Kaam-wali Bai

I live in a hostel, which is a small two room flat. Everyday, early in the morning, our Kaam-wali Bai (maid servant) disturbs my REM sleep by knocking the door, in her signature style. When someone opens the door, she would remove her footwear and enters the small flat.

She is a small lady in her early 50s. She is always filled with energy and lots of complains and stories from here and there. A mother of two, she runs her house, providing the maid service to 5 odd places in her typical day work shift.

Her job in the hostel,is to dust and mop the flat. She does her job absolutely fine, considering my past experiences. Rather she cleans up the flat, as if its her own. I like that. Considering her good work, I asked her if she would also wash my clothes. She agreed to it for a very reasonable amount. As expected, she did her job well.

So what is so different about her?

Recently she told me that, whatever money I give her for washing the clothes, she donates it to some place in Sholapur. When i asked why? She told that the trust provides free food to everyone and anyone. I was amazed by her act of charity and her thinking. She makes sure that she donates at least 25 Kg of Rice or anything equivalent. Her standard of living is definitely not above average but her level of thinking is certainly something. She has never asked for extra money for her work. She once told me that, one of her sons is a car driver and gets a good salary. But she never asks for his money. She runs her house from whatever she earns from her job.

 I have great respect for her somehow after this event. It is such acts of altruism, that makes me happy.

UTTARAYAN AND THE VIBRANT AHMEDABAD

My most awaited festival every year is Uttarayan. Also known as "Makar Sankranti" in other parts of the country. Its celebrated on 14th of January every year. This festival is known for flying kites. The entire Gujarat embraces the beauty and excitement of the festival with its people's enthusiasm, colorful kites, delicious food, bonding and much more. Regardless of caste, community or sex, people of all age groups enjoy this festive season with ecstasy. 

My appetite for celebration is given a boost when I reach the old city of Ahmedabad to buy kites and manja (thread to fly a kite). A mere glimpse of the Bazaar during the night justifies without any doubt that the local populace in the city is too obsessed with kites. The crowd on the streets goes crazy and can be seen buying the stocks in dozens while negotiating and enjoying at the same time. People can be seen buying kites of various colors, sizes, types and shapes. Trendy Chinese lanterns, blow-horns for cheering, sunglasses, hat and much more makes up a typical shop, lined up along with hundreds of other similar stalls. An environment with such a set up, gives the feel of an eve of an extraordinary festivity.  

The city of Ahmedabad gives a lot more than this. Every year the city hosts an international kite festival. People from various countries participate and become spectators to this colorful and joyous event. The participants gets a chance to exhibit their kite work, art and skills. Every festival in gujarat and the food have always been in an implicit sweet relationship. Special delicacies and snacks are prepared during the festive season. One of the famous dish is "Undhiyu". Its a mix vegetable dish prepared from seasonal vegetables and normally eaten during winter season.

On the 14th of January, early in the morning, people occupy the rooftops, terraces, open grounds, or pitch on any scarcely available open place to fly the kites. People from all walks of life, caste, community manage to find out their mode of entertainment. A lot of fancy and artistic toys can be seen famous with the younger lot of the generation who struggle to fly kites easily. A typical festival fanatic will have his own setup of stereo system playing loud music keeping the environment alive. The sky starts to overwhelm with all sorts of kites slowly with the rising sun and as the day advances, the sky becomes a beautifully colored collage with its pieces randomly dancing in confusing directions or fade out in the infinite fabric of blue sky.

A kiter (kite flyer) tries to knock down other flying kites. It typically happen by trying to bring the thread of his kite in contact with the others and skillfully cutting its thread. It brings a lot of joy and excitement and sheer energy. People shout, cheer, celebrate this all day long till they exhaust. There are times when the number of kites in the sky are more than the Kiters. Its because of the presence of orphaned kites (the ones being cut down), floating and wandering with the wind.

