It has been almost a year since we last went home to India and these past couple of months have been a bit tough as I am really missing everything ......my children, the family,food, malls , movies, shopping and also the noise, the crowds and the whole package that is India...my country. The place to which I belong and which belongs to me...
Now finally our visas are stamped, Vipin's leave sanctioned and we are due to fly out on 21st of this month. I am really really looking forward to our trip.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Togetherness
Togetherness...
What a beautiful word!!
A word that brings to mind a sense of security, pleasure and warmth.
Being together....
That is how we were meant to be.
A group of different people or objects put together becomes strong, solid and noticeable.
A flower by itself is beautiful but combined with other flowers and ferns it becomes a bouquet......a decoration, a gift and an expression of good wishes.
A tree provides blossom, fruit and shade, but a collection of them becomes a forest....impregnable and a habitat for wildlife.
A hill looks grand and solid but a number of them put together become a range....insurmountable and a protective wall against the forces of nature.
A star twinkles and guides travelers during the night, but a multitude of them forms a galaxy....magnificent and awesome.
A house is an abode but many houses set together in a planned and homogenized way becomes a colony...secure and lively.
A person is an individual, important and special, but living together with their kin they become a family...close, bonded and fulfilled.
Certainly togetherness is power......
The power to free from loneliness, fear and worry.
But togetherness does not mean cramping.
It means being in harmony with each other, so that each component flourishes and grows to it’s full potential with encouragement from the others, without being overshadowed and stunted due to infringement of space!
What a beautiful word!!
A word that brings to mind a sense of security, pleasure and warmth.
Being together....
That is how we were meant to be.
A group of different people or objects put together becomes strong, solid and noticeable.
A flower by itself is beautiful but combined with other flowers and ferns it becomes a bouquet......a decoration, a gift and an expression of good wishes.
A tree provides blossom, fruit and shade, but a collection of them becomes a forest....impregnable and a habitat for wildlife.
A hill looks grand and solid but a number of them put together become a range....insurmountable and a protective wall against the forces of nature.
A star twinkles and guides travelers during the night, but a multitude of them forms a galaxy....magnificent and awesome.
A house is an abode but many houses set together in a planned and homogenized way becomes a colony...secure and lively.
A person is an individual, important and special, but living together with their kin they become a family...close, bonded and fulfilled.
Certainly togetherness is power......
The power to free from loneliness, fear and worry.
But togetherness does not mean cramping.
It means being in harmony with each other, so that each component flourishes and grows to it’s full potential with encouragement from the others, without being overshadowed and stunted due to infringement of space!
Monday, August 06, 2007
A Tribute......to some special people!
In one of my earlier posts I had recounted a few of the innumerable, wonderful, experiences of my young days which are etched deeply in my mind. The bonds of togetherness with the family forged during those formative years continue to this day and bring to me a sense of security and harmony. But this was made possible by the presence of all the people around me who helped to shape and build my character and persona either by directly advising and admonishing or by setting examples....these were the people who became my teachers in the school of life and their experiences made me discern between good and bad, right and wrong....I emulated some traits and shunned the others and grew up to be a confident adult. Most of them are still around me, the strong guiding forces of my life, but some of them have passed away leaving behind fond memories and examples that help me to survive even today.
Here I am going to briefly put down my impressions of just a few of them......
My Mother...
The strongest influence in my life has been that of my mother....a simple loving and caring housewife with a strong sense of duty, who earned the respect and admiration of everyone she came in contact with. Even though I lived with her for only eleven years of my life I learned enough in that short time to set my goals and future course of action.
She was a skilled needlewoman and would copy the latest designs of dresses for me which she saw in magazines or show windows which she thought were too expensive to buy. She knitted with an amazing speed and made sweaters for each and every member of the family to be gifted on Diwali....I have yet to meet a relative , far or near , who did not possess an article hand made by her! Despite her poor eyesight, she would embroider beautifully, by hand as well as machine...and even learned to weave cloth on the loom. She subscribed to woman’s magazines to keep informed about the latest designs, and maintained notebooks to copy patterns.
She had barely started initiating me in these crafts when she passed away, but had generated sufficient interest in me, so that I would pour over her notebooks and magazines to learn all that she used to do. By the time I grew up I could easily follow instructions from books and learn almost any craft. I learned to stitch, knit, crochet, tat and embroider. In fact I never needed to say “I don’t know how to do this”...because I knew that whatever I wanted to learn I could find in some book. It was truly an amazing legacy she left behind for me, her collection of magazines and notebooks, which gave in me the confidence that made me feel that....... “I Can Do Anything”!!
She wanted to give her children the best of everything...when my father got transferred to Delhi, she spent hours helping me with my studies so that I would be able to clear my entrance test for one of the best schools. She enrolled me in music and dance classes and would accompany me to the class and wait outside till the session was over, to bring me back home. Although her plans for me were aborted due to her untimely demise, I did get from her the guidelines which I later followed for my own children and which in turn my sister Sujata pursued too for her daughters. I am sure she would have been proud of the way her grandchildren have shaped up.
I remember her caring not only for her husband and children but also family and friends, helping out with service, cash and kind where ever possible, and manage a decent standard of living within the constraints of my father’s govt. salary. She welcomed visitors and relatives with due respect and judged each person fairly, irrespective of her relationship to them. My mother brought my fathers family closer and helped to foster bonds that remain till today.
She was a patriot and knitted socks and sweaters for our soldiers during the Indo China war of 1962 and even donated a part of her gold ornaments to the National Defence fund. She shared the love of Cricket with my Father and sat glued to the radio to hear the commentary when ever there was a match, diligently making notes of the scores to inform dad when he called up from office! I still have some of them with me. She played some badminton too for the exercise.
What ever I did not know about her I gathered from the conversations of our relatives who never seem to stop talking about her. She made each and every person she came in contact with feel special and is easily the most reverently remembered person in our entire family, even four decades after her demise. Each of them takes special pleasure in describing how close he or she was to her and the bonds they shared.
It is true that mothers are always role models for their daughters, and each mom tries to give the best to her child. But I do feel that my Mom was special because she had so little time in which she gave so much of herself that it has lasted me a lifetime, and passed on through me to my daughter.
My Grandparents
They were simple, straightforward, honest and down to earth village folk who unhesitatingly wound up their establishment and came to keep house for their bereaved son and look after his two daughters aged eleven and two. It must have been a major upheaval for them at their age, coming to live in an officer’s colony from their rural background without any one of their own kind for company and the responsibility of looking after two young girls. But they took their duties seriously and dedicated their lives to looking after this family and all their efforts were directed towards making their son’s life as hassle free and comfortable as possible.
Babaji was a very intelligent and farsighted person and carefully managed dad’s finances, and assumed full responsibility for running the household, shopping for groceries and other daily requirements. No work was too lowly for him and no company too high. He could work in the garden with the servants as well as sit with dad’s colleagues and their wives who came to visit us and talk with them.
In his free time during the day he would read the newspaper and also Hindu legends and mythology. He even helped to translate his Guru’s version of The Geeta from urdu to hindi. He was a big moral support for my father, always telling him not to worry for anything....”everything will be fine son” he would say.
We never needed an alarm to wake us up in the mornings. Unfailingly at daybreak we would be jolted up from our slumber by the bhajans and hymns he used to sing with gusto and full devotion. Even though at that time we used to get annoyed at having our sleep disturbed, I do feel that those words of goodness pouring into our ears at that tender age left a lasting impact on our minds. I still remember so many of them, and a kind of replay often comes unbidden to me and has a calming effect when I am too excited or disturbed!!
Bedtime of course was story time and he regaled us with stories from the Bhagwat, Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Each morning he would carry my bag to the school bus stop and be waiting there unfailingly every afternoon to fetch me back home. He helped me with my maths problems which I translated for him in hindi, and also assisted me in making charts and models and school projects.
