My Tryst With Food

Once upon a time.. I happened to be sort of in love.. sort of in love meaning I cannot give myself to a woman completely the way I give myself to food.. and I admit, it would never be an out and out relationship.. so all the women in my life must know that they may come close but always second best.. in fact all my relationships are more or less based out of my love for food and that's the honest truth..

For instance in our house for the longest period and throughout my childhood, my family was very particular about not rejecting food. We weren't allowed to pass comments on food especially as my grandmother who was a disciplined lady.. a kind lady but not a strict lady and she made sure we never complained saying oh I don't like this or that kind of food. Because if I dare say that I don't like a particular dish, that will be the only thing that will be cooked for the rest of the week.

Just like this freind of mine who introduced me to a lot of variety of foods and cuisines but fortunately or unfortunately he also introduced me to his wife and she makes the best Gujarati food in the world.. and that's why I feel it's necessary for me to visit him once a week or even twice a day at times. The real question I ask myself is whether I visit my friend's place to meet him or to eat the lovely food that his wife makes.

So once I fancied this girl, enough to ask her out on a date. Usually people woo women with flowers, gifts and poetry but customary to my habit i decided to soften her up by indulging in food talk.. and luckily, even the girl appreciated food as much as she liked me.

And on a warm summer Mumbai evening we drive up to my favourite restaurant.. we sit at this table that gives the beautiful city view.. and the waiter comes along, takes our order and before we know the food arrives.

The date was going well so far and now it was time for dessert. I call out the waiter and say.. two chocolate mousse please.. the waiter politely replies.. we have just one sir.. it's like my worst nightmare coming true.. my face fell.. my heart reached my mouth and with utmost sincerity I turned towards the lady and asked.. well then.. so what will you have..? long story short she left me for good after that.

Fifteen sweet ways to make her smile..!! (Re-visited)

1. Say it but more importantly mean it... and make her fell beautiful… (avoid calling her sexy/hot)
2. Hold her hand at any moment as long as you can …
3. Hug her from behind… (not unexpectedly)
4. Leave her text messages that remind her how much she means to you...
5. Rib and wrestle with her …
6. Introduce her to your friends … as your girlfriend…
7. Play with her hair...
8. Let her know that you get upset if she is not giving you enough attention…
9. Lean close to her and softly whisper... I love you...
10. If she’s mad at you, kiss her…
11. Let her take as many pictures of you as she wants...
12. Every guy should give their girl 3 things: a stuffed animal (she’ll hug it every time she goes to sleep), jewelry (she’ll treasure it forever), and one of her t-shirts (she’ll most likely wear it to bed) and flowers or something occasionally…
13.  Look her in the eyes and smile…
14.  If you’re listening to music, let her listen too…
15.  Just give her anything she wants that makes her feel special…

Now a message for the guyzz… that we need to remember always…

Kaun kehta hai, ‘ladki hasi to fassi…
Arz kiya hai: muskurana toh har ladki ki ada hai, use jo mohobbat samjh le… samjho vo gadha hai..!! 

ALL HER BLUES..!!

The last day of college has arrived..!

As customary, he is sitting among his classmates on the stairs at the college and it makes him wonder, how he wished if this moment could have happen sooner... 

Finally, it‘s time for him to get a taste of the real world. The whole point of two exhausting years in management education was to get an affluent corporate life that was ahead of him… Now is the chance for him to prove his worth and make it big in life… Being a perfectionist he liked to be appreciated for his work and that’s the only way he would ever matter... 

Still there was a part of him that was sad..! The carefree days of fun and frolic were over… He loved to attend those economics and entrepreneurship lectures and made a point never to miss even a single one of them. He could never get enough of pacing through those long corridors and the panoramic ocean view he had from the college library at the 8th floor... He would long for the company of some of his friends whom he had suffered throughout for too long... All good things and times in life finally come to an end, he knew..! 

But then he sees her..!! The most angelic thing on campus...