The event doesn't end with this. The evening is more beautiful. People tie a large number of small lanterns to the thread of a stable flying kite and let them release in the sky. These lanterns decorate the evening sky in luminous artistic curve along the line of the supporting thread. Its an awe-inspiring view. The recent trend of Chinese lanterns have taken the amusement to another level. These lamps are in a typical shape of a balloon. It rises up due to the thrust  produced from the smoke of the burning fuel at its bottom.. When they rise in the dark sky, they collectively portray an image of myriad  yellow luminescent dots on the black surface irregularly place and constantly shifting places. The view is just breathe taking. You can watch this view for hours and never get over it. The so easy to understand scientific phenomenon, almost looks like a wonder, discovered just yesterday. These lamps even outnumber the jealous stars visibly present in the vicinity.

This amazing festival, though sometimes has turned out to be disastrous because of unfortunate incidents happening due to human mistakes or carelessness or mere negligence. Although adequate advice and precautions are favored, incidents tend to find out their own way of occurrence. However, this has never brought down the mood and good spirit of the festival in people.

This festival brings all people together for a common cause. To celebrate. Something which is powerful and profound. This is what excites every bit of me.

The festival has always come to an end with a happier note every year. I have numerous memories attached with it. And I am sure to cherish them in the years to come. Also I will continue to celebrate with equal or more enthusiasm in the coming years. 

I will be happy to know your experiences. 

A TREK TO TUNG FORT

            September is the month of rain, scenic beauty, greenery and trekking. Pune is known for many good reasons, one being the forts nearby. Also the flora-fauna and scenery attracts many people from Pune to these places, specially on weekends. For a software engineer like me, these weekends are the days for relaxing and peace. However, being a travelling enthusiast, I feel excited to be at new places all the time.

Like all my trips, this trip also was an impromptu decision. I was enjoying the saturday morning on my "beloved" bed when my cellphone rang. I received the call, half asleep, although knowing who was on the other side of the conversation (a trekking enthusiast and my friend). The voice demanded me to be ready in 5 minutes and pack for the trek. Somehow I got convinced and packed some basic things. I had no idea, how is this decision going to turn out for me!! We also picked up a friend's friend, who supposedly knew about the place we were going to. A bit of relief for first timers like me.

We started late in the morning from Pune. We decided to go via Pirangut and Paud . This turned out to be unfortunate route for us for two reasons. The road welcomes you with potholes and rough patches almost everywhere. Second being, the flat tyre, which got fortunately done in Paud. During our run, many a times the rain entertained us and painted the surroundings as lively as possible. The clouds, mountains and the fog around them captivated our eyes many times. Apart from that, the car stereo and friendly talks helped crack the 80 km drive.

Tung Fort

Tung fort is also called Kathingad fort. 'Kathin' means difficult. Its evident from its steep climbs, cone type structure at the top and a narrow route on the edge throughout. Its a 400 metre climb from the Tungwadi village, which is right at its base. This place is very close to Lonavala (a famous tourist place and hill station).

On reaching the base of the fort, we were welcomed by an old man with a kathi (wooden stick) and his barking pet dog. The dog seemed unfreindly at first. But after our short acquaintance with him and some food, got pet-ly with us. We parked our vehicle under a  big  banyan tree and got ready for the trek.

Although the mountain looked not so tall, but its steepness made me realise that it could be a challenge. However, my friends thought that it was a piece of cake, given the fact that they have been to many such treks.

Fort Entrance

We started towards the top, being a sport. In the start, the rocky steps (probably made for people) made it easy to proceed, however they started disappearing and we had to start making our way from very small path  of a stream. The water in the stream was slowly finding its way in all possible diverging paths down somewhere. The rocks and small stones were slippery, probably due to the continuous flow of rain water. But that didnt kept us stopping anywhere. The entire surface of the mountain was covered with greenery and clouds like cotton balls, at the top. The atmosphere changed its mood regularly. Sometimes raining, sometimes wind playing with the vegetation and sometimes a sudden focus from the sun glowing up the wet flora and fauna. Amidst all these, we didnt missed our chance to click some photographs. There is a small water reservoir on the way. The water didnt seemed good enough to take a dive. Hence avoided it.

