Our Helena Adventure... Beginnings...

Helena Airport

I came across this picture of the Helena airport, it brought back fond memories of the time when we saw Helena airport for the first time.  We were struck by the architecture, the beams and the pillars that are quite charming and characteristic of Montana.

Old Posters & Bollywood Night in Helena

 Blood for Blood

I was truly surprised to see an old Hindi/North Indian/Bollywood movie poster featuring Rekha, a prominent movie star of the 70s , in downtown, Helena.

Fall - Savoring the journey

On the way to Bozeman

There is something about the Fall season, that makes me feel nostalgic, the cool crispness in the air, and haunting lyrics of “Forever Autumn” by Moody Blues, playing at the back of my mind,

“ The summer sun is fading as the year grows old, darker days are drawing near.” This year, it hasn't felt, that much like Fall as yet, with the days enveloped in sunshine and warmth, even though the mornings have been cool and crisp.

Today, on my way to Bozeman, I drove slower than usual to savor the journey; I saw trees with fading leaves clustered around a pond. It was beautiful, a scene out of a picture book, with a little red bridge across the water giving it the perfect finished look. I stopped to take in the beauty, what joy it was to see leaves falling from the tree onto the pond, floating on the tranquil waters, and trying to carve their own little paths on the water. The peace and the quiet of the surroundings, made me feel like I was in the middle of a forest tucked faraway from the highway.

The little red bridge

Often times, in a rush to get to the destination, the journey is forgotten or neglected. If only we can find it in ourselves to slow down and savor the journey…

Friendships and Clouds

Clouds drifting away

“In the case of human beings, friendship is a transitory act, subject to discontinuance without further notice,” so said, the character Telemachus - in a short story by O. Henry.  As a traveler I can say that it is true, sometimes you move on with your life and sometimes your friends move on and  paths may never cross again.

Looking at the beautiful sky outside my window, the clouds with their ever changing shapes, floating and drifting away remind me of friendships that were meant to last a lifetime, instead disappeared in the mist as we drifted away like clouds in our own directions.  Sometimes, I have tried chasing the clouds but in vain, as they dissipated into thin air. The essence and the fragrance linger on as memories.

Especially of a time, when there were no shutterbugs to capture every significant and insignificant moments of our lives, when life was simply lived in that moment, for that moment, images of people are entrenched somewhere. Perhaps distorted, magically transformed or exalted, one may never know! That is the beauty of the memory that has no validation; mine could be different from yours while we walked down the same path together some years ago.

The joys of Blogging....

 I started writing a blog about three weeks ago. I am glad to finally, have a  "writing routine." It can be all consuming and all encompassing and your brain can feel like a live electric wire, which cannot be switched off.

How Matters? --- Of stolen slogans, patents and ownership

Yesterday, I read about the rather frivolous lawsuit on who owns the phrase “How matters” between a business strategy author and a yoghurt company?  The ownership, copyrights and the patent issues seem to be getting crazier by the day.There are numerous such ridiculous lawsuits being filed on a regular basis.

Pomegranate Soup

Pomegranate Soup

I saw“Pomegranate Soup”, a best seller by Marsha Mehran at the book store,I bought it right away. It was an interesting book about three sisters from Iran who end up opening a restaurant in a rural town somewhere in Ireland.

Ceremonious farewells... sweet and sentimental

Soccer seniors of 2013....

We are all the heroes of our own lives and why should we not be? That innate desire to be important and to be revered is but natural.  How many of us love to imagine the world would be lesser without us, maybe far from truth but it helps boost our self-esteem.  

Waterline trail - a peaceful hike

Waterline trail - Last fall, my niece and me

I love hiking on the Waterline trail in Helena, the other day I was all by myself on the trail for a while; it felt so beautiful and special. My friend Karen had introduced me to the waterline trail a couple of years ago, 

Lost in Translation

I wrote a piece in Hindi to amuse myself.  It felt almost magical! especially considering it was my first piece of writing in Hindi ever!
It was about the early 70s and 80s - when TV was precious in India. 

GO S SIP MASALA CHAI

GO S SIP Masala Chai

What is Gossip? The wikipedia has a very tame definition for gossip – idle talk and much to my surprise there is mention of Gossip aiding social bonding in large groups. There was a full fledged study done at Stanford to substantiate it. 

The grand arrival of the Television

There was a heated discussion going on at home, after all it was an important issue. It was an issue close to our hearts, a Television set. We (my mother, my brother and me) had our hearts set on watching the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics on a color TV set at home. After all our neighbors had one!

