Of Cats & Dogs & In-House Pets!!

 

A true story spiced with a dollop of exaggeration!

 

We are a ‘No Pets’ family.

And we have been like that for the last 38 years since we got married.

And even longer since my family   relocated from a sprawling country house in Dehra Dun to a 2 – bedroom flat on the second floor in Bandra, Mumbai. We had 2 dogs & 3 cats then. But they never entered our home. 

 

We like pets.  To be precise, we like ‘third party’ pets.

And we love dogs & cats at a 2 feet distance.

And if one of these inquisitive quadrupeds came near me and offered me a ‘Friend’s Request’, I just say ‘hello’ to them. And only in a couple of extremely rare cases I have bent down and scratched them behind their ears or given them a rub down under their belly.

 

And our house adequately reflects our attitude – that of a conservative South Indian Brahmin family to whom the only four legged animal that merits their love & respect is the holy cow (Pasum-Maadu or Gow-Maata)

And every morning and evening we welcome the good spirits into our home with a variety of different scented floral agarbattis - inside our house and outside in the lobby as well..

And Jayanti meticulously maintains a clean home & a cleaner floor – as clean as the synthesized white marble floor can allow. And our maid ensures that our house gets dusted each day and is   properly sanitised with Germisol & Lizol even before the COVID days!!

 

And then the weekend came. And the grand kids and the dog!

 

And coming to think of it, we were somewhat mentally tuned towards hosting a pet.

Six weeks back a stray cat, Miko, had adopted us. Each morning he would plant himself in front of our door,  and meow continuously - until Jayanthi hurried to warm half a mugful of milk in the microwave, or pour two ‘karandis’ (ladles) of freshly boiled milk into a pan and then cool it by floating the pan on a tub of cold water.

Then she and my son would carefully open the mesh door, shuffling in tandem so that Miko could not slip between their legs and run into our house. And this became a routine each morning and evening.

And in my enthusiasm, I also bought a pack of premium cat food from Amazon!!

I assumed cat food would smell, but I was not prepared for the first pungent whiff that assaulted my vegetarian nose when I opened the pack!  Quickly we emptied the remaining chana dal from a plastic airtight container and tossed the cat food into it.

Since Miko has a voracious appetite we need to refill his bowl 3 to 4 times a day! And each time we opened the container, our servant room would be flooded with the smell of Mackerel flavored cat food that is Enriched with Vitamins, Minerals and other nutrients promote the health benefits of cat

Prebiotics and Probiotics improve the digestive system and keep the immunity strong

The blend of organic minerals along with the essential ingredients help to control urinary pH

And so on….

 

So, my routine was to fill Miko’s bowl first, then run the fan @ full speed for 10 min then light a Mogra agarbatti. And I did it 3 – 4 times a day.

 

But this procedure had its side effects too.

We store all our fresh fruits in this room and very soon all our bananas & papayas started smelling & even tasted like Mogra & Mackerel flavored cat food – enriched with Vitamins, Minerals …..

 

And the saga continues…..

 

Come Friday evening, our daughter landed.

And she brought along her 2 daughters. And they were accompanied by a 2 year old, 30 kilo grossly overweight & hyperactive Golden retriever.

And our home was transformed.

 

For a starter, the ambient noise level rose by a few tens of decibels, and regularly punctuated by excited barks. The meticulously laid out bed sheets in all our rooms were constantly rumpled, toys all over, paper and color pencils & Crayons on all flat surfaces.

And our home looked ‘lived in’ and ‘alive & bustling’ with kids.

The sanitized look of a ‘homestay’ in a typical hill resort was gone.  The regular morning serene atmosphere was gone. You could see action everywhere.

And some in a continuous action – like the continuously “ON” TV with cartoons running and my large screen monitor blaring with ‘Matilda’ & ‘Sing’ videos on Amazon Prime.

And we bore all this chaos with some well-practiced patience. We had gone thru such ordeals before and were mentally programmed to this chaos.

 

But we were not prepared for Fuzzy, the 2 year old 30 kilo Polar Bear of a Golden retriever.

And since we never had a ‘live in’ dog or any pet (except lizards), it was a challenge!