Tikona Fort

It took us 45 minutes or so to reach the top. The journey to the top was not exhaustive. I rather enjoyed every moment admiring every beautiful thing on my way. The view from the top is just breathtaking. This place is surrounded by lake Pawna from three sides. 

Pawna Lake and Club Mahindra Resort

You can easily point out Lohagad, Visapur, Tikona and Korigad forts very clearly. At a viewable distance one can easily see 'Club Mahindra Holidays - Lake Pawna resort' on the banks of Pawna Lake. 

The top of the mountain is a ruined fort. However it looked much like a watch tower to me. A flag is erected in the approx centre of this place. There is a small structure on the south of the small plane surface on the top which is suppose to be a shrine of 'Tungi Devi'. It was almost unmaintained with everything out of place.

We took some time to take in all these natural snapshots. Everyone cleared there thirst. We had some fruits and some snacks. Having all these on top of a mountain, along with a bunch of friends, just made my day. Everyone posed for there so called Facebook pics of the day :) . Well we captured a lot of pictures of the landscape, green fields, the beauty around us and much more. Getting some peace of mind in your daily life is a boon. 

The sun on the west seemed to be sending an army of dark, angry clouds along with the swift wind to hover over  us and exhibit there power. The bright and glowing sun threw infinite streaks of colourful rays, amidst these clouds, on the tiny appearing fields giving it a heavenly feeling. The baby clouds were fretting from the wind to disappear into the bigger clouds. Soon it started breezing and the rain drops got a chance to play with us. The wind increased its force, sending the rain drops in all possible directions. The drops now started slapping us. The force of the wind created such an effect around the top as if the steam (in the form of tiny rain drops) is rushing out from underneath of the surface. A perfect display of nature's artistic skills. It seemed that the nature was romancing with our mind forcing us to fall in love with it. Everyone was just in their own for a while.

After being on the top for an hour and half, we started heading towards the base. The rain made the way back, a bit difficult. We spotted a troop of Monkeys. The first sign of any living being on the mountain. We reached our initial starting point soon. We unloaded ourselves and started our journey back to Pune.

This time, the plan was to go via Lonavala. In fact this new route was very smooth and better than before. To my surprise this place was very close to 'Tiger point' (a famous place in Lonavala). We decided to halt there for a while. It was around 6.30 pm. The weather was completely foggy. We were not able to see beyond 10 metres. In such a weather if you get to have hot fried pakora (Bhajji) or maggi, then what more could someone ask for? We had garam bhajji ( hot pakora ) and maggi. I have to confess, it was yummy.

After some time, we finally headed towards the destination. The fog turned dense by then. It was a bit diffcult to drive first, but rain then cleared the fog and we were good to go. Almost every one was tired. I threw myself in one of the comfy corners of the car's back seat and went into a sound sleep. Almost in an hour or so we reached Pune. My impromptu decision for this trip definitely turned out to be good.

  

You can get some basic info about Tung Fort here.

Teri Oongli - Dedication to every Mother

***तेरी ऊंगली***

जबसे मैं हूँ आया
तेरी ममता का मुझपे है साया
आते ही रोया , तो अपने आँचल से लगाया
उस नादान ने दुनिया में तुझसे पहला रिश्ता बनाया
उस दिन दिल ने संकल्प किया
' ना छोडूंगा माँ, मैं तेरी ऊँगली '

रोते रोते हसना सिखाया
गिरते कदमो को उठना सिखाया
खुद की नींद बिगाड़, झुला झुलाया
मेरी तकलीफों को खुद के सर उठाया
जुबान को बोलने लायक बनाया
खुद को तो एक पल भूल ही गयी
मेरी जिंदगी को खुद की जिंदगी बनाया
जब तू हैं मेरे पास तो
ना छोडूंगा माँ, मैं तेरी ऊंगली

