Highs & Lows

How was your winter break? Did you go someplace during your annual leaves? What did you do during your time off? January office meetings always begin with these questions. Short answers are- Break was good. Yes, I travelled for a few days and stayed home for the most time. Binged on food and music.

And here we go with the long answers-

Statue of Unity- a trip to Kevadiya- one of the best holiday experiences

• Morning Train- about 2.5 hours' duration- including a U-turn that the train took two hours into the journey.
• Visited the Statue and nearby Valley of Flowers in free-of-cost hop-on/hop-off buses-- realization that public transport can be frequent and affordable (if not free), if the authorities are willing to. 
• Noted the availability of clean and free drinking water at regular spots across the town-- first trip where I didn't need to buy bottled water .
• Meal options were brands like Havmor, Gwalia, Subway, Starbucks, McDonalds.
• While December is one of the best times to visit this place, weather was still extremely hot. The only times my family and I used our sweaters/jackets were during train rides to and from Kevadiya.
• Night train- same train, same duration, same u-turn!

Pavagadh- a holy hill station- a trip where everything that could go wrong, went wrong

• We were still on a happy high from our trip to the Statue and planned this hill station trip for the very next weekend. 
• Googled about Pavagadh. Read somewhere that there are about 250 steps' climb to the main temple. Our assumption was that ascent, prayer and descent would take about 3 hours and accordingly pre-booked our bus tickets to and from Pavagadh. 
• Reality- It was not 250 steps. My guess- 5000 steps. It became very clear very soon that we should have opted for the ropeway option.
• In the first 5 minutes of the climb, my blood sugar level dropped. And of-course the legs ached badly through-out the descent. As someone who wasn't walking for even 5 minutes on any given day, I shouldn't have expected a different outcome(now I walk every-day for at-least 30 minutes).
• Actual trek time was 4 hours going up and 2.5 hours coming down. Missed the return bus. Didn't find any seats in any alternate buses for the next 1 hour. Then decided to take a shared taxi to the nearest big city and try for buses/trains from there.
• As it was a hilly area, the shared taxi skid a bit and bumped into a vehicle in front. No injuries, but that vehicle got many dents. Another 40 minutes or so wasted watching the 2 drivers fight, calm down and eventually settle with money.
• Finally reached the big city. As expected, got some seats in the first bus itself. The very long day came to end some 3 hours later that night. 
• Did I mention popular eateries to choose from in/around Kevadiya? In my Pavagadh trek, lunch was 2-3 bottles of Sprite and 1 American Corn cob to keep my blood sugar level in check. Dinner was a slice of Bread with Jam- back home- at midnight.
• And of-course, no photos were clicked during this trip. 
• I was so low after this trip, for next several days!

Dried Inkpot

 

Writing used to be easier for me. Words flowed naturally when I wrote my first poem at age 9. Also when I wrote my first blog-post 14 or 15 years ago. Most definitely in the years 2011, 2012 and 2015 (per the statistics of this blog). It was easy to write poems, short stories, book reviews, TV series reviews and even anecdotes. Whereas now, it seems difficult to write an email or even a text.

I feel like the main reason is that in the earlier years, external feedback didn't matter more than the internal satisfaction that comes with writing a piece. There was a fearlessness back then. Maybe a nonchalance. While today, it is all about- (1) whether this thought is writeable? (2) whether what I wrote can be published? (3) how many views, likes, comments? (4) what next can I write on, I cannot be a 1-post wonder. Must write again and more. 

Has the inkpot dried? Maybe. So why refill now? Because it is cathartic. With many negatives of the real world, that plague the mind, writing is like a familiar few sips of tonic that can slow-heal the heart.

Four Days & Three Nights

(475 words)

A couple of questions running through my mind:

      i.       Is it okay to use to the term ‘Staycation’ if your stay is in your home (Not a holiday home, but the very home that you live in)?
Can you unlearn how to be independent (and independence here is not the kind we see in History textbooks, but the feeling of being on your own)?

About eleven years ago, I got a chance at independence. It was certainly very tough for my parents to see their little love going to another city for College, but they were proud of me.

Being on my own was not being taken care of by my parents, but instead being taken care of by my friends. Independence to some degree, for starters.

About seven years ago, a new chance for some more independence. My parents were prouder of me and this was tougher on them, since the move was now to a Big City, for B-School.

With the “degree of freedom” increased, I learnt how to take care of myself. Wasn’t on my own still, but now I was ready to be on my own.   

About five years ago, I attained “full” independence when I started working and earning (renting an apartment with a stranger, paying bills, cooking food, shopping for stuff, early morning trips with friends, going to movies past midnight, boarding a plane solo to & from across the globe, changing jobs, living solo, going to the movies solo and even eating out in restaurants alone).