Fuzzy came in with that typical animal (dog?) smell. And she has long hair that kept shedding everywhere she went. And very soon our whole house was smelling like a SPCA shelter.

And Fuzzy left her footprint (literal & figurative too) everywhere. Her paw marks, her hair on the sofa, beds, floor mats and in the kitchen as well. And we made it a point to wipe eery utensil carefully before we started to use them. And wherever she sat or lie down, she left a spot of drool.

And now you can guess what a challenge we faced.

And no amount of Dettol Blue nor Lizol nor Kohinoor agarbatti / Sugandi Sambrani / Cycle brand  3–in–1 Chandan  & Mogra & Champa could clear the air.

 

And soon we got used to the chaos and smell as well.

And 2 days zipped by like a wink.

The kids kept us busy. Talking nonstop, eating nonstop, playing nonstop. Taking frequent walks with Fuzzy nonstop, watching the screen nonstop……………

And we did the same – talking nonstop, eating nonstop and watching them nonstop..

And Fuzzy also ate nonstop, followed us everywhere nonstop and barked a few times to register her presence!

And every time I dropped Fuzzy a piece of biscuit , I also helped myself with a generous portion.

And we went on an overdrive, playing chess, going around the campus shooting pictures many times, playing with Lego blocks &  toys, browsing thru old family albums, Printing out coloring sheets and clearing the floor and putting the toys back into their boxes. And petting Fuzzy, rubbing her belly, scratching her ears & cleaning the floor wherever Fuzzy sat – nonstop!

And we started enjoying every bit of such nonstop activities until we crashed on our bed in the night and fell asleep instantly!!

 

On Sunday, post lunch, my daughter with her daughters and Fuzzy  returned back to their home !

 

And today morning we did a ‘ctrl-alt-del’ to our home and reset ourselves!!

The indoor plants, the crystal glass vase, my huge quartz trophy, and other articles returned back to their original positions. The large bronze Guruvayoor Krishna Idol got back to its place on the side table. And so did the well-polished 20 inches high ebony ‘thin people’ African art pair.

The hall had a bowl full of ‘Sungandhi Sambrani’  dhoop sticks billowing thick fragrant fumes.  Every room had a slow burning floral agarbatti stick.  We also had a lemon grass oil vaporising lamp on the corner stool.

 

And those folks who passed by our balcony today   would have noticed that every centimeter of our overhead clothesline & our two aluminum clothes stand, and the balcony grill was packed!

With 3 double bed sheets, plus a ‘singles’ one. Four pairs of pillow cover.

3 comforters and one light shawl.

All double washed & double spin-dried.

With extra capfuls of blue liquid Dettol!!

 

Yes folks, we are back to normal!!

 

Krish..

Miko Adopted Us !!

 

It all started a month and a half back.

Our neighbor opposite to us found their Akshaykalpa milk packet missing one morning.  And we saw no suspicious activity in our SureBell video footage either.

And there were no visible traces nor any spills too.

Another packet disappeared the next morning as well!

And we had an long, sustained & intense ‘Who-dun-it ??’ conversation on our WhatsApp chat group.

Someone suggested the cat must have ‘dun-it’.

Others said cats ‘drink milk’. They do not ‘walk away with milk sachets’.

 

Two days later I caught a healthy brown ginger cat licking milk that was oozing from a leaky packet from our milk basket.  On closer examination I realized that this cat must have pawed its sharp claws thru the thin slits between the plastic ribs of the milk basket. It had punctured the milk packet and enjoyed its fresh milk for the day!

Smart cat – I thought !

But unacceptable behavior we concluded.

The same day the housekeeping staff reported some milk sachets under a bush.

And we all concluded  it must be this brown-ginger cat. By default, as there were no other stray cats in our campus at that time .

 

We adopted a ‘Shoo-Cat’ approach.

Every time we saw him anywhere inside or near Block 2 lobby, we vigorously Shooed him away. And he got the message loud and clear !

Every time he saw us, he would immediately jump out of the parapet or from the lobby sofa & he would scamper away, quickly.

