One is forced to make comparisons with another new release set in the early last century Calcutta. Yes, Detective Byomkesh Bakshi. There is a world of difference between the two. Bombay Velvet does not have sheen and texture...no velvety feel. In fact it is tattered canvas with some patchy velvet pieces. Karan Johar should stick to being behind the scene so that he can control himself. 

I am tempted to write something in Punjabi... a one liner about this nonsense.

 ਬੋਮਬੇ ਵੇਲਵੇਟ ਵਿਚ ਵੇਲਵੇਟ ਵਰਗਾ ਕੁਝ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੈ. ਸਾਲਾ ਪਾਟੇ ਤਪੜ ਤੇ ਲੀਰਾਂ ਜੋੜ ਤਿਯਾਂ।

Mummy Oh Mummy

I sometimes want to start a parenting blog. Not that I am an authority but yes I try my best to keep learning good parenting tricks. Now both my daughters have entered teens and grown taller than I am. Nether the carrot nor the stick is working any more. My hair is greying at a faster pace than ever before. My days are action packed as both my girls are trained in martial arts and keep fighting whole day. These are tough times for me. Sometimes I feel envious of their father who goes to office, plays golf, squash and watches movies in peace because he is posted in the field area away from us. Ironically, I am the one living at a peace station and yet I am in the middle of a battlefield every day. I no longer qualify for a referee position also. All my rules, tricks seem obsolete and expired. So I reach out for online help to deal with cranky cats. Its tough...I do not know if all girls are like that. Moody, cranky, lazybones.

Its tough being a mother and tougher being a good mother. No, I am not complaining. Its fun being with my daughters. They have taught me many things about life. Sometimes their understanding of life and relationships surprises me. Those positive sparks make me hopeful that they will surely turn beautiful human beings. I do not know what career choices will they make but I am sure what ever they choose to do in life, they will do it beautifully as good individuals.

Sabla..Celebrating Womanhood

When Maithili Sharan Gupta, a famous Hindi poet wrote years ago, "Abla Jeevan Hai Teri Yehi Kahani, Aanchal mein hai doodh aur aankhon mein paani (what is the life of a helpless woman, tears in her eyes and suckling child in her lap)", he had portrayed a rather helpless image of women. That was many many years ago. While the woman has emerged stronger and achieved everything a man could, the atrocities on women have not ended but they have changed shapes. Society is going through turbulent times where the new woman is breaking barriers and evolving as a stronger pillar in the society questioning patriarchal mindset which perhaps is making the chauvinist Indian male insecure. "Offence is the best form of defence".....this is perhaps the reason why the insecure men commit crimes on women. This Women's Day lets pledge to celebrate every woman who has found her voice and believed that a in healthy social system she has to be respected and regarded as a an equal important part...nothing less, nothing more. Lets also pledge to give hope and support to every woman who has been victimized because she has not compromised her values. A woman is not 'abla' but 'sabla'-someone who has the courage and conviction to bring about a positive change in the society.