Test of your love

Here is a nice quote which tells how absence is a litmus test for your love. :)

Absence is to love what wind is to fire;

it extinguishes the small,

it enkindles the great.

- Comte de Bussy-Rabnutin

Sightseeing

I feel if reaching a destination is exhilarating then the journey undertaken for it is taxing, testing and thought provoking. In July my husband and I went touring to Agra, Jaipur and Manali. We returned happy and satisfied with many memories to treasure. Watching the beauty of the Taj Mahal, the enormity of the Aamer Fort and the splendour of the Rohtang Pass with the Ladakh mountains forming its backdrop left us spellbound. We travelled by road to all these cities. There were various kinds of sights that we saw in addition to the above, such as:

Hounding guides at the heritage monuments.
Populated markets, where at every step we had vendors after us to buy their goods.
Dhabas situated at deserted locations in between cities.
Small settlements in conditions and at heights you wouldn’t want to return to a second time.
People making their livelihood by selling tea and taking photos at 13,000 ft!
A man, leaving the sanctuary of his home, driving for days on end through treacherous routes.

What makes men and women lead such difficult lives and continually so? Wouldn’t they prefer any other way? I don’t believe that it is simply a lack of vision and/or ambition posing as obstacles, but a lack of means.

Extremely hard though it might be, these people haven’t surrendered but are striving to meet their needs. And all the struggles and sacrifices are always for a better tomorrow.

Kahin toh hogi woh

The film Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na caught the nation’s attention when it was released in 2008. Imran Khan and Genelia Dsouza became overnight sensations and crowds began calling them by their respective nicknames used in the movie: Rats and Meow. The refreshing songs gained popularity even as they hit the tv screens. However, it was only a week ago that I heard Kahin toh hogi woh... in its entirety. As with many songs that I love this too has few accompaniments with the stress on the vocals. But it was really the lyrics that struck a chord with me and got me listening to it repeatedly.

The song voices my sentiments. Not having someone besides me these days makes me yearn for the world:

where we will be together (Kahin toh hogi woh duniya jahaan tu mere saath hai),
where there will be days when I will wake up in the morning to find him gazing at me lovingly (Hogi jahaan subah teri palkon ki kirano mein),
where every night I will fall asleep in his arms (Lori jahaan chaand ki sune teri baahon mein),
where there will be a magic of sorts every time we meet (Hai nasha teri meri har mulakaat mein),
and where at any and every pretext we will kiss each other (Hoton se hoton ko chumte o rehte hai hum har baat pe).

Believe me when I say that only where he is, is my laughter, my happiness... my life. (Jahaan hai tu, meri hassi meri khushi meri jaan)

Here is the full song for you to enjoy:

Film: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
Music: A. R. Rahman
Lyrics: Abbas Tyrewala
Singers: Rashid Ali and Vasundhara Das

Kahin toh... Kahin toh hogi woh

Duniya jahaan tu mere saath hai

Jahaan main jahaan tu

Aur jahaan bas tere mere jazbaat hai

Hogi jahaan subah teri

Palkon ki kirano mein

Lori jahaan chaand ki

Sune teri baahon mein

Jaane na kahan woh duniya hai

Jaane na woh hai bhi ya nahi

Jahaan meri zindagi mujhse

Itni khafa nahi...

Saasein kho gai hai kiski aahon mein

Main kho gai hoon jaane kiski baahon mein

Manzilon se rahein dhoondti chali

Khud kho gai hai manzil kahin raahon mein

Kahin toh... Kahin toh hai nasha

Teri meri har mulakaat mein

Hoton se hoton ko

Chumte o rehte hai hum har baat pe

Kehti hai fiza jahan

Teri zameen aasman

Jahaan hai tu, meri hassi
Meri khushi meri jaan

Jaane na kahan woh duniya hai

Jaane na woh hai bhi ya nahi

Jahaan meri zindagi mujhse

Itni khafa nahi...

Mila's Daydreams

Mila's Daydreams, was recently recognized as a Blog of Note by Blogger.com and it absoutely deserves it. Its blogowner is Adele Enersen from Helsinki who posts on it photos of her baby daughter Mila while she is asleep, captured in various settings imagined to be her dreams. One time Mila is Mary Poppins and another time Little Pink Riding Hood. One day she has Gone Fishin and another day Horse Riding. One time Mila is Walking a Dog and another time she is the Princess whose sleep gets disturbed by a pea.

Check all these and many more photos on: http://milasdaydreams.blogspot.com/. It is a blog which can make anyone's day.

Morning school assemblies

Yesterday was my Ph.D. viva and it made me ask myself the question when was the first time I had spoken on a platform. The answer was in class fifth. From the faint memories I have of that time I recall that during an English lesson I had recited a poem from our reader titled "Abou ben Adam". My teacher was rather pleased and felt I should give a repeat performance in the school's morning assembly. She had to specially take permission from the Junior School (classes Nursery-V) Headmistress to allow me to speak. I practised quite hard and it paid off. When the moment arrived I managed to deliver without faltering.

In Middle School (classes VI-VIII) and Senior School (classes IX-XII) the format of the assemblies was different. Every day the assembly was conducted by students of one of the houses (Chenab, Ganga, Sutlej, Ravi, Yamuna and Jhelum) of the school. It would have to include a thought for the day, followed by the morning news, scripture reading and then speech. I spoke on many occasions and even enjoyed it, sometimes speaking because I wanted to and sometimes for filling in for a student gone absent.

A few years after I passed out of my alma mater I heard that barring a few special assemblies this morning ritual had been stopped. While some of my friends rejoiced at this news, I thought it was sad. Agreed because of the school timings and the extreme weather in Delhi we used to find ourselves either sweating in the sweltering heat or shivering in the biting cold in the huge playground. But it also gave us the chance to gossip with friends, exchange notes with students of other sections, and to look at awe at all the seniors and dream about growing up. It used to be a proud moment when receiving a certificate or a prize from the hands of a chief guest in front of such a huge audience.

For going to debating or recitation competitions one always needed the backing of teachers who had the necessary authority. But for speaking in assemblies there was full freedom. If you had the willingness then all you had to do was express your interest to the House Captains and they'd happily give you the next immediately available chance.

For me it was through such experiences that I gained confidence, developed public speaking skills and managed to get over stage fright. I, therefore, fervently wish that this practice of morning assemblies is brought back to schools and continued so that young students who are otherwise shy learn to shed their inhibitions and take pride in themselves.