 

He knew my face, or my scent. Even when I passed by him near the children park, he would quickly avoid me.

Smart Cat , I thought again.

 

A week later, this cat followed my son as he was returning home one late evening. And he sat on our front door-mat & started mewing. A melodious but soulfully sad mewing. And he continued on and on until it became quite unbearable to us.  

Jayanthi warmed half a cup of milk, unearthed an empty plastic cheese packet tray and my son offered it to him near the lobby entrance.

And Miko instantly accepted his ‘friends request’.

And thus the ice was broken with small tub of warm milk – no better way to describe the start of our relationship!! 

And our attitude also switched from a ‘NO Cat’  status to ‘Cat OK’ status

And Miko got accepted as someone whose presence we could tolerate. Nothing more !

Some milk now and then. But strictly, No lying on the doormat, No touching, No petting & No entry into our home .

 

And as days went by Miko slowly started taking some liberties.

He visits us twice a day, for his morning milk and evening supper. And we relaxed our rules as well.  We let him slide in between our legs, rub his body on us and sometimes I even sit down and let him slither all over me.

And I even bought him a bag of premium cat food from Amazon with the foll specs…

Enriched with Vitamins, Minerals and other nutrients promote the health benefits of cat

Prebiotics and Probiotics improve the digestive system and keep the immunity strong

The blend of organic minerals along with the essential ingredients help to control urinary pH

And so on….

And now we supplement his milk diet with Mackerel flavored premium cat food!!

 And if all this was a ‘cat vs krish’ match, then he is leading all the way 40-love !

 

About Miko..

The kids have named him Miko. Some Elders call him Ginger.

But he responds to neither of these names!

He appears to be a house cat (not wild) who has been abandoned. Very healthy, very clean, always well pruned and enjoys lazing in the sun.

He is tame, sober and lazy and loves to be petted & cuddled – especially by the kids.

A good Samaritan (and cat lover) has vaccinated and neutered him.

 

And he is ready for adoption !

Any takers ??

I can offer an     attractive packaged deal

Take One Ginger Cat, get a bag of premium cat food absolutely Free !!

 

Krish #2001.

Independence Day, Ganesh Chaturthi & Onam

  

During normal times I would have written a 1500++ word blogpost on each of these 3 events celebrated at Sobha Palladian.

 

Sadly, COVID and the lockdown and the social distancing norms have greatly dampened the mood, the scale as well as the participation levels at these 3 events.

To get an idea on how we celebrated each of these events last year pl click on to these links.

Independence Day @ Sobha Palladian Aug 2019

http://sobhapalladianblogworld.blogspot.com/2019/08/independence-day-sobha-palladian-aug.html

Ganesh Chaturthi Celebration @ Sobha Palladian 2 Sept 2019

http://sobhapalladianblogworld.blogspot.com/2019/09/ganesh-chaturthi-celebration-sobha.html

Onam @ Sobha Palladian

http://sobhapalladianblogworld.blogspot.com/2019/09/onam-sobha-palladian.html

  

While Independence Day and Ganesh Chaturthi were pretty sober events, Onam on the other hand displayed some wonderful spirit of our community. And even against such constrained circumstances the cultural committee pulled off a wonderful show that could only to be matched by the sumptuous Onam Sadhya lunch that followed.

 The lunch was just FANTASTIC.

 Our sincere appreciation to all the organizers, the participants, to the young team that helped in the Poo Kolam, and the famous Sobha Palladian dance troupe !! 

A big shout out and a mega Thank YOU to all of you!!

 

And here is a short summary on each of these events.

Independence day 2020 : As usual the marchpast preparations by the security guard s started 3 week ahead. And I heard the multiple ‘Skvaad Saav-Dhan!!’ and ‘Skvaad Veesh-Ram!!’ and ‘Daahiney se’ Tezz-Chal!!’. Followed by a halfhearted rendering if our national anthem.

On Independence Day however, the Skvaad was energetic and clicked their boots with vigor & enthusiasm!

 And our Tiranga fluttered majestically in the gentle breeze. This time we had a brand-new flag bought to the exact specifications as set by Col Rajiv Kanwar, SM.