अक्षर की पहचान करायी
भोजन की है रीत सिखाई
पहले बोल, तेरे लाडले के सुन
आँखें तेरी थी भर आई
पहले माँ बोलना सिखा
फिर तुने abcd सिखाई
तब तू ही मेरी दुनिया थी
अब भी तुझमें ही मेरी दुनिया है
तकलीफों से तू युही बचाते रहना
ना छोडूंगा माँ, मैं तेरी ऊंगली

पढना-लिखना तुने सिखाया
बाबा दांते, तो पल्लू में छुपाया
गलती करने पर तेरा थप्पड़ भी खाया
तेरी नज़र से कभी हट न सका
तेरे अरमानो में भी, मैं ही समाया
अच्छे-बुरे का अंतर बताया
सच-झूठ का पाठ पढाया
बुरे सपनो को दूर भगाया
लोरी सुना के, गहरी नींद सुलाया
तू ही मेरा रक्षा कवच है
ना छोडूंगा माँ, मैं तेरी ऊंगली

मुझे बड़े होते तुने देखा है
मेरे गुस्से को हरदम अनदेखा किया है
मेरी हर जरूरत को पूरा किया है
मेरे हताश होने की तू ही एक दवा है
अपने ख़ुशी और गम में
हरदम तुने शामिल किया है
तेरे बलिदान को कभी न भूलूंगा
ना छोडूंगा माँ, मैं तेरी ऊँगली


मेरी हर मुश्किल का तू हल है
मेरी सफलता का तू मीठा फल है
तू ही मेरे जीवन का जल है
अमृत से अनमोल , आज से बेहतर पल है
तेरी मौजूदगी में ही मेरा जीवन सफल है
तेरा आशीर्वाद, तेरी दुआए
हल पल मेरे काम आये
बिन बोले मेरी हर बात समझ जाए
तू ये जादू मुझपे हरदम चलाते रहना
ना छोडूंगा माँ, मैं तेरी ऊंगली


कितना भी बड़ा हो जाऊ
मैं तेरा ही लाडला रहूँगा
कितने ही रिश्ता निभाऊ
तुझसे कभी न मुह मोडूँगा
कितनी ही उलझन में पड़ जाऊ
तुझ पर आंच न आने दूंगा
तेरे कर्मो की मैं भगवान् से शिफारिश करूँगा
तुझे उससे भी ऊँचा दर्जा देने की मांग करूँगा
अंतिम घडी भी यही कहूँगा
ना छोडूंगा माँ, मैं तेरी ऊंगली


***END***

Soch

//** सोच **//

मेरी सोच की राह इतनी गहरी है ,
इतनी कच्ची है ।
कि हरदम गिरता हूँ ,
हरदम फिसलता हूँ।
पर गिरकर उठता हूँ,
बहुत कुछ सीखता हूँ ।

सोच में पागलपन है ।
सठिया सा मेरा मन है।
सोच में प्यार है,
प्रिये संग गूंठे मीठे लम्हों का प्यार है।
सोच में क्रोध है,
अन्याय का विरोध है ।
सोच एक विचार की नयी धारा है,
अमीर के व्यक्तित्व , गरीब के रोटी का सहारा है।

रूह को जोड़े ये शारीर से।
आभास कराये खुद का करीब से।
हूँ में दीवाना इसकी ताकत का ,
अजूबे ये कराये बड़े अजीब से।

पल में इसने माँ के पास पहुचाया है।
बाप के थप्पड़ का एहसास दिलाया है।
हर वक़्त , भविष्य का विचार , कल की यादें ,
सब इसी के संग दोहराया है।

दुनिया सोच से ही पहचाने।
हर कोई सोच की बात माने।
आमिर-गरीब , सच- झूठ , बुरा - भला ,
इस बिना कोई न जाने ।

सोच की दौड़ , उसकी चाल,
किसी को न है खबर।
एक समय धरती पर हूँ,
दुसरे पल अम्बर ।
ये इंसान को राक्षस से अलग बनाये।
कोई इसे हमसे छीन  न पाए।
महान  पुरुष के शारीर तोह नश्वर है।
पर उनकी सोच मर न पाए।

सोच एक सपना है,
जो सिर्फ और सिर्फ अपना है।

//** END **//