Holy Communion Ceremony - Religion is love, respect and honor and this Kasavu Saree

I was invited for a ceremony and interestingly I was the only woman (may be the only North Indian) in the Malayali Church in a Kasavu Saree . All the moms and other family members of the kids participating were beautifully dressed and wearing beautiful sarees.

I was thinking while observing from the balcony how wonderful it was to be an outsider and being able to pay attention to what was going on around me. The ceremony lasted for over two hours.

The prayers were sung in Malyalam ( A language of India) The male singer was amazing. Don’t know why I couldn’t stop thinking of Yeshudas and Chitra (two famous singers from that community) The female singer was good too but the gentleman was singing through out the ceremony.

Christians are always associated with service. I saw the nuns in the audience and they reminded me of the nurses we have met in our life. 

The church was quiet and didn’t have too many people. The covid protocols were being followed.

I enjoyed seeing young kids walking around, getting bored and parents trying to juggle the various aspects of their religious beliefs and parenting.

The two babies in the audience slept through out while the older siblings went on doing their religious duty.

I went inside a place of worship after a long time, went to respect the family’s faith. I don’t practice religion but am always curious to know more about other cultures and life. 

I came back home thinking how wonderful it was to have a chance to witness a celebration of this kind.

My Saree is a gift from my sister’s sister in law. My sister married in a Malyali Family so this saree is a tribute to that relationship. 

Saree Meet - Such a rarity in 2020-2021 - Apr 24th

 #71/365 Saree #32 in 2021

When I want to loose myself , Jagjit Singh comes to rescue.

Listen to this ..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2VtP1zjdG8

सुनते हैं के मिल जाती है हर चीज़ दुआ से

इक रोज़ तुम्हें माँग के देखेंगे ख़ुदा से

दुनिया भी मिली है ग़म-ए-दुनिया भी मिला है

वो क्यूँ नहीं मिलता जिसे माँगा था ख़ुदा से

ऐ दिल तू उन्हें देख के कुछ ऐसे तड़पना

आ जाये हँसी उनको जो बैठे हैं ख़फ़ा से

जब कुछ ना मिला हाथ दुआओं को उठा कर

फिर हाथ उठाने ही पड़े हमको दुआ से

आईने में वो अपनी अदा देख रहे हैं

मर जाए की जी जाए कोई उनकी बला से

तुम सामने बैठे हो तो है कैफ़ की बारिश

वो दिन भी थे जब आग बरसती थी घटा से

-राणा अकबराबादी

A beautiful Bengal silk ( Geecha palla and murshidabad silk I think)

A darling middle school friend who is my designated shopper in Calcutta Soma Roy

If you feel the despair - you are not alone.

witten on 5/3

This Monday morning I should start a fresh week instead my heart and mind lingers in past week.

Last week I was dealing with all sorts of emotions. With COVID ragging in India it’s like every family, every household is in its grip.

I have stopped watching and reading the news, delete WhatsApp forwards without even having a look. I just cannot deal with the insensitiveness and ignorance. Last wednesday I took a mental health day and went to a Tulip farm. It was my first time seeing so many flowers in one place. 3 of us best friends were dealing with our own fears and anxieties about families back home. We were not there for just picking Tulips, we were there away from the realities. But could we do that? We sat there in the midst of the flowers and could only think of our parents and families. How helpless we were and in the back of our mind we are dealing with “what ifs”. 

Our famlies are dealing with so many things related to Covid without many resources and means. So many of us are afraid and don’t want to confront that fear.

Yesterday one of my best friends lost her mom to Covid. I cannot shake off the conversation  we were having in the Tulip field.  Her mom was a vibrant woman, so full of life. Her zest for life was contagious. Two days in the hospital and she decided it was time to shake another world with her laughter and jokes. She was one of a kind, had her own you tube channel for Pati Stories (Stories from grandma). Few years ago I went to see her in Chennai after a shopping trip in Kanjipuram. After feeding me a sumptuous south indian meal she admired and enjoyed my shopping and loved that I got really good sarees for very good prices. Declared on the spot that her daughter is not at all a good shopper and for her granddaughter’s wedding Jaya and Amma will go shopping. Today my heart aches for N, her Nani would have been the first one dancing at that wedding.

I am going though our text exchanges from the last few days and all of us kept saying she will be back soon home with her humor and first thing she will do is complain about the mismanagement in the hospital.