Our national flag was unfurled by Anil Bajpai followed by the National Anthem.  In his speech Anil Bajpai said:

Greetings & best wishes to all residents and service providers on 74th Independence Day.

• Gratitude to freedom fighters because of whom we are independent after around 800 years of slavery to foreigner, looters, & aggressors.
• Year 2020 has been unique in the sense that this is the worst epidemic we, in India and World, have faced in the last 100 years or so.
• It is but natural that when we are locked in the 4 walls of our house with family and kids and for such a long time, that our minds develop negativity and distrust.
• This is where we need to move from 4 Cs of Corona, i.e. Comparing, Cribbing, Complaining & Criticizing to the 4 Ps of Perseverance, Patience, Praise & Participation.
• Many Palladians have taken initiatives to help the poor as well as our Service Provider Staff by contributing & facilitating various NGOs towards this noble goal.
• A good number of Samaritans at Palladians have arranged to help the residents by coordinating the availability and delivery of items of daily use as well as essential medical supplies
• Our service providers have gone out of the way to ensure that day-to-day functioning of Palladian continues without and interruption despite curfew and related restriction
• My heart-felt gratitude to such service providers and Palladians towards their selfless work.
• Best wishes for the future and hope that mankind including Palladians will beat the virus successfully.

This time there were no excited children dressed in freedom fighter costumes – no Rani Lakshmi Bai or Rani Kittoor Chinnamma, nor Subhash Chandra Bose, Chandrashekhar Azad or  that charismatic tiny Gandhi!!

 

Nor did we have the lively performances of these valiant young fighters, the energetic commando dance and the loud chorus of ‘Jai Hind’ ringing multiple times in the air!!!And we missed all the ladies. Their brightly colored ‘tiranga’ dresses and their chorus songs.

 And we missed the group of defense officers in their smart uniforms and array of  bravery medals covering their entire chests. 

Only Col. Rajiv Kanwar, SM attended and he  represented his colleagues and Group Captain Chennakeshu, who at 94 years made it his duty to attend this function!

And finally, a vote of Thanks by our secretary, Srini.

"I thank the establishment outside ( Central, State and BBMP) especially health workers and doctors who helped contain spread of virus. 

I thank the residents for their patience with the various restrictions for keeping the virus away. Also  thanks to  the staff who risked themselves in coming regularly and helping us in SP despite the pandemic. 

I now  invite the  staff to have breakfast as usual. "

And then followed the traditional breakfast for all the staff working in Sobha Palladian.

 Ganesh Chathurti 2020

 The Majestic natural mud colored ecofriendly Ganesha stood patiently waiting on the table inside the clubhouse hall.

And post 11AM, the priest Srini and his team carefully installed Ganesh on the beautifully decorated pedestal in front of the club housed and decorated Ganesha with garlands and flowers.

And as people gathered, the prayers and aarathi began, the regular ‘Jai Ganesha Jai Ganesha , Jai Ganesha deva’ rang out on the PA system followed by a few more popular Ganesha songs.

Then Srini took over the mic with an elaborate aarathi and invited all present to offer flowers and seek blessings.

And finally the group broke for the much awaited modakam (modak)  & prasad!!.

 And in the evening, we witnessed a sober  visarjan ceremony!

Ganpathi Bappa Moreyaa,

Mangal Murti Moreyaa.

Ganpathi Bappa Moreyaa,

Pudchya Varshi Laukar Yaa!!

Onam 2020:  

Action started from 9 AM onwards.  Kids and elders gathered to shred flowers and collect brightly colored petals. And the brass lamp got decorated. And a beautiful tapestry of Poo Kolam emerged!

 And a few kids added their contribution and practiced their skills as well.

 The announcement clearly stated that people are welcome to watch the event for their balconies.  Notwithstanding this request a fairly good crowd of onlookers assembled near the fountain area.  Men in Dhotis and ladies in their traditional Onam Mundu (off-whitt saree)

 And then the majestic King Mahabali appeared!!

And he went around d each block and blessed all the folks with his benevolent  smile and gave blessings to all his people.

 A brief mythology on Onam for the uninitiated Folks.