When I learned to operate my mom’s sewing machine, he would sit with me ,cut up old bed sheets and draw straight lines on the fabric for me to practice stitching on. He even helped me with the cutting and making up of skirts and tops for myself and my sister since he had some knowledge of tailoring from time spent with some tailors in his native place.
He knew plenty about cooking too, though my granny always said that his interference spoiled her dishes...:).At breakfast time he would sit in front of our coal fired oven and make lovely crisp golden toasts for us and served them with butter and jam.
He looked after my sister with equal zest and gave her a daily massage and bath and pampered her as a mother. Despite the fact that he was from an older generation I found him more modern and accommodating than many people who were much younger to him. He was fond of playing cards and had a good sense of humor and also a quick temper which thankfully was never targeted at us....
My grandmother uncomplainingly took charge of the household chores. She cooked, cleaned and washed up, not in the least bothered if the servants and maids were on leave. Without a penny to her name, she never had any demands....her only desire being to please everyone in the only way she knew how.....by feeding them. No one ever went hungry from our house, be it a guest, relative or servant. She was always ready to rustle up a meal or a snack at any time of the day or night. She zealously guarded my mother’s kitchen not letting even a spoon out of her sight. Somehow she had the idea that mom would be unhappy if her things were lost or damaged.
And together these two lovely people made our house a home for us.....
My Nana and Nani
The thought of my maternal grandparents conjures up visions of life in a huge mansion in Muzaffaranagar, a small town of Uttar Pradesh......as a child I used to love going there. Even today I can visualize the large fore court with servant’s quarters on one side and garages for cars and a cowshed on the other. The imposing double storied house had a wide front verandah bordered by flower beds and tall black granite pillars at the entrance, to support the roof. The grape vine clinging to those pillars gave a warm and welcoming look to the house. The small bunches of grapes hanging there used to really fascinate me.
Access to the interior of the house was through a broad gallery, one half of which housed the staircase to the upper floor and a part of the other half was used to park the dozen odd bicycles used by the boys of the house. Inside again there was a verandah and central courtyard surrounded by the living rooms and other utilities.
Here they lived with their family comprising of two daughters and six sons, and the spouses and children of those who were by then married. A man with a great sense of family duty, Nanaji had given his eldest daughter and second son for adoption to his childless elder brother. He also offered a home to four young children of his younger brother, since they had lost both their parents in a fatal road accident.
It was a thus a house full of people, life and laughter. At that time it was too, a house of plenty.
It must have been quite a job to manage such a large household.....and I remember a flurry of activity going on at all times...in winters we could see ladies coming in to help thread the newly washed and filled quilts to hold the cotton in place, in summer there would be piles of raw mangoes to be peeled cut and grated for making yummy pickles and chutneys. I have not found anyone who could better mango chutney than my Nani!!
No description of my visits to Nanaji’s house can be complete without mention of Pandit Kashyap who lived opposite our place. We fondly called him “churan wale nanaji”since he had an Ayurvedic medicine shop and had a collection of tasty digestive churans and pills which he would give to us children every morning.....the early birds would bag the maximum booty. So all of us would vie with each other to be the first to wake up and rush to him. There sitting on his verandah we would count the pigeons perched on top of our house and finally when we were all assembled , the bottles and tins would be opened for distribution. Later after a bath we would again go to see him at prayer and performing havan. It was at his place that I got my first lessons at the chanting of Gayatri Mantra.
My Nanaji was treated with deference by one and all..... in the mornings he would sit in the inner courtyard and issue instructions and assign daily duties to everyone and attend to their problems and requirements, while my Nani, would organize meals for the family with the help of the servants and ladies of the house. He had a great regard and affection for my father, and we were always given a warm and special welcome in his home. Till now I have not forgotten the taste of those crisp jalebis soaked in hot milk which we were served for breakfast, with spicy kachories and samosas...
I think that I was quite in awe of Nanaji at that time.....but in retrospect I feel that he was a simple self made man. An Engineering graduate from University of Roorkee, he left his govt. job to start his own civil construction company which earned prosperity and a good reputation in a short span of time. A generous hearted person he was never shy of spending money. On the golden jubilee of his graduation, he hired a bus to bring his batch mates home, and threw a grand party for them. If one of his grandchildren would ask for a pair of shoe or a dress, he would have all the kids present there driven to the store to buy whatever they wanted.
A great stickler for punctuality, he followed his watch meticulously, never deviating from his schedule even by a minute. He had a small diet and ate slowly, chewing each mouthful thirty two times because he said it was good for digestion.
He was very impressed with the quality of English taught in Delhi schools, since the standard of English in UP was quite poor in comparison, and he used to carry my letters to him in his pocket so that he could show them proudly to his friends. Sometimes he would tell us stories too, the favourite one being “The Count of Monte Cristo”
One by one other members of the family too joined his business but probably he was not able to bring the much needed discipline and professionalism to the company, and gradually the whole thing started to crumble under the weight of the whims of the partners. To his sorrow he saw the decline of the empire he had created, in his own life time and lost control over the business and family. He developed Parkinson’s disease and passed away soon after.
My Nani lived for quite a few years after him and I was saddened to see the grand old lady with her delicately embroidered sarees and a huge bunch of keys at her waist, fade away to being a non identity in her last years......
Life can be really harsh!!!
That house has been sold off long since and nothing there is recognizable any more.....but I can never pass that way without a feeling of regret.
One big relief however is that their basic goodness and hard work paid off in the achievements of their grandchildren who have come up in life as successful individuals.
My Father and Mother In Law
The most selfless unassuming, undemanding and non interfering couple I have ever come across in my life. They were almost of my grandparent’s generation, since my husband was the youngest of their brood of ten........ two daughters and eight sons.
It was my misfortune that I could not get to know Ammaji well, since she passed away just a couple of years after our marriage. Vipin was posted in Bhusawal at that time and we did not have any access to telephones during those days, so the only interaction we had was when we visited them at Amroha. A gentle lady with a benign, smiling face, she had a word of appreciation for everyone. Although she did not keep very good health during those last years, she always expressed concern for the comfort and well being of her daughters in law.
Vipin says that in her prime she was a very efficient housewife and a good cook. She would stitch clothes, knit, spin yarn from cotton and even weaved small carpets. A social and a compassionate person, she had many friends who visited her often and asked her for guidance and advice. She used to organize Teej festival for ladies, complete with swings strung from trees and distributed sweets. She welcomed relatives and took care of their children who came to study at Amroha from nearby villages.
Lalaji, as my father in law was known, had seen many ups and downs in his life. As a young boy he had to go to a nearby town called Hapur to look after the khadi business of his brother in law who was a freedom fighter and had been sent to jail. Later he returned home and in the early thirties he started his own khadi textile business. The business grew and their cloth was sent to far flung areas in the east and west and also exported to Sri Lanka. Eventually he came to be known as Khadderwale....After the partition the business started declining since most of the cloth used to be sent to what is now Pakistan and Bangladesh and subsequently closed down in 1967.
He faced his hard times stoically, and still welcomed each and every person to his home as was the family tradition. He made no demands at all on his sons who were well placed in high positions. He was fond of cooking and would make nice pakoras for all of us when we gathered there. There was always a stock of seasonal fruits in the house and he would himself peel and cut them for us.
He had earned a great name in his town and was honoured as the most respected elder of Amroha, who had provided a good education to his sons and daughters in those difficult times. He passed away at the ripe age of eighty six and is survived by a large well to do family that continues to uphold his ideals and value system.
My Buas
My two buas were totally unlike in appearance as well as in nature. One was fair, tall and outgoing whereas the other was short, dark and quiet. But both of them had one common trait.....they both idolized their brother, and, with their spouses, did everything in their power to bring happiness and comfort in my father’s life!
They treated me and my sister as their own daughters and were there whenever we needed them.....whether it was to comfort us in sickness or to celebrate our small achievements. Their arrival was always a treat for us as they would bring home made delicious sweets and snacks for us. At home they would cook our favourite dishes, wash and clean our hair, organize our clothes and spring cleaned the house. They brought fun and laughter to our rather somber lives and we enjoyed the company of their children when they could visit us.
