Train and window

Today me and my friends we went to Saket. The motivation behind the visit was to eat one doughnut from Mad Over Doughnut. As usual, it was crowded. No space to sit. But fortunately I rushed to position myself in front of opposite metro door. I just love to stand there and look out of the big square window of the door with my mp3 player plugged in. 

Different scenes and places run past. First the mall street ( thats my term. so may malls between MG Road and Arjan Garh) and there comes numerous marble/ granite stores....and a huge green patch will jump in front of you and you will really wonder " Is it really Delhi - Gurgaon route?" But the fun ends as metro is underground after Saket. 

Today I remembered one memorable train journey. It was long back, around 2001 from Mumbai to Ratnagiri. I was fascinated by numerous tunnels on that route. The greenery, the mighty Sahyadris on one side and the blue sea on other side along with "Narali - Pophali".   :)

Other amazing train journey was from Amgaon to Nagpur in Sept 2011. I was travelling by a local. I boarded train at 6 am. It had rained whole night and just stopped at the wee hours. I fortunately found an empty window seat. Still I could smell of the rains. As the train started gaining speed, rush of wind blew on my face playfully messing up my hair. It was all lush green outside. Paddy crops were just done planting. A moist smell of forests and fields hung in the air. The hot Adrak chai tasted so amazing in that atmosphere. That train journey helped me to get back to roots as well. After a long time I was travelling without reservation, in a train compartment where people sat on floor, in the door and on the luggage compartment, with large sacks and cane baskets filled with a variety assorted different things. It was not very comfortable but I won't mind to repeat it either. 

This blog post is quite disconnected, the way ideas came I penned them down. 

I love train journeys. The patience of counting passing by poles, constantly changing wallpaper outside window, chai-garam and local specialties at various stations, antakshari in groups, relentless talking with neighbours, the fear of not getting up for a early morning destination..... Its all fun. 

I would second Sheldon of Big Bang theory in his opinion -  Only  a fool won't like trains...They are always fun!

Leia Mais…

अखेरची कमाई

सध्या माझं नवा उपक्रम चालू आहे. कुसुमाग्रजांच्या कविता. असंच त्यांची एक कविता सापडली.

अगदी साधी. पण भरपूर बोलून जाणारी. जरा विचारच करायला लावणारी. 

कवितेचे नाव   :   अखेरची  कमाई

मध्यरात्र उलटल्यावर शहरातील पाच पुतळे 

एका चौथऱ्यावर आले आणि टिपे गाळू लागले 

ज्योतिबा म्हणाले, शेवटी झालो मी फक्त माळ्यांचा 

शिवाजी राजे म्हणाले मी फक्त मराठ्यांचा

आंबेडकर म्हणाले मी फक्त बौद्धांचा

टिळक उद्गारले मी फक्त चित्तपावन ब्राह्मणांचा 

गांधीनी गळ्यातला गहिवर आवरला 

आणि ते म्हणाले - तरी तुम्ही भाग्यवान 

एक एक जात-जमात तरी तुमच्या पाठीशी आहे

माझ्या पाठीशी मात्र फक्त सरकारी कचेऱ्यातील भिंती !

सकृत दर्शनी खूप विनोदी वाटणारी हि कविता खरा गेल्या ५० वर्षात लोकांनी सगळ्या महापुरुषांच्या  विचारांचा  आणि आदर्शांचा हवा तसं अर्थ लावलाय.

खरा पाहता खूप दुर्दैवी प्रकार आहे हा. 

पण खरच असं असायला हवं का ?

मला नाही वाटत कि कोणाला शिवाजी महाराज inspiring नसतील वाटत किवा ज्योतिबा फुल्यांनी केलेल्या स्त्री-शिक्षणाच्या सुरुवातीचा कोणाला विसर पडेल. 

आंबेडकर  गांधी आणि टिळकांचे भारताच्या सामाजिक अंड राजकीय जीवनातील अढळ स्थान कधी बदलेल. 

या सगळ्यांचा आदर करायला कोणाला एखाद्या विशिष्ठ समूह ओर समुदायाचा भाग असायला हवा. केवळ भारतीय किवा केवळ एक व्यक्ती असणं त्यासाठी पुरेसे आहे. 

Leia Mais…

Wallpaper and कुसुमाग्रज

It is quite strange. I was in my friend's room, we had to work on a case. He powered on his laptop and his wallpaper reminded me of कुसुमाग्रज 

No, he is not marathi, and I am sure he doesn't even know that a person called कुसुमाग्रज ever walked this earth. 

He had a lone tree as his wallpaper. Dry grassland and just a single tree. nothing living in sight - no animals, no birds, not even a single other tree.

It reminded me of a poem by कुसुमाग्रज - पाचोळा. 

आड वाटेला दूर एक माळ, तारू त्यावरी एकाला विशाल, 

आणि त्याच्या बिलगुनिया पदास, जीर्ण पाचोळा तो पडे उदास... 

A  few leaves had fallen and lay like neglected toys on the grass. Scorching sun burns them, the black scary night covers everything, rain drench the grassland, tree and the fallen leaves. The leaves on three turn and twist in wind as if laughing at the fallen leafy soldiers. 

And all of sudden, out of nowhere, a gush of wind blows all the leaves.....the land is cleared....for more leaves to fall down.