 According to folklore, King Mahabali ruled even before Parasurama is said to have founded Kerala, throwing his axe into the sea and creating land out of it.

 He was a very just & extremely popular King who ruled Kerala and let all his subjects live as one. Thus the popular  Onam song :

Maveli naadu vaneedum kaalam / Manushyar ellaarum onnu pole

The story goes that when King Mahabali became all powerful, even the devas were worried and asked Lord Vishnu to put an end to his supremacy. Vishnu took on the avatar of Vamana, a dwarf, and went before the benevolent king, requesting three paces of land. The king who never said ‘no’ to a request agreed. Vamana then grew in size and covered the earth and the sky in the first two steps and waited for King Mahabali to offer his head to place the third step. The king was then pushed to the nether land but with a boon that he could come back every year to visit the people he had once ruled. 

And that period is the much awaited and much rejoiced ONAM !! 

Poo Kolam : 

Thiruvadirakali!!

The making of Onam dance this time, by Nivedita.

 The cultural committee had started planning for a Sadhya. Following the tradition, we also wanted to have the Pookalam and Thiruvadirakali. Unfortunately, we were clueless how to execute it. We had just a week in hand. We thought we could at least do a video. We were trying to get the committee's views when folks suggested that we should do it live with social distancing norms followed.

We were up for it and excited. But we just had 6 days to decide the song, choreograph it, get the dancers, practice, and make it presentation ready. So, we went to experts Prasheeba and Freeda for the song selection. We decided the song in 10 mins. :). We had to keep it simple and the song was beautiful and apt.

 

The song was Jaya Jaya Nagaketana from the album Aavani sung by K S Chitra. Nikita and I sat to work on the choreography on Sunday, 23rd. We spent about 4 hours to complete the choreography with of course a lot of chitter-chatter. The practice was scheduled Mon-Fri 5:45 pm to 6:45 pm and got all the interested folks. Unfortunately, we couldn't plan a grand one with participants of all ages like the last time but were happy that things were moving... We had to find a place for practice since the clubhouse hall was closed.

We got the approval from MC to practice in the terrace for a week. We got down to 10 participants - Vinaya, Anuradha, Swetha, Vini, Pushpa, Nikita, Prasheeba, Freeda, Dhanu and Niveditha. The ladies used to come spot on time for practice in the masks. Initially seemed like a herculean task to learn a 4 minute song in few days but the dancers picked it up quickly and we were able to complete learning the song within 3 days and worked on getting the grace and coordination and last 3 days.

There were a lot of fun moments during the practice sessions with photoshoots and yummy lemonade, chips and cake provided by Prashee, Freeda, Vini and Pushpa. We also agreed on a common colour for the costume. The highlight was this time we got uniform golden coloured masks matching the Kerala saree.

 All credits to Janhavi for designing and getting us the masks. She ensured it had an ethnic appeal and at the same time was breathable for the dancers. The dance was also designed such that there were no actual kaikoti with partners were done but we did air claps :)

On the performance day we had performance at around 12 pm, with all the Palladian audience and Kiing Mahabali Himself watching and cheering ... It was a great way to start to the festive season in whatever small way we could. And it brought in lot of positivity within and around us😊 

BB Instant Onam Children Drawing Contest :   A wonderful Initiative by Nikita !

Appreciate this innovative idea and the children's imaginations and drawings !

And finally, the much awaited Onam Sadhya!! 

This time we had a sit in feast as well as ‘to-go’ packs for folks who wished   to stay indoors.

And the folks who sat in the function hall enjoyed Onam Sadhya with its unending stream of various types of dishes and in unlimited quantities,

 And folks who got the packed food home delivered had an equally exciting experience!

We spent more than 5 minutes opening each of the 25 odd silver pouches all tightly wrapped with tiny rubber bands.  And as each such pouch opened, we were treated to a wonderful aroma of the small quantity of the dish that we managed to pour into our kinnum (katori)

And each dish was absolutely delicious!

Many thanks to Manoj for his choice of the caterer!

 And this time my sugar level did not shoot up. I ate under the watchful eyes of my wife, Jayanthi!