 I could hear the movie songs and the dialogs and desperately wanted to have a TV set in our house. We lived in Bangalore, where - the people were quieter and calmer, unlike Delhi, where everyone spoke loudly and all at the same time. 

The grand arrival of the Television

There was a heated discussion going on at home, after all it was an important issue. It was an issue close to our hearts, a Television set. We (my mother, my brother and me) had our hearts set on watching the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics on a color TV set at home. After all our neighbors had one!

 I could hear the movie songs and the dialogs and desperately wanted to have a TV set in our house. We lived in Bangalore, where - the people were quieter and calmer, unlike Delhi, where everyone spoke loudly and all at the same time. 

घर मे मेहमान

घर मे हालात कुछ गंभीर थे, आखिर घर मे टीवी आने की बात चल रही थी। इक किस्म की उत्सुकता थी, उत्साह था.. आखिर पड़ोसिओं के घर मे झांक झांक कर टीवी देखना आसान काम थोड़ी न होता है।

जब हम लोग देल्ही जाते थे तब हम सब कजिन मिलकर बरामदे की दीवारों के ऊपर से छलांग लगा कर, पड़ोसिओं के यहाँ लम्बी कतारों मे फस फस के बैठ कर चित्रहार देखा करते थे। याँ फिर, अगर किस्मत जाग उठे तो पूरी की पूरी पिक्चर देखने को मिल जाती थी. चाहे वो पिक्चर की कहानी समझ मे आये यह ना आये.  चाहे पिक्चर का नामे अजीब सा क्यों ना हो जैसे के, "पतीता" “ दो फूल एक माली", "दो बूंद पानी"। एक पिक्चर मे नर्गिस नाम की अदाकारा अपने पति से दूर क्यों भाग रही थी? और फिर स्टेज के ऊपर चड़ के क्यों रो रो कर गाना गा रही थी? "मेरी टूटी हूई बीना कहे मुझे जीना, मेरी खो गयी पायल, मेरे गीत हैं घायल!” यह समझ मे नहीं आया पर फिर भी सब के साथ बैठ कर  पूरी पिक्चर देखई ।

एक दौर ऐसा भी चला की मै पेंटिंग सीखने पापा के साथ, सरन आंटी के यहाँ जाती और वो हमे वही पर रोक लेतीं और केहतीं , “ खाना खाईये और टीवी की पिक्चर देख के जाइये.”  तोह बहुत ही अच्छा लगता था.

 खैर तब मार्केट मे TV के बहुत कम ब्रांड थे. अप्ट्रान टीवी का अड्वर्टाइज़्मेंट बार बार सुनाई देता था.... रेडियो पर...वॅट्स ऑन?? इट इस अप्ट्ारन ओर  दूसरा था डाटोना टीवी. हुमारे घर मे विचार चल रहा था, कि कौनसा टीवी ले? ब्लाक्क आंड वाइट टीवी कि कलर टीवी? अप्ट्रान टीवी कि डायटोना टीवी?  हम सब लोग टीवी सेट देखने दुकान पर गये, वहाँ पर सोनोडीन नाम का एक कलर टीवी सेट भी बिक रहा था.  लेकिन टीवी बिना खरीदे ही घर आ गये।  पापा की पसंद थी ब्लाक्क आण्ड वाइट टीवी, जब की मम्मी, मेरे भाई और मेरी पसन्द थी कलर टीवी। इरादा तो यही था कि हम लोग 1984 के ओलिमपिक्स टीवी पर देखेंगे और वो भी कलर मे देखेंगे. फिर एक पूरा हफ्ता घर मे वार्तलाब चलता रहा.. सोनोडीन कलर  TV शायद RS 8000 का था और ब्लाक्क आंड वाइट का डायटोना था Rs 4000. मैने तो साफ साफ कह दीया था पापा से, कि अगर आप ब्लाक्क आंड वाइट टीवी लायेंगे तो मै  तो टीवी ही नहीं देखूँगी। आखिर पापा ने हार मान ही ली और फिर हमारे घर मे मेहमान के रूप मे सोनोडीन टीवी पधारे.