It took time for him in the beginning to notice her but ever since she had been a major distraction... 

Not that she was the prettiest among the lot yet there was something about her that made him like her so much… He would always want her to catch him staring… Mention of her name would make him smile...

Everything about her persona was so magnetic to him... Her feline eyes, that dazzling smile, her unkempt hair and how she untied them every time before a snap... 

Her red and green salwaar suite would always make him go weak in the knees… He always wanted to tell her how lovely she would look wearing a saree... 

The simplest things about her would lure him… her diction as well as her command over the language; her personal sense of hygiene; her cheeky wit; her kindness towards unknown people... she made him realize that beauty is skin deep...

He liked her silent presence and how she let herself be yet always wanted from her to speak up for herself once in a while... 

He would always guess her foul mood and that would make him sad… He would notice every time her cheeks would turn rosy when she blushed... Her smile gave him so much of joy... 

He saw a different side to her that no one else could see... 

And then sometimes he would imagine both of them taking a stroll on a sunset evening at the beach holding hands, looking deep into her eyes... 

His chain of thoughts is suddenly broken when he hears her cheerful voice… “Hi there, it’s the last day of college, please sign this book for me and try to write something cool...” He keeps looking at her for a moment and then takes up the pen and writes... “I am a bit of everyone I see... yet I know no one can ever be me... this goes for you too… on one can ever be you...” – Yours truly

Eureka moment..

Although there is not much pride in defiance, sometimes it is good to be rebellious so as to shake people off from apathy. That is what one has to do when he/she sees that people around have become derivative and weak. Not weak to physical pressures but to material and intellectual fashions. Like when socialism was in fashion everyone was a socialist and now that capitalism is trendy all are marketarians. For instance if you were asked a question “Do you believe in god..?” most of us would say yes. Let’s presume all of us would say yes. Now another one “Do you really understand what the divine is let alone if you know what his will is for your life and does he even exist..? Take a moment and think about it. Do you really know your god..? So if you are unsure of it then how can you believe in something that you do not understand completely..? These questions have haunted my mind for a long time now.

All we do is try and be smart and play with the idea. Most of our prayers and rituals are attempts to appease this heavenly force that we wish to please. Like if I offer to pray to him daily I can have all of my wishes granted and all of my sins forgiven. Praying in the least one expects the most from it. The search for possible answers to all these questions would lead us ultimately to the holy books like the Srimad Bhagavad-Geeta and the Noble Qur'an. Still one might still wonder “What s God like..?” and when one actually figures that out still the question would remain; “How to attain his holiness..?”

In reply to one such question Gandhiji wrote, “My religion is Hinduism which, for me, is the religion of humanity. I am being led to my religion through Truth and Non-violence, i.e., love in the broadest sense. I often describe my religion as the religion of Truth.” Gandhiji's responses show that his understanding of religion varied from the usual. Gandhiji's religion was bereft of dogma, rituals, superstition, and bigotry. For this reason, there was no temple at his ashrams at Sabarmati or Wardha, and yet there was ample evidence of religion and moral values. Is this credible? Yes. At these ashrams, satyagrahis [those who held to the truth] were trained in non-violence, truth, compassion, freedom, love of the opponent, politics, ethics, service to community, and secularism. It was the religion of Truth, not Hinduism that every satyagrahi affirmed. Why? Because Gandhi believed and taught that all religions were true.

Buddhism which is an agnostic religion believes that the experience of suffering is a noble truth that deepens you and so one must never fly away from it. The holy gita throws further light on this and talks about the right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of the action. Never consider yourself the cause of any results from your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty. Hence one can say that through peace and sacrifice we shall realise god and humanity should be our religion.

Will and a way..

One of my favourite poems.. has a great meaning to it.. I had mugged up this poem for my 8th std. final exam so well..

koshish karne walon ki haar nahin hoti,

Nanhi cheenti jab daana lekar chalti hai, chadhti deewaron par, sau bar phisalti hai.