 And I am eagerly waiting for the next Onam.

And splurge on Onam Sadhya !!

And  a Mrga Thanks to Manoj for his superb photography.  i happily borrowed these wonderful  pictures from his albums ..

SP Onam 2020:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/m1W7ziagUHsnEA3S6

Vinayakachathurti!SP:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/G6md8eZKecFQMnv86

 

Krish..

THE WILL

A wonderful Piece by Sri R Natarajan. Thank You Sir !

Recently, one of my very close family friend died suddenly of a heart attack.  I felt very sad as our friendship spanned over 50 years.  I could not even go to Chennai to condole his family.  His name is D, he was 89 years’ old, had no previous history of any heart problem, a jolly-good fellow.  I spoke to his wife and his children, and conveyed my feelings. 

 

A few years ago another colleague-friend also passed away suddenly.  His name is A, and he was in Delhi.  I went to his house and consoled his wife and children. 

 

The sudden death of these dear friends had thrown the families out of gear. Bereavement period over, the families had to come to grips with life. The daughter of Mr. A rang me and asked me: “Uncle, (a) what is the procedure for claiming family pension, (b) whether the deceased had left any WILL, (c) do you know about his investments, (d) how to go about claiming the investments made by my father. You might be knowing, as my father was very close to you and used to go by your advice.”

 

During the course of my service in Government and later also, many of my friends used to consult me on matters relating to income tax, savings and investments, etc. among other things.  To the daughter of my friend Mr. A, I said that there was no problem about family pension, if the Pension account is held jointly with his spouse.  If not, there are some formalities which I explained to her.  About the WILL, I said I was not aware.  About his investments he used to keep the details in a notebook.  They may look for it and if any help is required I would do it.

 

As regards the WILL, many of my colleagues were apprehensive and even afraid.  “Arre bhai, do you want me to die soon?” some said, while some others said “After all, all my properties and money will ultimately go to my children and therefore there is no need for any Will.”  Some others said that “I have made valid nominations and therefore there should be no problem.”

 

In my opinion, a WILL will facilitate transfer of the property and money more easily than a “nomination”.  A Nominee is only an agent/custodian, and acts as such on behalf of the real heirs, till he hands over the money to the real heirs.  Unless the heirs themselves are the nominees.  In one case, the Bank  insisted on “No Objection letter” from all the legal heirs before releasing a fixed deposit amount to the nominee, especially when the deposit amount is large-and the two children were settled, one, in America, and the other, in Singapore.  A joint account will be helpful, in such cases.  In the case of immovable property, in the absence of a WILL, one has to go round getting succession certificate, publication of advertisements, affidavits, application before the court for issue of the succession certificate, lawyers fees, delay and so on. In today’s busy life, how many people have the patience, time and inclination to go round various offices of the municipality/corporation, banks, etc.

 

What is a WILL and how does it help.  A WILL is a legal declaration of a person’s wishes regarding disposal of his properties to take effect after the death of the maker of the WILL (known as “Testator”).  No particular Form is prescribed under the Indian Succession Act.  It can be made in a plain paper.  No stamp paper, no stamp duty, no court fee, and no registration is required.  However, a WILL may be registered if there is any doubt in the mind of the Testator of a possibility of any of the inheritors contesting the WILL.  A WILL can be made by any person of sound mental health, and should not be made under any duress, persuasion, undue influence, sentiment, etc.  No technical words or legalese are required.  A WILL can be amended, varied, cancelled, revoked or replaced by a new WILL by the Testator at any time during his life. It can be in any language (English or Hindi or any other language).  A WILL should be signed by the Testator,  on each page and attested by two witnesses, and should contain in clear terms on what he wants to bequeath and to whom.

 

So, it is simple and if you have the will, you can make the WILL.

 

Regards

R Natarajan

Tom & Daisy

 

Have you come across Tom & Daisy?

Maybe you have met them sometime, somewhere??

And I am sure you will recognize them once you come to the end of this post.

 

Meanwhile,

Not much is happening in SP, and I am running short of topics to write about.

So, shall we discuss the weather??