About year and a half ago, I opted for a week of work from home as the world started to close due to an epidemic. That week ended with the start of National lockdown and start of living full time with my family. It was not tough for my parents, finally!

Full independence for me gave way to a co-dependence for the three of us.

About a week ago, I lost my uncle to a tragic accident. My parents had to visit the family for the last rites. This time it was my parents going to another city, and it was the toughest for them. How will our overgrown baby, who is in a managerial job by the way, “manage” to be on her own?

Here’s how: With a ‘4 days, 3 nights home staycation’ (in the saddest of circumstances). While Instagram went to ‘revenge trips’ to hills and beaches, I stayed in a place I literally call home. This place had everything- no crowds, no safety concerns, no e-pass or test reports needed, the beds were comfortable, the food home cooked with all my favorites on the menu, I connected with nature each day while watering the plants in my parents’ garden and when the break ended, I got the answers to the questions posed in the beginning of this post.

Diwali: A New Beginning

I am part of a transnational team at work. With each member belonging to different countries, we all have learnt a lot about different time zones and more importantly, about different holidays.  

Since Diwali is round the corner, my team knows that a multi-day holiday on my calendar is coming soon. However, the length of the holiday is not fixed across different parts of the country and it may vary from 1 day to 7 days (plus or minus vacation days that people often club along with the festival).

In many conversations lately, my international colleagues have mentioned interesting tit-bits of what they associate this 'Indian' festival with:

• Lights, candles, diyas and lanterns
  
• Sweets and food
• Family time

All of these are true and the popular parts of this festival. But these things, in variations, form part of most festivals across the world. I have been thinking a lot about Diwali and what each day of the festival means (to me):

• Dhanteras: the day when people traditionally buy jewelry, kitchen items and clothes, and nowadays electronics as well. Basically spending/investing money.
• Chhoti Diwali: the day before Diwali. The final day of house-cleaning (which starts weeks or months in advance before the D-day). Also the day when sweets and snacks are prepared.
• Diwali: the day when the Lord, his wife and his brother, returned to their kingdom. Their homecoming was celebrated by lighting 'deeps' or 'diyas' or lamps. Also by making-merry. Many other noteworthy decorations are- floral arrangements including garlands, colored patterns on floors called "Rangoli" and stickers- often religious. The day of prayers and partying alike. 
• Govardhan Puja: the day after Diwali. Celebrating another God, who in his childhood saved an entire village by lifting a mighty mountain on his tiny fingers. In my home, we celebrate by eating maybe "what God ate that day"- Radish (a scrumptious 'Mooli Parantha' breakfast) and Punjabi Kadhi (my favorite 'Kadhi-Chawal' lunch). Also, this day marks the Gujarati New Year ('Bestu Varas').
• Bhai Dooj: the day of Brothers and Sisters (with the word 'Bhai' literally meaning brothers). Sisters basically put an auspicious colored mark ("tilak") on brothers' foreheads and everyone eats sweets. 
• Labh Pancham: the fifth day after Diwali. From Diwali till this day, Gujarati businesses and offices are closed and people are vacationing. On this day, businesses open up, counting it as the day 1 in their Account Ledgers. 

Apart of these days that I know of, there are other days in between, each celebrated as a festival, in different parts of the country. But a major theme is of new beginnings and prosperity- be it the new purchases, house cleaning- to the point that it looks as good as new, and the New year itself. I think, this year more than ever, we all await a new beginning...  

Home Office

As oxymoron-ic as it may sound; I am setting up my Home Office. 120 days of work from home later, I have decided to have a dedicated office space. So far, I have used my bed, dining table, drawing room sofa and even my balcony garden as a makeshift office #hotdesking . Which means I have put almost all the electric sockets in my home (except those in kitchen and bathroom) to use by charging my laptop and my mobile #loadsharing (ok, sorry!)
If in movies, we try to imagine a post apocalyptic world, in reality we are hoping for a post pandemic world. Until then, #wfh seems to be a long term state and I would rather only one corner of my house reek of corporate shit.
So, I am setting up my Home Office. I have two options-

1. My old-timey computer table in my parents' room(where the monitor, CPU, keyboard, mouse and printer still reside; all wearing my mom's hand embroidered table covers). The drawer contains what 90s kids would know were called music cassettes (all adorned in dust bunnies).
2. My study desk- currently housing all things miscellaneous- a wall clock that works only when it's not hanging on a wall, a plastic flower that is also a tiny wind mill and non-functioning stationery items like dried up sketch pens and blackened erasers. 