They came for our weddings and worked untiringly to make the events successful. I would see them work through the night planning the details, packing gifts and organizing sweets and other materials so that there would be no hitch at any time. They came to see us through our deliveries and showered motherly care on us when we needed it most. They guided us so we could take care of our infants and gave us tips and home remedies which helped us to tend to the kids daily problems.
After their children were settled both the couples and papa would go off on holidays and it was fun to see their childlike excitement while they prepared for the trip. Their return was even more eagerly awaited and we looked forward to the time when we would get together and hear the tales of their vacations....thinking of those hilarious sessions of friendly leg pulling and teasing still makes me smile.
What blessings they were indeed!!
They brought the feminine influence in our lives which we would have otherwise missed, and together with the efforts of the rest the family they proved that any tragedy however insurmountable it may seem, can be overcome by togetherness and due concern for each other.
They both left us a bit too early leaving a void which will remain always. But they showed us how a relationship between brothers and sisters should be........a relationship without egos, returns and expectations. A relationship where the well being and happiness of each other is of primary concern!!
God bless the souls of all these wonderful people.
Here I am going to briefly put down my impressions of just a few of them......
My Mother...
The strongest influence in my life has been that of my mother....a simple loving and caring housewife with a strong sense of duty, who earned the respect and admiration of everyone she came in contact with. Even though I lived with her for only eleven years of my life I learned enough in that short time to set my goals and future course of action.
She was a skilled needlewoman and would copy the latest designs of dresses for me which she saw in magazines or show windows which she thought were too expensive to buy. She knitted with an amazing speed and made sweaters for each and every member of the family to be gifted on Diwali....I have yet to meet a relative , far or near , who did not possess an article hand made by her! Despite her poor eyesight, she would embroider beautifully, by hand as well as machine...and even learned to weave cloth on the loom. She subscribed to woman’s magazines to keep informed about the latest designs, and maintained notebooks to copy patterns.
She had barely started initiating me in these crafts when she passed away, but had generated sufficient interest in me, so that I would pour over her notebooks and magazines to learn all that she used to do. By the time I grew up I could easily follow instructions from books and learn almost any craft. I learned to stitch, knit, crochet, tat and embroider. In fact I never needed to say “I don’t know how to do this”...because I knew that whatever I wanted to learn I could find in some book. It was truly an amazing legacy she left behind for me, her collection of magazines and notebooks, which gave in me the confidence that made me feel that....... “I Can Do Anything”!!
She wanted to give her children the best of everything...when my father got transferred to Delhi, she spent hours helping me with my studies so that I would be able to clear my entrance test for one of the best schools. She enrolled me in music and dance classes and would accompany me to the class and wait outside till the session was over, to bring me back home. Although her plans for me were aborted due to her untimely demise, I did get from her the guidelines which I later followed for my own children and which in turn my sister Sujata pursued too for her daughters. I am sure she would have been proud of the way her grandchildren have shaped up.
I remember her caring not only for her husband and children but also family and friends, helping out with service, cash and kind where ever possible, and manage a decent standard of living within the constraints of my father’s govt. salary. She welcomed visitors and relatives with due respect and judged each person fairly, irrespective of her relationship to them. My mother brought my fathers family closer and helped to foster bonds that remain till today.
She was a patriot and knitted socks and sweaters for our soldiers during the Indo China war of 1962 and even donated a part of her gold ornaments to the National Defence fund. She shared the love of Cricket with my Father and sat glued to the radio to hear the commentary when ever there was a match, diligently making notes of the scores to inform dad when he called up from office! I still have some of them with me. She played some badminton too for the exercise.
What ever I did not know about her I gathered from the conversations of our relatives who never seem to stop talking about her. She made each and every person she came in contact with feel special and is easily the most reverently remembered person in our entire family, even four decades after her demise. Each of them takes special pleasure in describing how close he or she was to her and the bonds they shared.
It is true that mothers are always role models for their daughters, and each mom tries to give the best to her child. But I do feel that my Mom was special because she had so little time in which she gave so much of herself that it has lasted me a lifetime, and passed on through me to my daughter.
My Grandparents
They were simple, straightforward, honest and down to earth village folk who unhesitatingly wound up their establishment and came to keep house for their bereaved son and look after his two daughters aged eleven and two. It must have been a major upheaval for them at their age, coming to live in an officer’s colony from their rural background without any one of their own kind for company and the responsibility of looking after two young girls. But they took their duties seriously and dedicated their lives to looking after this family and all their efforts were directed towards making their son’s life as hassle free and comfortable as possible.
Babaji was a very intelligent and farsighted person and carefully managed dad’s finances, and assumed full responsibility for running the household, shopping for groceries and other daily requirements. No work was too lowly for him and no company too high. He could work in the garden with the servants as well as sit with dad’s colleagues and their wives who came to visit us and talk with them.
In his free time during the day he would read the newspaper and also Hindu legends and mythology. He even helped to translate his Guru’s version of The Geeta from urdu to hindi. He was a big moral support for my father, always telling him not to worry for anything....”everything will be fine son” he would say.
We never needed an alarm to wake us up in the mornings. Unfailingly at daybreak we would be jolted up from our slumber by the bhajans and hymns he used to sing with gusto and full devotion. Even though at that time we used to get annoyed at having our sleep disturbed, I do feel that those words of goodness pouring into our ears at that tender age left a lasting impact on our minds. I still remember so many of them, and a kind of replay often comes unbidden to me and has a calming effect when I am too excited or disturbed!!
Bedtime of course was story time and he regaled us with stories from the Bhagwat, Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Each morning he would carry my bag to the school bus stop and be waiting there unfailingly every afternoon to fetch me back home. He helped me with my maths problems which I translated for him in hindi, and also assisted me in making charts and models and school projects.
When I learned to operate my mom’s sewing machine, he would sit with me ,cut up old bed sheets and draw straight lines on the fabric for me to practice stitching on. He even helped me with the cutting and making up of skirts and tops for myself and my sister since he had some knowledge of tailoring from time spent with some tailors in his native place.
He knew plenty about cooking too, though my granny always said that his interference spoiled her dishes...:).At breakfast time he would sit in front of our coal fired oven and make lovely crisp golden toasts for us and served them with butter and jam.
He looked after my sister with equal zest and gave her a daily massage and bath and pampered her as a mother. Despite the fact that he was from an older generation I found him more modern and accommodating than many people who were much younger to him. He was fond of playing cards and had a good sense of humor and also a quick temper which thankfully was never targeted at us....
My grandmother uncomplainingly took charge of the household chores. She cooked, cleaned and washed up, not in the least bothered if the servants and maids were on leave. Without a penny to her name, she never had any demands....her only desire being to please everyone in the only way she knew how.....by feeding them. No one ever went hungry from our house, be it a guest, relative or servant. She was always ready to rustle up a meal or a snack at any time of the day or night. She zealously guarded my mother’s kitchen not letting even a spoon out of her sight. Somehow she had the idea that mom would be unhappy if her things were lost or damaged.
And together these two lovely people made our house a home for us.....
My Nana and Nani
The thought of my maternal grandparents conjures up visions of life in a huge mansion in Muzaffaranagar, a small town of Uttar Pradesh......as a child I used to love going there. Even today I can visualize the large fore court with servant’s quarters on one side and garages for cars and a cowshed on the other. The imposing double storied house had a wide front verandah bordered by flower beds and tall black granite pillars at the entrance, to support the roof. The grape vine clinging to those pillars gave a warm and welcoming look to the house. The small bunches of grapes hanging there used to really fascinate me.
Access to the interior of the house was through a broad gallery, one half of which housed the staircase to the upper floor and a part of the other half was used to park the dozen odd bicycles used by the boys of the house. Inside again there was a verandah and central courtyard surrounded by the living rooms and other utilities.
