Some days you just have to create your own sunshine !

It’s amazing how a title like the above can make you think inversely.

 

Being sick is not something that one enjoys, but when the frequency is on the rise, it slows you down and hurts your morale! Suddenly, as you peep into the never ending list of pills , you wonder why you seem to have become an easy target of the neighbourhood Pharmacy’s new releases !

 

That notwithstanding, thoughts like, “oh I have so much to do but I don’t have the energy”, “why me”, “have not harmed anyone” -  the list is endless. It’s obvious that these are the thoughts arising off an idle, tired mind!

 

So what’s the best potion ? That’s when this title caught my eye -  “some days you have to create your own sunshine “. I decided that the switch from  feeling tired and hopeless to becoming energetic had to first happen in my mind ! And believe it or not, the mind was instantly programmed with a feverish urgency  to get better ASAP ! Creating my own sunshine became top priority with spreading some cheer around , listening to some good music and of course, doing anything and everything that made me smile :-)

 

It all boils down to the fact that no one can beat you-  no illness, no sickness - if you have the ability to smile through !

 

Easier said than done, but it’s incredible that the moment the conscious switch is made,  everything moves swiftly. Swiftly towards positivity with renewed energy all around,  and not to mention it is  100% contagious !

 

It really is worth creating our own sunshine on days when there is a sudden dearth of warmth within oneself. And guess what? The effect is pure, unadulterated bliss !

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……

Jab I met SRK !

It was one of those rare moments in my life where I actually wanted a photo of mine taken with this man…this friend… this phenomenon called SRK ! And once I was successful in my mission I was simply over the moon !!

At the audio release function of RaOne in Chennai , I managed to get close up to a point when he saw me and  exclaimed “Janaki” and gave me this tight warm hug which said so many things without actually saying it ! He even whispered…”I’ll call you “ much to my amazement !

All those memories of having spent a year together in a film school studying, doing projects  , attending plays at Sri Ram Centre and discussing films over pots and pots of chai , amma making him the south indian filter coffee he so liked at home ,  gifting him a tokri of vegetables on his birthday bash and then dancing to all kinds of music thru the night with all our friends ….gosh it was like a rewind trip down memory lane….21 yrs back !!!

A side of SRK that never gets spoken about is his "ready to help always " attitude. And so when I asked him several years ago, if he would spend a few minutes with a specially abled child, who was a diehard  SRK fan, he immediately agreed and spent almost an hour at a dubbing studio in Chennai in his lunch break !! Thank you Shah Rukh..we too never forget J

Why so much about a 2 mins meeting one might ask…for me it confirms a belief that old friends do not forget and the feeling of happiness that the thought and fact brings in me !

Friendship is a feeling that can start from wherever it paused…just pick up the threads and move on….It’s one of the cases where you apply the phrase “no silly feelings” and just continue !

Something I read recently feels so apt here …”you don’t have to do much to spread happiness…you just have to be happy yourself “

---

Adieu Amma - 9th May 2011

How does one say goodbye to an amazing  woman who made us what we are with all the love and affection that one could ever imagine ?

Rekha and I are fortunate that we were able to look after amma in whatever way we could but she decided, that it was time to pass on to the other world and join appa there !

On 9th May, Monday, at 5.20 am when she breathed her last, the face was suddenly filled with a sense of calm and peace which was absent since March 17th, when she was struck by the stroke.

It was sad to see amma slowly slip into a phase of almost nothingness...a situation which made us totally helpless

But amma  planned her exit so well…she made sure Rekha settled in her new home , that  she and Raghav could come from Delhi ,  gave us enough time to plan her last journey , and by 5.30 pm she had moved on  !

All our friends, hers and appa's  have been calling and remembering not only her hospitality but her cooking…like appa used to say “anybody can cook, but in Sarasa’s cooking, the main ingredient is love “ How true !

In all these years we don’t remember Amma ever raising her voice at us at all…. She used to maintain her calm at all times and was always there for us whenever we needed her

Sabesh and Raghav will miss their caring mami and Dhwani & Dakshina their doting Patti

We know she won’t be there to chant those prayers when we want, she no longer will patiently explain the recipe whenever Rekha needs it but yes she will be there always by our side helping us, guiding and blessing us.

As Amma would have liked , we have  donated to a few institutions that have conducted cataract surgeries, educating the girl child, helping school drop outs to complete their education ,  to an old priest who is on a hand to mouth existence in Trichur , anna daanam and so on  from the 9th day to the 12th day. On the 13th day we had a navagraha poojai followed by a Tirupugazh bhajanai which was conducted beautifully by Raghav’s father  (again amma’s wish) followed by dinner.

Love you amma and will miss you lots and lots :-(

Zombie

While we are so busy with our lives, attending to whatever needs to be done minute by minute, day by day, week by week , year by year, suddenly LIFE presses the PAUSE Button ,  some incidents happen , taking  us completely by surprise !

Thoughts such as …why ? How will I ? What will I do ?....keep knocking at my temple…but I try and shoo them away almost in reaction that what is happening right now is actually not Happening to Me….. a state of  Complete Denial !

Like a friend of mine said , “there is always too much pressure to be interesting and be interested in life ...it’s nice to take a break and feel nothing...and if u are liking it then it’s probably what u needed :-)”

I call this state, ZOMBIE…but does this mean I have stopped appreciating the good that’s happening also ? Not at all !

There is so much of good and positive vibes that are happening …. We as a family are spending  time together ….Though in her own world, amma is with me ….learning so much from amma’s young nurse, Shankari who will put a Robert Bruce to shame , such are her efforts and that too with a smile J

My best friends …my maids Nirmala and Vijaya with their pleasant dispositions despite their  HUGE personal tragedies , force me to take charge of Myself  and breeze  thru the  day with a SMILE !

I am liking this state of being a Zombie for it has its own teachings…..most important being that I should live for Now and let me take each day as it comes and not wait for anything dramatic to happen !

Somehow the intellect and the intuition both seem perfectly happy in this harmonious state of being !