Remember one of those cliches "I keep my personal and work life separate"😆

When Life Gives You Contests

Class 4 or 5: I had gone to another school for an inter-school computer quiz competition. In between various quizzes, there was a 'lottery' kind of thing in which all participating students were handed a card to fill in their names and drop in a bowl. That card was from the sponsors of the event and there was a question- to choose one out of three items- Speakers, Modem and one more thing. 9 year old me knew what Speakers were and had a vague idea of Modem. Plus even at that age, I knew lotteries are just chance and had no hopes whatsoever. I just ticked on Speakers and tossed in the bowl. 

The very first lottery winner in that event was me! That day I took some cool Speakers back home, along with the quiz certificate of course. My brother was amused at my 'luck' and also told me next time to really try for Modem 😛

Class 9 or 10: Listening to FM was like a major part of my day, specially when I stayed home to 'study' during pre-exam days and my parents were off to work. I think it was my favorite radio show, which had a radio contest. Some random thing- like guess that masala or vegetable or something. I told mom that I'm calling the radio station to participate- and mom said 'go ahead'. I knew that there would be like 50-100 people who call the radio station at the same time and there are close to zero chances that my call would even connect. My call did connect- and the RJ said in his cheeky voice "Hi, Wassup... what's the answer?" I was tongue-tied! All I could say was "Uhhh..." and he said "Uhhh?? That's not the right answer! 🤣🤣"  

Anyway, only a few days later- I had fully recovered from this shyness + shock and I called them again for some other contest and yes- I won two free tickets to the latest movie "36 China Town" which I took my mom to see with me. And then one more radio contest- where we won a bunch of goodies- including a CD with Kishore Kumar classics💗

So basically whenever life gives me contests- I participate, with zero ambition plus a little confidence, and it ends well🙂

P.S: I just participated in an Instagram contest where I had to upload a  1 minute video of my mom cooking her signature dish💌 There are like 800+ submissions and I have very basic video making skills and well, who knows.. 😉

Life as we know it

For a baby- 
Mummy and Papa. Maybe a grandparent or a sibling. 
A toy or two. 
Some colors- red, yellow, blue or green. 
A few favorite rhymes. 
Same thing, every-day.

For a kid- 
Parents, a couple closest relatives, neighbor kids, a teacher. 
Many toys. So many games. 
All crayons. 
Two-three cartoons loyally and the same movie over and over. 
Same things, in variations.

For a teen- 
School friends, school-bus friends, neighborhood friends, coaching classes' friends, parents on family weekends, cousins once or twice a year. 
Video games. Mobile games. Cricket/Football/Tennis/Swimming/Martial Arts.
Playing on the loop-a music video some kid saw and talked about.
One color- either black or blue or gray or pink or purple. Just one.
A new movie every week.
Something Different.

For a college goer-
College gang. Professors. Chai-wale bhaiya. Maggi wale bhaiya. Xerox wale bhaiya. 
LAN games.
Colors? 
Class bunk wali movie. LAN wali movie. 
Very Different.

For a working adult
Retiring/retired Parents. Boss. Co-workers. Employees. Carpool/Train/Cab partner. Flatmate/(s). Landlord. Dabba wala/Dhaba wala/Cook/Domestic help. Random acquaintances in XYZ country/company. Girlfriend/Boyfriend/Wife/Husband. In-Laws. Bank Manager dealing with Student Loan/Car Loan/Home Loan. Kids. Kid's teachers. Kid's friends' parents. New reporting manager. New Reportee. 
Gym/Yoga/an occasional marathon.
Colors- Of the walls; when house painting. Or of the Sky and the Sea; on a vacation.
Netflix. Prime. Hotstar. TV News Debates. 
Same or Different- a struggle to do it all.

For a retired elder    
Kids and Grandkids. Walking or exercise buddies. Some religious/spiritual little club.
Newspaper end-to-end and the daily crossword.
White and lighter shades.
Bhajans and occasional black-and-white era songs. A complete news bulletin.
A reluctance to try anything new. Or an excitement to learn everything new.

We start out with seeing the same two people (mom-dad) and the big achievement is to complete a sleep, take a few steps here & there and eat a few spoonfuls. We mostly stay indoors, with the same people and same routine.

We end up having met thousands of people and the big achievement is to complete a sleep, take a few steps here & there and eat more than a few spoonfuls. We mostly stay indoors, with same people and same routine.

Everything in between is Life as we know it. 

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Realization that the changes in the world may have changed our lives significantly, and how we are now leading it is different in so many ways. But at the core; Life is as we know it.