Here they lived with their family comprising of two daughters and six sons, and the spouses and children of those who were by then married. A man with a great sense of family duty, Nanaji had given his eldest daughter and second son for adoption to his childless elder brother. He also offered a home to four young children of his younger brother, since they had lost both their parents in a fatal road accident.
It was a thus a house full of people, life and laughter. At that time it was too, a house of plenty.
It must have been quite a job to manage such a large household.....and I remember a flurry of activity going on at all times...in winters we could see ladies coming in to help thread the newly washed and filled quilts to hold the cotton in place, in summer there would be piles of raw mangoes to be peeled cut and grated for making yummy pickles and chutneys. I have not found anyone who could better mango chutney than my Nani!!
No description of my visits to Nanaji’s house can be complete without mention of Pandit Kashyap who lived opposite our place. We fondly called him “churan wale nanaji”since he had an Ayurvedic medicine shop and had a collection of tasty digestive churans and pills which he would give to us children every morning.....the early birds would bag the maximum booty. So all of us would vie with each other to be the first to wake up and rush to him. There sitting on his verandah we would count the pigeons perched on top of our house and finally when we were all assembled , the bottles and tins would be opened for distribution. Later after a bath we would again go to see him at prayer and performing havan. It was at his place that I got my first lessons at the chanting of Gayatri Mantra.
My Nanaji was treated with deference by one and all..... in the mornings he would sit in the inner courtyard and issue instructions and assign daily duties to everyone and attend to their problems and requirements, while my Nani, would organize meals for the family with the help of the servants and ladies of the house. He had a great regard and affection for my father, and we were always given a warm and special welcome in his home. Till now I have not forgotten the taste of those crisp jalebis soaked in hot milk which we were served for breakfast, with spicy kachories and samosas...
I think that I was quite in awe of Nanaji at that time.....but in retrospect I feel that he was a simple self made man. An Engineering graduate from University of Roorkee, he left his govt. job to start his own civil construction company which earned prosperity and a good reputation in a short span of time. A generous hearted person he was never shy of spending money. On the golden jubilee of his graduation, he hired a bus to bring his batch mates home, and threw a grand party for them. If one of his grandchildren would ask for a pair of shoe or a dress, he would have all the kids present there driven to the store to buy whatever they wanted.
A great stickler for punctuality, he followed his watch meticulously, never deviating from his schedule even by a minute. He had a small diet and ate slowly, chewing each mouthful thirty two times because he said it was good for digestion.
He was very impressed with the quality of English taught in Delhi schools, since the standard of English in UP was quite poor in comparison, and he used to carry my letters to him in his pocket so that he could show them proudly to his friends. Sometimes he would tell us stories too, the favourite one being “The Count of Monte Cristo”
One by one other members of the family too joined his business but probably he was not able to bring the much needed discipline and professionalism to the company, and gradually the whole thing started to crumble under the weight of the whims of the partners. To his sorrow he saw the decline of the empire he had created, in his own life time and lost control over the business and family. He developed Parkinson’s disease and passed away soon after.
My Nani lived for quite a few years after him and I was saddened to see the grand old lady with her delicately embroidered sarees and a huge bunch of keys at her waist, fade away to being a non identity in her last years......
Life can be really harsh!!!
That house has been sold off long since and nothing there is recognizable any more.....but I can never pass that way without a feeling of regret.
One big relief however is that their basic goodness and hard work paid off in the achievements of their grandchildren who have come up in life as successful individuals.
My Father and Mother In Law
The most selfless unassuming, undemanding and non interfering couple I have ever come across in my life. They were almost of my grandparent’s generation, since my husband was the youngest of their brood of ten........ two daughters and eight sons.
It was my misfortune that I could not get to know Ammaji well, since she passed away just a couple of years after our marriage. Vipin was posted in Bhusawal at that time and we did not have any access to telephones during those days, so the only interaction we had was when we visited them at Amroha. A gentle lady with a benign, smiling face, she had a word of appreciation for everyone. Although she did not keep very good health during those last years, she always expressed concern for the comfort and well being of her daughters in law.
Vipin says that in her prime she was a very efficient housewife and a good cook. She would stitch clothes, knit, spin yarn from cotton and even weaved small carpets. A social and a compassionate person, she had many friends who visited her often and asked her for guidance and advice. She used to organize Teej festival for ladies, complete with swings strung from trees and distributed sweets. She welcomed relatives and took care of their children who came to study at Amroha from nearby villages.
Lalaji, as my father in law was known, had seen many ups and downs in his life. As a young boy he had to go to a nearby town called Hapur to look after the khadi business of his brother in law who was a freedom fighter and had been sent to jail. Later he returned home and in the early thirties he started his own khadi textile business. The business grew and their cloth was sent to far flung areas in the east and west and also exported to Sri Lanka. Eventually he came to be known as Khadderwale....After the partition the business started declining since most of the cloth used to be sent to what is now Pakistan and Bangladesh and subsequently closed down in 1967.
He faced his hard times stoically, and still welcomed each and every person to his home as was the family tradition. He made no demands at all on his sons who were well placed in high positions. He was fond of cooking and would make nice pakoras for all of us when we gathered there. There was always a stock of seasonal fruits in the house and he would himself peel and cut them for us.
He had earned a great name in his town and was honoured as the most respected elder of Amroha, who had provided a good education to his sons and daughters in those difficult times. He passed away at the ripe age of eighty six and is survived by a large well to do family that continues to uphold his ideals and value system.
My Buas
My two buas were totally unlike in appearance as well as in nature. One was fair, tall and outgoing whereas the other was short, dark and quiet. But both of them had one common trait.....they both idolized their brother, and, with their spouses, did everything in their power to bring happiness and comfort in my father’s life!
They treated me and my sister as their own daughters and were there whenever we needed them.....whether it was to comfort us in sickness or to celebrate our small achievements. Their arrival was always a treat for us as they would bring home made delicious sweets and snacks for us. At home they would cook our favourite dishes, wash and clean our hair, organize our clothes and spring cleaned the house. They brought fun and laughter to our rather somber lives and we enjoyed the company of their children when they could visit us.
They came for our weddings and worked untiringly to make the events successful. I would see them work through the night planning the details, packing gifts and organizing sweets and other materials so that there would be no hitch at any time. They came to see us through our deliveries and showered motherly care on us when we needed it most. They guided us so we could take care of our infants and gave us tips and home remedies which helped us to tend to the kids daily problems.
After their children were settled both the couples and papa would go off on holidays and it was fun to see their childlike excitement while they prepared for the trip. Their return was even more eagerly awaited and we looked forward to the time when we would get together and hear the tales of their vacations....thinking of those hilarious sessions of friendly leg pulling and teasing still makes me smile.
What blessings they were indeed!!
They brought the feminine influence in our lives which we would have otherwise missed, and together with the efforts of the rest the family they proved that any tragedy however insurmountable it may seem, can be overcome by togetherness and due concern for each other.
They both left us a bit too early leaving a void which will remain always. But they showed us how a relationship between brothers and sisters should be........a relationship without egos, returns and expectations. A relationship where the well being and happiness of each other is of primary concern!!
God bless the souls of all these wonderful people.
Remembering her...on friendship day!
5th august 2007
Enu
My friend.
A friend as a friend should be.
With her I learnt that friendship has no dimensions.
That it is a deep bond that touches the heart and yet is so easy and hassle free!
And that it does not matter whether you meet every day or after a gap of years.
Friends always remain friends.
We first met about twenty seven years ago in Bhusawal where our husbands were posted at that time. There were few families in our township during those days and we used to meet often at get togethers and parties. Soon we realized that we had similar hobbies and interests and we started planning combined activities.
During the day, we would plan, design and make outfits for our children, bake cakes and decorate them for birthdays, and together preserve seasonal fruits and veggies in the form of jams, jellies, purees, sauces, squashes and pickles. We would help each other in preparing for festivals and share our recipes of sweets and snacks and join forces to cook for the frequent parties that we indulged in.