आणि अंती एक दिन त्या वनात, येई धावत चौफेर क्षुब्ध वात,

दिसे पाचोळा, घेरुनी तयाते, नेई उडवूनी त्या दूर दूर कोठे,

          आणि जागा मोकळी हो तळाशी, पुन्हा पडण्या वरतुनी पर्ण-राशी 

Actually this is the circle of life. Birth, youth, adulthood, old-age and death. And someone is already there in line to take place of the fallen.

Ms Abha S Bhuskute

Leia Mais…

Assumptions and perceptions…. And Tuticorin

I know – no connection at first but let me explain.

In life we always tend to assume about many things. What we like, what will happen,  how things will go, how life will be. What not. It is really difficult to escape these assumption trap and think clearly- not always- but many times. We form a translucent layer in front of our sensory organs to filter out the information and feeling what exactly we want to feel that actually what we feel.  Most of the times, we perceive things not based upon what they actually are but based on what we assume them to be.

These assumptions have ruined things – relationships, trips, new place experience, movies  :P   and what not…  Enough of fandas..

What I realized yesterday that Tuticorin is not that bad place to be – actually I am loving this whole new experience…

My view till yesterday: When I first came to know that I have to do my internship at a place called Tuticorin I was sad, dejected. I felt like I am leaving the living vibrant world and stepping on some dull boring alien planet. After coming here, I cursed this place like anything. But at least the work was interesting that made me feel a bit better. Such a small town – not options of eating out, no hanging out places, no Hindi/English, no  Hindi / English movies, even Discovery channel in Tamil, eating big pile of rice and maida roties every day…. Not my idea of a perfect fun internship!

So I dragged myself to complete each day. I even made a table in sheet of paper and stroke off each day at night! ( Ramya hope you read that ).

Now 20 days old in internship and happy to get stipend, I came back from office early yesterday. After getting down from the bus, instead of going to apartment, I decided to have a stroll in neighborhood. I walked on the street, in and around residential area, inside medical college premise, went to a mandir nearby, found out a market about one km away from our apartment and found a courier place… and I had a big smile on my face. I was enjoying walking there.  These days I am unknowingly humming Tamil songs! ( hey, I know I don’t understand Tamil, but music has no language ! :P  one more fanda…. I know I know… )

All in all, it’s not that bad as it seemed…

Leia Mais…

पत्र म्हणजे काय रे भाऊ?

पत्र म्हणजे काय रे भाऊ? 

खरच! पु ला देशपांड्यांच्या  वाऱ्यावरची वरात मध्ये जसा नाटकात छोटा भाऊ दादा ला विचारतो " दारू म्हणजे काय रे भाऊ?" तसा आता पत्र म्हणजे काय रे भाऊ असा प्रश्न पडायला लागला आहे .

खरच आता कुठे पत्र वगैरे लिहिल्या जातात? 

email  आणि sms  च्या काळात पत्र म्हणजे अगदी मासलेले वाटता ना... १८५७ च्या जमान्यातलं !

मला आठवता, राखी आणि भाऊबीजेची पत्र आई अगदी आठवणीने लिहायची. तिच्या आणि माझ्या, दोघांच्या नावाची....

जेव्हा  कधी कधी ही पत्रं मला लिहावी लागायची तेव्हा अगदी राग यायचा - किती त्रास देते आई म्हणून. 

पण मला पत्रांचे खरे महत्व कळले 8th  मध्ये नागपूर ला आल्यावर. आई च्या अक्षरातून जणू तीच भेटायची मला. अगदी आतुरतेने तिच्या पत्रांची मी वाट बघत असायचे....

इथे गुरगाव ला आल्यावर अजूनही रोज घरी बोलना तर होता, तरी कधी तरी खूप एकटेपणा जाणवतो...

एकदा असाच आलेल्या ह्या एकटेपणा मध्ये काहीतरी उद्योग म्हणून हातात कागद पेन घेतला आणि नीरजा ला एक पत्रं लिहून काढला...

इतका छान वाटलं! पण त्याहुन छान वाटले ते पत्र मिळाल्यावर आनंदून तिचा आलेल्या phone वर तिच्याशी बोलताना..

emails , smses  लवकर पोचतात, जास्त advanced आहेत हे खरा आहे, पण पत्रामधून जो आपलेपणा वाटतो ना तो दुसऱ्या कशातून नाही...

बोलणं विसरल्या जाता, पत्रं परत परत वाचता येतात...

मग माझे पत्रं लिहिणा चालू झाले... नीरजा, मावशी, आजी, अभिषेक, श्रेयस काका-काकू, भावंड, एक एक करत मी पत्रं लिहित गेले..

आणि खरच खूप छान वाटायला लागला. एकटेपणा कुठल्या कुठे पळून गेला...

इथे होस्टेल ला राहताना पत्रं आली कि अजूनच छान वाटतात. 

लोक हसतात  मला, अजूनही या technology driven age मध्ये काय पत्र लिहिते म्हणून..

पण खरा सांगू, मला पर्वा नाही कोण मला किती मागासलेले म्हणता त्याची. कारण हे मिळणारा समाधान सगळी कासार भरून काढता.

असाच मला USA postal department  ची एक ad  दिसली...

If you really want to touch someone, send them a letter.

अगदी खरा आहे...

मी तर माझ्या पत्रांचे सिलसिले चालूच ठेवेन, तुम्ही पण सुरुवात करून बघा... 

:) 

Leia Mais…