Man ka vishwas ragon mein saahas bharta hai, chadhkar girna, girkar chadhna na akharta hai.

Akhir uski mehnat bekar nahin hoti, koshish karne walon ki haar nahin hoti.

Dubkiyan sindhu mein gotakhor lagata hai, ja ja kar khali haath lautkar aata hai.

Milte nahi sahaj hi moti gehre paani mein, badhta dugna utsah isi hairani mein.

Muthi uski khali har bar nahin hoti, Koshish karne walon ki haar nahi hoti.

Asaflta ek chunauti hai, ise sweekar karo, kya kami reh gayi, dekho aur sudhar karo.

Jab tak na safal ho, neend chain ki tyago tum, Sangharsh ka maidan chhodkar mat bhago tum.

Kuch kiye bina hi jai jaikar nahin hoti, koshish karne walon ki haar nahin hoti.

How do you maintain relationships?

I am greatly amused every time I see a picture in someone’s facebook album titled “Friends forever.” In this ever changing world and time nothing remains forever. Has it ever happened to you that the folks that you considered as friends at one point in time do not exist today in your world. Relationships go sour, bosom friends become foes. Why does this happen?? I have a few thoughts on it, tell me if you agree. My reasons for the same:

Ego or taking a position: like saying I am right and you are wrong. Not accepting your mistake when you know what you did was wrong. It becomes so hard to say a simple line, I AM SORRY.

Expectations: You want the other person to behave according to you. You are heart broken when a friend lets you down.

Taking someone for granted: Your lack of gratitude. I do hundreds of good things for you but you only remember one bad incident that happened like some millions of years ago.

Finding imperfections in oneself or others: There is something wrong with him or her or them. In short everybody. You give such people something wonderful to read and they will instantly pin point a grammatical mistake. No one wants to be close to them or anybody like them for that matter.

Insensitivity or oversensitivity: Insensitivity would be someone is confiding in you the biggest problem of your life and you are laughing or mocking at them. Yet too much sensitivity is not good because the other person does not know how to behave in front of you. Suddenly you cry or suddenly you laugh. In such case he might feel it is better to just stay away.

Being judgmental and grumbling

“Intimacy is dissolving into infinity which brings you to the moment.” You must learn to go beyond the events. Simply be in the present. Just be where you are and what you are. Do not carry any baggage. Talk only knowledge. Share what you know. It is difficult as we are so used to talking gossip.

Most importantly one must realise, there is nothing that is forever. All there is today will change with time.

I Like This !!!

It’s suddenly all so good again.
I'm beginning to enjoy life and spending time just like I used to, maybe, only way back when i was new to the Mumbai city. :)
It just feels good to do the same old things again, and maybe even do some new things. But I feel about them all just like I used to feel in those days. Suddenly it’s very comfortable to spend a whole lazy weekend by myself, just rearranging the minimal furniture in my room, listening to some old tracks and lots of new ones, enjoying music in the same way again. I feel so comfortable spending entire mornings reading the newspaper, leisurely getting ready only to spend the afternoon snugged up alternating the two books that I am hooked onto for this week. Spending time with myself, doing so much and yet doing nothing at all is something I have missed for a long… long time.
Suddenly I feel, the life that I've been living for the last three-odd years has been so unlike me. I treasure my time with myself all over again, with a clear white mind every morning, with the day spent with my guitar, my books, a bit of photography here and there, checking mails enough times in the day... catching up with long lost mates ... a day I am making sure is always followed by great dinner (read meat and spice, not at mess ;) ) ... and sleeping so sound - an entire 8 hours - cherishing the day and really looking forward to the next day.
I love that I am reading again and music feels so good and so unrelated-able again ;) !
Green day and John Mayer soothe me ... replacing the teenage days of Euphoria and Lucky ali: P gosh its almost embarrassing to confess that now!
I'm gonna post more often now, with this photography enthu .

Aah!!! It’s me all over again ... I am so proud of myself!