In the evenings we went for walks together with our spouses and kids and would often meet again for coffee after dinner, and talked about everything under the sun...we discussed our future plans shared our dreams, sought solutions to our problems and of course gossiped to our hearts content.
We were separated in 1983 because our husbands were transferred to different cities .We were not able to maintain much communication during the subsequent years, busy as we were in coping with transfers and the needs of our growing families. Even after coming to Delhi we could not meet often due to the distances and busy schedules.
The call of Modicare brought us close again in 1996 and we met as if the gap of thirteen years had never been there! Our children were quite grown up by then, and even though Enu was teaching in a school, we found time to be together and plan the business which we were sure would make our dreams come true.
The hard work paid off and finally came the day when we with our spouses were invited to take fully paid three day cruise from Singapore with a stopover at Bangkok on the return trip. She was childlike in her excitement at her first flight and her first visit abroad. It was a wonderful holiday that we had together. The business had to take a back seat after that as we became busy in other family commitments but we met regularly and our ties became stronger.
By this time our friendship had matured and I admired her not only for her skills but also for her lovable nature. She was a totally selfless person with no ego, always ready to fulfill her obligations towards family and friends, whether it was for treatment and care of her parents, the wedding of her husband's neice or the education of her nephew......she opened her house for all who needed assisstance.
By this time our friendship had matured and I admired her not only for her skills but also for her lovable nature. She was a totally selfless person with no ego, always ready to fulfill her obligations towards family and friends, whether it was for treatment and care of her parents, the wedding of her husband's neice or the education of her nephew......she opened her house for all who needed assisstance.
She and Bhaiya came bearing gifts on festivals and occasions without any expectations for returns. She always welcomed our visits even though she had a busy schedule due to her job, ever ready with a snack or a meal. She was an appreciative person and expressed her delight at a thoughtful gesture or gift.
We had a lot of trust in each other and shared our joy when our children achieved their goals and unflinchingly poured our hearts out when we were anguished.
We would discuss and make plans for our children’s weddings and plan our purchases for the events. Often when we sat together we would make plans for our post retirement lives, when we would form a group with like minded people and live close by and meet everyday and have combined outings and holidays
But God willed otherwise.
We would discuss and make plans for our children’s weddings and plan our purchases for the events. Often when we sat together we would make plans for our post retirement lives, when we would form a group with like minded people and live close by and meet everyday and have combined outings and holidays
But God willed otherwise.
Enu was diagnosed with breast cancer .She bravely underwent the surgery and subsequent therapies. A devout follower of Shri Nirmala Mataji, she drew courage and hope from her prayers and got cured and even started working again. Such is the miracle of faith.
But later she developed some complications and her health started deteriorating. I met her for the last time in November 2006. She was in considerable pain and discomfort even then, but put up a brave front for us. All the treatment and care could not save her and she succumbed to the disease in January. The news came as a shock, although I did fear for her life after that last meeting.
Her passing away has left me with an irreparable sense of loss.
I shall miss her always.
Happy friendship day Enu!!
.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Oh My God !!!!!!!
Oh my God!!!!!!
These are exactly the words that came to my mind when I read my just turned eighteen niece’s message on google talk.....the message said “and I thought the past tense of think was thunk”
Where has all the grammar from Wren and Martin taught painstakingly by the teachers of the elitist school we sent her to gone, I wondered!!
Come to think of it, almost all the spellings and rules of written English seem to have changed in these modern times of the computers.
Now with is wid...enjoy is njoy...I am is M...that is dat ..the is d okay is k..friends is frens.....got to go is g2g be right back is brb and the list is endless. One has just to chat with some of these under thirties to get a full intro to this new lingo.
It is said that every language evolves with the passage of time and perhaps the need for speed in typing in contemporary times has led to the use of this abbreviated form of writing. In these times of multitasking when a person chats with many people at a time and does other work at the same time too, he or she would certainly need this kind of expression.
I first encountered this kind of English about a year and a half back when I came to Libya and started using chat windows to keep in touch with people back home. I have steadily got more and more familiar with this new age form of writing and got used to reading and comprehending it too...
Well....even if I do feel that the makers of the English dictionary would be turning in their graves, and even if the steadfast teachers of English would shudder to see what their students are writing...and even though I am not able to bring myself to express myself in this fashion...
I also find this lingo crisper, trendier, and younger !!
I love to read what they write to me in their hurry....
And I love to read the amazing messages they leave on their chat windows.
Maybe one day I will get into their groove too and amaze them....
These are exactly the words that came to my mind when I read my just turned eighteen niece’s message on google talk.....the message said “and I thought the past tense of think was thunk”
Where has all the grammar from Wren and Martin taught painstakingly by the teachers of the elitist school we sent her to gone, I wondered!!
Come to think of it, almost all the spellings and rules of written English seem to have changed in these modern times of the computers.
Now with is wid...enjoy is njoy...I am is M...that is dat ..the is d okay is k..friends is frens.....got to go is g2g be right back is brb and the list is endless. One has just to chat with some of these under thirties to get a full intro to this new lingo.
It is said that every language evolves with the passage of time and perhaps the need for speed in typing in contemporary times has led to the use of this abbreviated form of writing. In these times of multitasking when a person chats with many people at a time and does other work at the same time too, he or she would certainly need this kind of expression.
I first encountered this kind of English about a year and a half back when I came to Libya and started using chat windows to keep in touch with people back home. I have steadily got more and more familiar with this new age form of writing and got used to reading and comprehending it too...
Well....even if I do feel that the makers of the English dictionary would be turning in their graves, and even if the steadfast teachers of English would shudder to see what their students are writing...and even though I am not able to bring myself to express myself in this fashion...
I also find this lingo crisper, trendier, and younger !!
I love to read what they write to me in their hurry....
And I love to read the amazing messages they leave on their chat windows.
Maybe one day I will get into their groove too and amaze them....
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Those were the days......
As children we often used to hear our elders talk of the good old times when money had a lot of buying power, when a rupee could fetch a kilo of ghee or an anna would suffice for a nice treat ...when people were more sincere and less materialistic and so the list would go on and on. And later sitting alone I would wonder what it was about those times that these people remembered with so much nostalgia...did they not like the progress brought by science and technology? Was life not much more comfortable now...the telephones, faster modes of transport, clean well planned houses and urban life with glittering markets not better than those days when things were slower and well...more rural?
But today having myself lived a decent number of years I too find myself fondly saying....
Those were the days when I would go to my grandfathers village with my cousins .Every morning after breakfast we children would go prancing along the dusty streets to the mango orchard and feast on freshly plucked fruits and then run through sugar cane fields to the tube well to clean ourselves before coming home to a fresh meal made lovingly by the ladies of the house. Oh what fun it was when all of us sat together on the floor giggling and telling tales about each other till the next chapatti came our way!
Those were the days when we first came to Delhi in 1964...when we used to go for picnics to Buddha Jayanti Garden armed with sheets and mats for the elders to relax on , food and even a stove and cooker for cooking some hot khichdi and lots of playing gear. We never minded not having a car and having to carry everything in local buses!
Every year on 26th Jan we would go to India gate lawns to watch the Republic day Parade with friends and family. We would sit in the stands and munch sandwiches and stuffed paranthas from our picnic baskets as we proudly applauded the contingents passing by. There were no security checks to stop us from carrying our stuff to our seats.
Those were the days when departure or arrival of a loved one from a foreign country was a big event and the whole lot of us would go to the airport in a hired bus to see off or receive them...we could walk almost upto the runway and see them getting onto the plane When Munna Mama went to UK for higher studies he even hung the marigold garland we had given him on the window of his seat so that we could make out where he was seated!! Their return would be even more exciting as the bags were opened and gifts were distributed...and the slide shows at night when the whole extended family would sit together to enjoy the sights of distant lands...the sounds of fun and laughter still echo in my ears..
