Lakshmi

It was past 9 last night when I decided to do my veggie shopping, and I was hoping that there would be a shop which would be still open. I was lucky as there was one in the process of winding up!

A tall, healthy woman beckoned me as I hesitantly walked in, and, said that I could come in as the shop was still open.

I couldn’t help but notice that she was segregating all the veggies and putting them in different sacks. Just then, a couple of men came in an auto and started taking away those sacks. I looked surprised at them, but continued with my purchase.

As I got ready to get the veggies billed , I made a last minute dash at the bundles of spinach stacked away in a corner,  but, the woman stopped me and requested me if I could come the next day and pick up a fresh bundle !

I was rather pleased with her frank answer and went on to ask her what she would do with the old greens. She gave me a nice, warm, broad smile and told me that they actually use the spinach in making yummy Keera Vadai in their restaurant down the road.

Seeing my somewhat surprised expression, she asked me if I kept my veggies in the fridge, to which I nodded. She told me that she did too. Along with her husband she ran ‘Lakshmi fast Foods’, a little restaurant down the road. I was welcome to have a cup of tea there, anytime, she said.

She spoke about customer satisfaction and how the two of them worked very hard to keep all their customers happy.

There was so much pride and conviction in the way she presented her ‘tea shop ‘  to me that I got to know a new dimension in the way one interacts with customers ! There was sheer delight  on her face as she shared all this with me and for me, that  took the word ‘enterprising’ to a whole new level !

As I walked away, I thanked Lakshmi for making me a part of her ’customer satisfaction’.

 

 

 

Aikya 2012 - The best of Bombay Jayashri in a Kaliedoscope concert

For a performing artist, to innovate in music, is to constantly revisit your experiences and share them with an audience at an appropriate time !

Bombay Jayashri has always believed in the path of discovery in music and when she combined this  discovery with all the experiences that she has encountered the result was absolutely magical !

Jayashri and her friends took us through an exciting journey where each note they sang / performed struck a chord in our hearts !

 

“Khaali haath aaye they Khaali haath jaayenge “ – we came alone in this world and we shall go the same way …How true… but as long as we embrace this voyage called life, it is the music around us and within us which binds us together to our memories…..

 

Be it a Thyagaraja kriti , a bandish , a film song, bhajan or a ghazal, Jayashri  guided us through the path that she had travelled , enjoying every bit and we the audience had no complaints !

Jayashri also shared that “Between us and God is a mirror and that mirror is nothing but the world which is an illusion and the easiest way to go through this illusion is music “…and her music at Aikya 2012 did just that ! It transported us to a different world altogether and made us, the audience, connect  to the memory of ours associated with the song …. What made the concert even more beautiful was the adherence to harmony and sync and dedication to details which made sure there were enough surprises but no dull moments !

 

Oprah Winfrey who I admire in her recent visit to India said that “You are what you are because of everything that has happened to you “.

Aikya was one such platform which showcased the repertoire  of Bombay  Jayashri  and her ability to share the experiences with all of us .

Kuch naa karne ki aadath !

Ever wondered why we always look forward to that amazing weekend right from Monday and when it actually arrives we tire ourselves cleaning swapping, rushing to the dry cleaners, the tailor, the designer, provision shopping OMG the list is endless !

Today was one such Sunday when suddenly the day began a bit too early and almost everything on my To Do list was actually nearing the Finish line !

Enjoyed my chotta sa afternoon siesta…..and then my hot cup of coffee…..

Uske baadh ?

Shopping  ??? Nahin….

Gappe shape ?? Naah

Well the remote as always came to my rescue and naa chahthe bhi watched one of those flicks for which I would have never ever wasted my money !!!

And suddenly my teenager beti decided to shift from her room to our bedroom with her lap top of course and then hubby too followed…so within the confines of a 15 / 12  sq ft room the family decided to do  their work on their respective lap tops with of course the Idiot box providing the commercial breaks now and then !

Within the next couple of hrs…snacks happened…some nice music which was discussed…jokes cracked amidst of course those important phone calls and not to forget the constant tapping on the lap top!!!

Dinner time someone reminded and sachets of soup and some bread n jam came to the rescue…lekin wahi 15/ 12 sq ft room mein…..

Happy to be just together in a room I thought…kyonki nahin hai aadath humein kuch naa karne ki…

But just decided that this is going to be my favourite aadath from now on……