 

It is that time of the year…

When we exit the scorching summer and then dive into the drenching monsoon rains. And then there is a brief lull. The rains become moderate and you even enjoy walking in the light drizzle, and you look up to the sky and let those tiny droplets caress your cheeks. And so on…

And it’s so cool to walk barefoot on the lush green grass and deeply breathe in the heavy moisture laden air. Great motivation fr Yoga & Aerobics enthusiasts!

 

And today is one of those wonderful days!

I woke up to a dull cloudy sky, it was dark until 6.30AM and then the visibility improved. The sky was packed with clouds. The light grey ones with their diffused bright glowing backgrounds.

There was chill in the air, but not uncomfortable. Actually, very energizing!

 

Its mid-august in Bangalore. Days are cool, sometimes warm when the clouds part and the sun takes over with scorching intensity for those few minutes. And by evening we would have the regular rain between 5.30 and 7.30PM most days.

And I love this season. August, Sept & October is Autumn for the western folks (in the northern hemisphere).

 

And to me,

Winter is wonderful.

Summer is sizzling.

Spring is beautiful.

And autumn??

Autumn is sexy!!!

 

It brings both - laziness combined with josh!!

 

The early morning chill does different things to you on different days.

 

Some mornings you just jump out of bed, dive into your Tees, shorts and sneakers and go for that wonderful 5 Km slow jog/brisk walk. And as the  chill drizzle hits your face, your ears turn numb, your nose gets hot, a slight sweat breaks on your forehead, and you just enjoy this exhilarating experience!

 

Some mornings you are too blue to even get out of bed. And I curl up inside my comforter and go for a second and third nap – watching the drizzle from my window. And I watch people darting to avoid getting wetter, and those extra cautious folks who wear a full length raincoat and then carry a huge umbrella on top of it!

 

And some mornings you just make yourself a steaming brew and wrap yourself in your comforter and sit outside in your garden or balcony and simply stare at the clouds while sipping your favorite ‘adrak’  chai, or your special cinnamon flavored concoction.

And you repeat the same in the evenings too, and this time the beverage is accompanied with hot Mirchi bhajjis, warm mathris and naankhatais!!

 

Or just take the day off, get into your leathers, fire up your Bullet or Harvey and just drive out into the countryside. And if you can manage to get one of your girlfriends on to your pillion seat, WoW, your day is made, Dude!!

 

Or if you are a comfortably settled family man with a wife and two kids, then pack them all into your SUV along with tons of food and just drive away in any direction!!

 

And if you are a couple without any ‘add-ons’, then you might just as well not get out of  your bed and extend your ‘sleep hours’ by another day. Order out idly-vada combo for breakfast from A2B and Dominos Pastas and Pizzas for lunch and dinner. You can eat in bed while watching your favorite cartoons or suspense thrillers or steamy romance movies on your NetFlix!!

 

And what ever you do, just do it for fun.

But DO NOT waste this wonderful day by burying yourself into your MS Outlook/GMAIL inbox,  or PPTs, or watch those stupid forwards and videos on your Whats App.

Switch off your smart phone for the day, buddy!!

And of course, you are not going to office or getting into those dreary 3 hours back to back concalls!!

Nor pester your kids to study and complete their homework and attend online classes either!!

 

Life Is precious, lets enjoy each day. And today is perfect!!

 

And by the way, have you attended the wedding of Tom & Daisy.

 

This poem written by my granddad some 65 years back might  jog your memory!

Chk it out??

 

The Spectacular Wedding of Tom & Daisy

 

Tom was my neighbor and so was Daisy

And when Tom went a-courting her

It did not seem at all improper

Their amour however was none too easy.

 

Of Daisy’s lovers there were quite a band

Of high, medium, and low degree

Of excellent, good, and doubtful pedigree

Each determined to bid for her fair hand.

 

And when at last, by sheer pluck he won her,

     No priest was asked to unite them

     No cake was baked to cut for them

     Not a shred of ceremony

     Religious or secular

 

And if it lacked a certain harmony

The wedding was nothing but spectacular!

For Tom was a dog

And Daisy another!!

 

Cheers,

Krish..