Those were the days when all my cousins would spend the summer holidays together...those lazy hot days spent huddled in groups over a game of cards or snakes and ladders, playing badminton or seven tiles in the evenings and dark room at night. No one bothered that there was no air conditioning or television in the house...it was one big family and while we children played the ladies would see to the cleaning washing and cooking. All of them were mother figures to each of us and there was never any concept of yours or mine. In Shamli the famous chat vendor would be called at home with his pots full of yummy gol gappas ,papri and tikkis that we could gorge to our hearts content....and the huge baskets of lichees in Roorkee which we would polish off in a matter of minutes...oh .the taste still lingers.....
Those were the days when the summer nights were spent outdoors and we slept on cots spread out in the garden or the terrace under the stars...the long story telling sessions which ended only when the eyes would no longer remain open. I will never forget Tandan uncles tales of the witch with hair just an inch shorter than the distance from Delhi to London...and how he would spin yarns for my sister, who sat wide eyed, soaking up every incorrigible tale, on condition that my father who was an early sleeper would keep awake till the end of the story. The stories would continue well into the night with my sister prodding dad time and again to keep him awake till exasperated, he would shout at all of us to go to bed!!
We loved the days when we could cajole Tandan auntie to take us for a ride in her vintage car...we would eagerly scramble into the back with stools to sit on as the seats had long since vanished....and be ever ready to push the vehicle back home if it stalled on the road...
Those were the days when as teenagers we went to see movies when ever there was free time and we never missed a circus performance or a fair....
Rainy seasons were wonderful when we got drenched in the backyard and then were given tea with tulsi leaves to keep away the cold or ate hot roasted corncobs with salt and lemon.
During Dussehra festival we went to see the Ramlila for each of the ten days till Ravana was burned on the last day and all cheered the victory of good over evil. Diwali melas were fun and we shopped for lights crackers and sweets .
Winters were lovely too and we spent sunny Sunday mornings eating peanuts with green chillie chutney and had hot pakoras and tea at home in the afternoon or at some wayside stall after a stroll in the markets, window shopping.
Sometimes we would just sit in the newly started Mudrika buses which started from one point and ended at the same place after travelling on the cicular road bordering Delhi, watching the sights of the city and people coming and going...
How I long for those good old days....
Those days when we lived free from terror
The days when the threat of bombs had not invaded our lives...
The days when news of a bomb explosion in a bus or a market was unheard of...
The days when innocent lives were not snuffed by the unmindful actions of some fanatics out on a rampage....
The only bombing we heard of was during war times when the wail of sirens made us rush indoors till the all clear was sounded again....
When security checks and frisking were not part of our existence
The days when the airport staff did not look at an infants milk bottle with suspicion of being a potential safety hazard ...
When we went to quiet places and to crowded places ...
We traveled by road , train or air.....
But our eyes were never trying to identify objects which could blow us to pieces...
The days when we were safe....
So despite the progress brought about by science and technology, despite the comfortable lifestyle and fast means of transport and communications, the malls and multiplexes, television and computers and so much more that we have to thank for.....
I still long for the days that were!!!
But today having myself lived a decent number of years I too find myself fondly saying....
Those were the days when I would go to my grandfathers village with my cousins .Every morning after breakfast we children would go prancing along the dusty streets to the mango orchard and feast on freshly plucked fruits and then run through sugar cane fields to the tube well to clean ourselves before coming home to a fresh meal made lovingly by the ladies of the house. Oh what fun it was when all of us sat together on the floor giggling and telling tales about each other till the next chapatti came our way!
Those were the days when we first came to Delhi in 1964...when we used to go for picnics to Buddha Jayanti Garden armed with sheets and mats for the elders to relax on , food and even a stove and cooker for cooking some hot khichdi and lots of playing gear. We never minded not having a car and having to carry everything in local buses!
Every year on 26th Jan we would go to India gate lawns to watch the Republic day Parade with friends and family. We would sit in the stands and munch sandwiches and stuffed paranthas from our picnic baskets as we proudly applauded the contingents passing by. There were no security checks to stop us from carrying our stuff to our seats.
Those were the days when departure or arrival of a loved one from a foreign country was a big event and the whole lot of us would go to the airport in a hired bus to see off or receive them...we could walk almost upto the runway and see them getting onto the plane When Munna Mama went to UK for higher studies he even hung the marigold garland we had given him on the window of his seat so that we could make out where he was seated!! Their return would be even more exciting as the bags were opened and gifts were distributed...and the slide shows at night when the whole extended family would sit together to enjoy the sights of distant lands...the sounds of fun and laughter still echo in my ears..
Those were the days when all my cousins would spend the summer holidays together...those lazy hot days spent huddled in groups over a game of cards or snakes and ladders, playing badminton or seven tiles in the evenings and dark room at night. No one bothered that there was no air conditioning or television in the house...it was one big family and while we children played the ladies would see to the cleaning washing and cooking. All of them were mother figures to each of us and there was never any concept of yours or mine. In Shamli the famous chat vendor would be called at home with his pots full of yummy gol gappas ,papri and tikkis that we could gorge to our hearts content....and the huge baskets of lichees in Roorkee which we would polish off in a matter of minutes...oh .the taste still lingers.....
Those were the days when the summer nights were spent outdoors and we slept on cots spread out in the garden or the terrace under the stars...the long story telling sessions which ended only when the eyes would no longer remain open. I will never forget Tandan uncles tales of the witch with hair just an inch shorter than the distance from Delhi to London...and how he would spin yarns for my sister, who sat wide eyed, soaking up every incorrigible tale, on condition that my father who was an early sleeper would keep awake till the end of the story. The stories would continue well into the night with my sister prodding dad time and again to keep him awake till exasperated, he would shout at all of us to go to bed!!
We loved the days when we could cajole Tandan auntie to take us for a ride in her vintage car...we would eagerly scramble into the back with stools to sit on as the seats had long since vanished....and be ever ready to push the vehicle back home if it stalled on the road...
Those were the days when as teenagers we went to see movies when ever there was free time and we never missed a circus performance or a fair....
Rainy seasons were wonderful when we got drenched in the backyard and then were given tea with tulsi leaves to keep away the cold or ate hot roasted corncobs with salt and lemon.
During Dussehra festival we went to see the Ramlila for each of the ten days till Ravana was burned on the last day and all cheered the victory of good over evil. Diwali melas were fun and we shopped for lights crackers and sweets .
Winters were lovely too and we spent sunny Sunday mornings eating peanuts with green chillie chutney and had hot pakoras and tea at home in the afternoon or at some wayside stall after a stroll in the markets, window shopping.
Sometimes we would just sit in the newly started Mudrika buses which started from one point and ended at the same place after travelling on the cicular road bordering Delhi, watching the sights of the city and people coming and going...
How I long for those good old days....
Those days when we lived free from terror
The days when the threat of bombs had not invaded our lives...
The days when news of a bomb explosion in a bus or a market was unheard of...
The days when innocent lives were not snuffed by the unmindful actions of some fanatics out on a rampage....
The only bombing we heard of was during war times when the wail of sirens made us rush indoors till the all clear was sounded again....
When security checks and frisking were not part of our existence
The days when the airport staff did not look at an infants milk bottle with suspicion of being a potential safety hazard ...
When we went to quiet places and to crowded places ...
We traveled by road , train or air.....
But our eyes were never trying to identify objects which could blow us to pieces...
The days when we were safe....
So despite the progress brought about by science and technology, despite the comfortable lifestyle and fast means of transport and communications, the malls and multiplexes, television and computers and so much more that we have to thank for.....
I still long for the days that were!!!
Friday, July 06, 2007
A great achievment.....
With a prayer of thankfulness and a feeling of relief we, together with millions of others around the globe, watched the graceful landing of the spacecraft bearing Sunita Williams and her colleagues on 22nd June 2007. It was really heartening to see the tiny white speck flickering on the TV screen grow bigger as it loomed closer and finally take the shape of Atlantis ....the spaceship which brought back precious lives and valuable information .
A truly remarkable achievement of the scientists who have over the years striven to unravel the mysteries of the universe.....and of Sunita Williams who has shown what a woman is capable to attaining.