पहले  कुछ दिन तो सब कुछ देखा टीवी पर, न्यूज़ भी देखी, वो भी दो- दो बार, हिन्दी मे ओर अंग्रेज़ी मे। ओलिमपिक्स तो देखे ही... कारल लूईस  के चार - चार मेडल और जिमनास्टिक्स. लेकिन तब आँखे फ़ाड़ फाड़ कर  सब कुछ ही देखते थे हम सब।।। चाहे हो  सीरियल जैसे कि .."हम लोग " याँ "येह जो है ज़िंदगी"  यां फिर हर सनडे के सनडे "रजनी", "ऐसा भी होता है"। बच्चों का गली नुक्कड़ मे खेलना कम हो गया, खास कर के जब सनडे शाम को पिक्चर दिखाई जाती थी। कई बार समय की कमी के कारण पिक्चर को बीच मे से इधर-उधर काट देते थे। इसी मुद्‌दे पे मैने मिनिस्टर ऑफ इन्फर्मेशन आंड ब्रॉडकॅस्टिंग को चिट्ठी भी लिखी थी कि कम से कम पिक्चर को इक तरीके से काटें तां कि कहानी समझ मे आ सके। फिर ऐसा दौर भी चला कि हिन्दी की जगह कन्नदा पिक्चर दिखानी शूरू करदी गयी.. मुझे वो भी मंज़ूर था..  फिर नुक्कड़, बुनियाद, करमचंद, कथा सागर जैसे अनमोल सीरियल देखने को मिले..

टीवी का ऐसा भूत सवार हुआ लोगों पर, जल्द ही सब के घर मे टीवी आ गया। इसी दौरान लोगों का आपस मे मिलना-जुलना भी कम हो गया। वो अंकल आंटी जो अक्सर बच्चों को लेकर शाम को बिना बुलाये घर मिलने आ जाया करते थे... सब धीरे धीरे कम होने शुरू हो गया । जो रात को देर तक खेलते थे हम सब बच्चे.. छुट्टियों मे वो भी बन्द ही हो गया। आखिर टीवी सब की आदत बन चुका था। वहाँ जो सिलसिला शुरू हुआ टीवी का केवल एक दो channel के साथ... अब एक पूरा का पूरा राज्य बन गया है। सौ के ऊपर चैन्नल ओर टीवी शो, जब देखो, जो मरज़ी देखो.. ऊपर से नयी - नयी पिक्चर टीवी पर बार-बार देखने को मिलतीँ है, अब शायद लोगों का टीवी का नशा तोड़ा कम हो गया होगा.. क्यों कि पिक्चर तो फिर कभी और भी देखी जा सकती है ना?... और फिर इंटरनेट का तो जवाब ही नही...फसेबूक पर ज़िंदगी जीने लगे है लोग... दोस्तों को भी वहीं पर मिल लेते है लोग.  बच्चे आज कल  टीवी कम देखते है ...लेकिन XBOX ओर COMPUTER गेम में घुस जाते है... वही पर अपने दोस्तों से मुलाकातें भी कर लेतें हैं..

लेकिन रह रह कर  बचपन का वो समा याद आता है, जब हमारे पास खेलने के लिये क़ुछ भी नही था.. फिर भी हम लोग मस्ती भरे खेल खयालों मे बुनकर खेला करते थे......

My best buddies

Text Message

Gmail

Facebook

My new buddies are Gmail, Facebook and Text Message. I check on them ever so often, that by now I see them in my dreams, almost every day. There was a time when mornings started with prayers, the smell of incense sticks wafting in the air, as people bowed in reverence in front of their favorite deities. 

The Purple plastic rose

The Purple plastic rose

Ah! Brazil…So many beautiful people! So many beautiful memories! Where do I begin??? And where do I end??? If futball can bring the world together in a utopia like atmosphere where everyone is in love with the game, where words are not important, where communication with intentions and body language and miming take over and it is a perfectly fine world. 

Odds and Ends and The Music Dwellers

Just so happened today was one of "those" days...I broke a cup and a bowl while hastily trying to clean up the kitchen before the arrival of our cleaning lady. I had to get my sewing machine fixed so that I could do free motion quilting. 

What! No Gold Socks??? But there is Pasta

I was absorbed in making tomato sauce, chopping veggies for grilling.
It happens to be that time of the year, when veggies and fruits are local, fresh and plentiful. I dutifully buy loads of fresh carrots, beets, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, zucchini and spinach from the farmer's market every week.

Too much Basil? Get cooking....

Yesterday was garlic and today happens to be basil. I shared my musings on garlic with my friends and they had their own very interesting ones! One friend had had the pleasure of savoring "Garlic lollipops" while another had a friend, who enjoyed imbibing raw garlic on a regular basis. Yet another friend, an avid gardener was wondering about growing garlic, then basil came into the picture. 

Oh! My Garlic!

Oh my Garlic!


“I like to mince my garlic!”, says one  “I like to slice my garlic!”, says the other ” I like to chop my garlic! “ says yet another, “I like to pound my garlic with a mortar and pestle!”and “I like to roast my garlic (only about 40 cloves – for one dish) in olive oil!”
and “I like to steam my garlic!” and “I like to boil my garlic.” Say a few others.