. Commendable too is the strength of the parents and families of these space voyagers who waited with courage and patience for their loved ones to come back safely to the earth.
And here we are, the ordinary mortals busy with our petty squabbles and egos !! I do feel humbled and awed in the face of such an achievement
A tribute at this moment to Kalpna Chawla whose lost her life earlier for the cause of the progress of mankind.
A truly remarkable achievement of the scientists who have over the years striven to unravel the mysteries of the universe.....and of Sunita Williams who has shown what a woman is capable to attaining.
. Commendable too is the strength of the parents and families of these space voyagers who waited with courage and patience for their loved ones to come back safely to the earth.
And here we are, the ordinary mortals busy with our petty squabbles and egos !! I do feel humbled and awed in the face of such an achievement
A tribute at this moment to Kalpna Chawla whose lost her life earlier for the cause of the progress of mankind.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Tunisia Vacation
I had thought that this posting would give us a chance to see not only Libya but also a couple of other countries of Africa. But Vipin’s heavy work schedule and visa hassles kept us tied and all this time we could move no further than Tripoli . Then one fine day everything suddenly seemed to fall in place and we were off for a four day trip to Tunisia
Situated in North Africa Tunisia is on the Mediterranean coast flanked by Libya on one side and Algeria on the other. It is a beautiful country with a long shoreline dotted by small towns and beautiful beach resorts for the tourists. Each place has a historical heritage and plenty of leisure activities.It is easy to get around since language is not a barrier. Arabic and French are widely spoken and most people also speak English and German. Tunisia is a favourite holiday destination for the Europeans due to its temperate climate and closeness to Europe. Driving along the coastal road from the border at Zuara we come across Djerba, Gabes, Sfax, Mahdia, Monastir, sousse, Hammamet and finally the capital..Tunis. Southern Tunisia is a part of the Saharan Desert. Our time in Tunisia being limited we decided on staying at Djerba and Sousse .
A disappointing start!!!
Armed with lots of vegetarian food , juices and water and a lot of excitement we set off on our holiday at 7.30am .Our plan of going through the Zuara border had been altered by Jemal who suggested that the Nalut border would be closer for us and we would be able to reach Djerba sooner. The road to Nalut border is beautiful winding through dry desert mountains and about a hundred km long. At the check post our passports were examined and re examined and after a wait of about half an hour we were informed that we could not enter from there as the visa was valid for entry only through the Zuara check post! It came as a rude shock to us as we gaped disbelievingly at the guards and Omar the driver who tried to explain the situation in broken English. The prospect of the hundred km back then one hundred and fifty to Zuara and the further sixty to the border seemed daunting enough but we were not to be deterred. We crossed Tijee again at 10.30 am and continued non stop on our journey lamenting upon the loss of precious three hours.
The rest of the journey was spent listening to a cassette of old Indian melodies and dozing intermittently till we reached the next checkpost at about 1 P.M.
Here everything went off smoothly except that when the boot of the car was inspected , the guards removed a 20 litre can of petrol which Omar had put inside since petrol prices are very high in Tunisia as compared to Libya. This is done to prevent smuggling of petrol across the border. Well after that the passports and visas were again inspected and to our relief everything was in order and within half an hour we were in Tunisia!!
Djerba
Djerba is a small island town joined to the mainland by a six km long causeway. It is a beautiful drive ...the sea on both sides almost lapping the edges of the road. The island itself looks like a beautiful oasis covered with date palms olive trees and small orchards of fruits like apricots, figs, grapes, pomegranates and oranges occupying every inch of empty space. There is calm and unhurried atmosphere about the place and the people seemed to be friendly. We cruised leisurely through the neat little town, crossed the market and headed straight for the beach resorts about fifteen km further towards the sea. This area houses numerous beach resorts and hotels to accommodate tourists who flock to this charming town. These whitewashed buildings nestling in lush green surroundings gleam like pearls against the backdrop of the deep blue of the Mediterranean . It is truly a breathtaking sight. We went directly to one of these resorts Hotel Yaddis , where we were booked for the night. The hotel had all the facilities one could wish for.....bars, restaurants, gym, spa, swimming pool , music, indoor games, disco, well laid out gardens, and of course a private beach. Since it was already 5 pm by the time we checked in we decided to spend the evening inside the resort lazing on the beach walking around the gardens and going around the handicrafts shop inside the hotel.
The next morning we were packed and ready to go to Sousse. To leave Djerba we again came to the sea where the vehicles and passengers board a barge for the six km crossing back to the mainland. We enjoyed the three hundred and seventy km drive to Sousse stopping occasionally to look at some handicrafts stalls or for coffee and drinks at one of the wayside cafes. The countryside is very clean and we passed many small towns and isolated houses on the way similarly whitewashed and with nicely maintained gardens. There are miles and miles of olive plantations on either side of the highway. Finally at about four pm we reached Sousse.
Sousse
This is another beautiful resort city of Tunisia . We checked in at hotel El Kanta which is one of the numerous resorts lining the beach. The resort area is close to the city along the beach front going upto Marina Kantoui where hundreds of boats are parked to take holidaymakers for a trip out in the sea. The Marina is surrounded by a courtyard housing cafes ,restaurants and small village like shops selling local handicrafts . Behind these shops low rise hotels set between a foliage of trees and flowering plants blend perfectly with environment. It is a pleasure to walk about the narrow pathways and enjoy window shopping and seeing the boats coming and going with their passengers.
We spent a lovely evening strolling around the marina and came back to our hotel for a sumptious buffet style dinner and then went around exploring the hotel facilities ending up at the poolside where a live band played soft music. It was an evening I will never forget.
Early next morning we went to Hammamet about eighty km from Sousse on the Tunis highway. The lovely wide road edged with flowering shrubs on either side and the central verge made this drive very pleasureable. Hammamet is a pretty little town with a port , pristine beaches, fort ,city centre and of course a medina for the handicrafts lovers. A cute yellow and blue coloured train is available to take visitors for a tour of the city for a nominal charge. There are many restaurants and brightly canopied cafes on the sidewalks where one can relax with a coffee or a cold drink.
We then hurried back to Sousse where we had booked a two hour cruise on the sea aboard a catamaran boat for three pm. We took a short tour of the city centre and Medina before boarding the boat. The sea breeze was refreshing and we saw some dolphins frolicking in the water. On the way back the boat was anchored for the swimming enthusiasts to dive in the sea. We came back and walked around the marina again It was a pleasure to see that the Tunisians love Indian movies and songs and enjoy watching Indian TV. Amitabh Bachchan and Kishore Kumar are well known names here. Lots of people asked me if I was from India and wanted to talk to me about our culture and dresses. I was pleasantly surprised to see a group of young girls who came and stood in front of me with folded hands like the namaste pose. The evening was spent again by the poolside enjoying a folk dance performance.
We started back for home early next morning with the regret that we should have had some more time in Tunisia so that we could have taken a two day desert tour and a day trip to Tunis as well. I have brought back with me memories of a wonderful holiday made possible due to the warm and courteous people and breathtaking beauty of the places we visited.
Signing off in anticipation of a couple of more such holidays before we leave.......
Situated in North Africa Tunisia is on the Mediterranean coast flanked by Libya on one side and Algeria on the other. It is a beautiful country with a long shoreline dotted by small towns and beautiful beach resorts for the tourists. Each place has a historical heritage and plenty of leisure activities.It is easy to get around since language is not a barrier. Arabic and French are widely spoken and most people also speak English and German. Tunisia is a favourite holiday destination for the Europeans due to its temperate climate and closeness to Europe. Driving along the coastal road from the border at Zuara we come across Djerba, Gabes, Sfax, Mahdia, Monastir, sousse, Hammamet and finally the capital..Tunis. Southern Tunisia is a part of the Saharan Desert. Our time in Tunisia being limited we decided on staying at Djerba and Sousse .
A disappointing start!!!
Armed with lots of vegetarian food , juices and water and a lot of excitement we set off on our holiday at 7.30am .Our plan of going through the Zuara border had been altered by Jemal who suggested that the Nalut border would be closer for us and we would be able to reach Djerba sooner. The road to Nalut border is beautiful winding through dry desert mountains and about a hundred km long. At the check post our passports were examined and re examined and after a wait of about half an hour we were informed that we could not enter from there as the visa was valid for entry only through the Zuara check post! It came as a rude shock to us as we gaped disbelievingly at the guards and Omar the driver who tried to explain the situation in broken English. The prospect of the hundred km back then one hundred and fifty to Zuara and the further sixty to the border seemed daunting enough but we were not to be deterred. We crossed Tijee again at 10.30 am and continued non stop on our journey lamenting upon the loss of precious three hours.
The rest of the journey was spent listening to a cassette of old Indian melodies and dozing intermittently till we reached the next checkpost at about 1 P.M.
Here everything went off smoothly except that when the boot of the car was inspected , the guards removed a 20 litre can of petrol which Omar had put inside since petrol prices are very high in Tunisia as compared to Libya. This is done to prevent smuggling of petrol across the border. Well after that the passports and visas were again inspected and to our relief everything was in order and within half an hour we were in Tunisia!!
Djerba
Djerba is a small island town joined to the mainland by a six km long causeway. It is a beautiful drive ...the sea on both sides almost lapping the edges of the road. The island itself looks like a beautiful oasis covered with date palms olive trees and small orchards of fruits like apricots, figs, grapes, pomegranates and oranges occupying every inch of empty space. There is calm and unhurried atmosphere about the place and the people seemed to be friendly. We cruised leisurely through the neat little town, crossed the market and headed straight for the beach resorts about fifteen km further towards the sea. This area houses numerous beach resorts and hotels to accommodate tourists who flock to this charming town. These whitewashed buildings nestling in lush green surroundings gleam like pearls against the backdrop of the deep blue of the Mediterranean . It is truly a breathtaking sight. We went directly to one of these resorts Hotel Yaddis , where we were booked for the night. The hotel had all the facilities one could wish for.....bars, restaurants, gym, spa, swimming pool , music, indoor games, disco, well laid out gardens, and of course a private beach. Since it was already 5 pm by the time we checked in we decided to spend the evening inside the resort lazing on the beach walking around the gardens and going around the handicrafts shop inside the hotel.
The next morning we were packed and ready to go to Sousse. To leave Djerba we again came to the sea where the vehicles and passengers board a barge for the six km crossing back to the mainland. We enjoyed the three hundred and seventy km drive to Sousse stopping occasionally to look at some handicrafts stalls or for coffee and drinks at one of the wayside cafes. The countryside is very clean and we passed many small towns and isolated houses on the way similarly whitewashed and with nicely maintained gardens. There are miles and miles of olive plantations on either side of the highway. Finally at about four pm we reached Sousse.
Sousse
This is another beautiful resort city of Tunisia . We checked in at hotel El Kanta which is one of the numerous resorts lining the beach. The resort area is close to the city along the beach front going upto Marina Kantoui where hundreds of boats are parked to take holidaymakers for a trip out in the sea. The Marina is surrounded by a courtyard housing cafes ,restaurants and small village like shops selling local handicrafts . Behind these shops low rise hotels set between a foliage of trees and flowering plants blend perfectly with environment. It is a pleasure to walk about the narrow pathways and enjoy window shopping and seeing the boats coming and going with their passengers.
We spent a lovely evening strolling around the marina and came back to our hotel for a sumptious buffet style dinner and then went around exploring the hotel facilities ending up at the poolside where a live band played soft music. It was an evening I will never forget.
Early next morning we went to Hammamet about eighty km from Sousse on the Tunis highway. The lovely wide road edged with flowering shrubs on either side and the central verge made this drive very pleasureable. Hammamet is a pretty little town with a port , pristine beaches, fort ,city centre and of course a medina for the handicrafts lovers. A cute yellow and blue coloured train is available to take visitors for a tour of the city for a nominal charge. There are many restaurants and brightly canopied cafes on the sidewalks where one can relax with a coffee or a cold drink.
We then hurried back to Sousse where we had booked a two hour cruise on the sea aboard a catamaran boat for three pm. We took a short tour of the city centre and Medina before boarding the boat. The sea breeze was refreshing and we saw some dolphins frolicking in the water. On the way back the boat was anchored for the swimming enthusiasts to dive in the sea. We came back and walked around the marina again It was a pleasure to see that the Tunisians love Indian movies and songs and enjoy watching Indian TV. Amitabh Bachchan and Kishore Kumar are well known names here. Lots of people asked me if I was from India and wanted to talk to me about our culture and dresses. I was pleasantly surprised to see a group of young girls who came and stood in front of me with folded hands like the namaste pose. The evening was spent again by the poolside enjoying a folk dance performance.
We started back for home early next morning with the regret that we should have had some more time in Tunisia so that we could have taken a two day desert tour and a day trip to Tunis as well. I have brought back with me memories of a wonderful holiday made possible due to the warm and courteous people and breathtaking beauty of the places we visited.
Signing off in anticipation of a couple of more such holidays before we leave.......
Friday, June 22, 2007
The excitement dims??
It has been a year and a quarter since I came here to Tijee and somewhere along the way what was once my haven appeared to me to have become my place of exile ! Why and how this happened I do not know. Everything here is the same as it was, the good as well as the bad part......but I conveniently forgot the comforts and enjoyment of this place taking note only of the long lonesome days , maddeningly busy Vipin the touch and go telephone and internet....This maybe so because I have not utilized my leisure time as I should have done. Yes that is it. I had planned to do some good reading and writing. But alas! all I did was to become a couch potato and watch TV the whole day long. Gradually the mind became blank and words would jumble up whenever I tried to read and elude me if I tried to express myself.
Constant reminders from Sakshi for updating my blog have finally brought me back here today. And now that I am here I realize that I do have plenty that I want to say! Three cheers!
Constant reminders from Sakshi for updating my blog have finally brought me back here today. And now that I am here I realize that I do have plenty that I want to say! Three cheers!
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Long time no see!
Hi Blog
Long time no see!
Well I am just back from India after a one and a half month stay there. And it was a hectic but good visit.
Stayed ten days at Bangalore with Nona and Sachin and enjoyed with Suhani who is becoming more and more playful each day.Ashu being there for his training made my vacation perfect.
Back at Delhi and Anand Vihar was like old times. One really gets caught up in a flurry of activities there and time just flies.
There seemed so much to be done and so little time! The morning sessions with Papa ,all those people to meet and the phone calls to be made...bank, bills,shopping and so much else.
Atul and family came from USA in the last week of june and we all went together on a small holiday to Chakrata..a nice quiet place in Uttaranchal .We were sixteen of us and had a good time there but I did sometimes feel quite lost without Vipin.
Coming back to Libya was really like homecoming and I was so happy to see Vipin waiting at the airport...I suppose it is rightly said that home is where the heart is ..or may I say ..my husband is?
Till next time then..
Long time no see!
Well I am just back from India after a one and a half month stay there. And it was a hectic but good visit.
Stayed ten days at Bangalore with Nona and Sachin and enjoyed with Suhani who is becoming more and more playful each day.Ashu being there for his training made my vacation perfect.
Back at Delhi and Anand Vihar was like old times. One really gets caught up in a flurry of activities there and time just flies.
There seemed so much to be done and so little time! The morning sessions with Papa ,all those people to meet and the phone calls to be made...bank, bills,shopping and so much else.
Atul and family came from USA in the last week of june and we all went together on a small holiday to Chakrata..a nice quiet place in Uttaranchal .We were sixteen of us and had a good time there but I did sometimes feel quite lost without Vipin.
Coming back to Libya was really like homecoming and I was so happy to see Vipin waiting at the airport...I suppose it is rightly said that home is where the heart is ..or may I say ..my husband is?
Till next time then..
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