Last night I sat with my friend speechless and afraid in my own mind. We cannot even go to be with our loved ones. I am not a religious person but I am this close to repeating the same as my friend posted on her wall - “Daya Karo Prabhu”  ( Have pity on us please god)

We all dealt with fear last year here in USA but this is just exhausting now. 

Please hold each other tight, call your mom and dad and tell them you love them because you never know what is coming and who is next. 

PC- Sunayana's instagram pic - sometime you just need to borrow when you cannot find your own words.

Some time thats all I need to get through the day. Smiling Amma

Review - Wicked Tulip Farm, Exeter RI - Must visit - A day for my bollywood dream

If you want to spend some time among flowers and colors this is your place to go. For me it was an hours drive. We spent two hours at the farm and two hours on the road. It was worth it though. 

Monday-Sunday 10 am – 7PM 

 weekday tickets - $17, Weekend -$20 and include 10 U-pick tulips plus 7% tax and $1 processing fee - 

 https://wickedtulips.com 

Ticket Link - https://www.tickettailor.com/events/wickedtulips

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/prestonctwickedtulipsflowerfarm/519676/#

Things to remember -We went to Exeter RI. Heard their CT farm has late blooming tulip varieties . Check their site early and often and  buy your tickets online (they are selling about 90 tickets per half hour ) I would pick a week day (as we did this time) and pick a 10 AM slot ( they open at 10). We were a little late in buying our tickets so 10 and 10.30 slots were booked. 11 wasn’t bad either but then it gets crowded soon. The field is huge but lines at checkout can be long. Ideally one should carry a basket to pick the flowers and  a gallon of water and a vase/bucket to bring the tulips home with you. You get to pick 10 stems with your entrance ticket. Each one after that is $1 per stem. There are no restroom,  just the port a potties and  hand washing stations.  Parking was easy and manageable ( they have people directing visitors to empty spots). Not sure what was the scene later in the day. Sneakers are advisable not fancy shoes. After all it’s a farm so don’t forget the mud and soft soil ( remember to wear boots/ galoshes if it rained the previous night). 

Tulips are organized into rows of colors and variety and are labeled . If you have just 10 tulips and don’t want them wrapped you can go through speed checkout. We faced long lines to pay for the extra stems. They count, take off any bulbs attached to the stems picked and then wrap your flowers in brown paper. Next time I will not buy anything extra, just hand over the yellow coin, show the 10 tulips and get out of the place. Also remember to pick some that are not open yet(still buds), they will last longer at home. 

If you want to enjoy the view and walk around, an hour is enough but if you want to stroll around, sit, pick and watch people, plan that way. Once you are in they don’t push you out. No picnic or food allowed but we decided to sit and chit chat, hung out, took our pictures and took pictures for many more people. The picture perfect time is after 4 PM though. Cloudy day is not bad either. Take tons of pictures and again take pictures even if you have taken plenty. Remember to bring a water bottle , it can get hot. 

 

We picked a waterfront restaurant in East Greenwich but it was closed. Opening on April 29th for the season. But Google didn’t have that information so call ahead. We went to another one and the food was fabulous. I would also recommend a packed lunch for a picnic at the State Park nearby if that is preferable. Whether you go with the whole family or plan a trip with just girl friends it will be treat and a feast for your eyes and soul. 

For us Bollywood lovers Tulip represents Romance in a big way. For my generation Abimatbh Bachchan has totally changed the definition of romance, love and hero. If you want to see what I mean then watch this clip. I so wish I had the hero with me to sing the song in that field :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dO_MS9tZ5E

कोंपलें फिर फूट आईं शाख़ पर कहना उसे - a morning April17th, 2021

“You are crazy but in a good way” - A compliment from my son.

Some mornings are just wet, easy and lazy. Today was one of those. I woke up earlier than usual and that gave me an early start. Posted some pictures on my Saree pact journey and began my day. 

I made desi Tea and husband made a nice breakfast. Anand decided to spend his morning in the basement with legos. The 3 of us sat on the table and I noticed the tree right outside my window is full of buds. A rain shower in April is so magical. And the first thing that came to my mind was - “konpalen phir phoot aayeen, shaakh par, kehnaa use” कोंपलें फिर फूट आईं शाख़ पर कहना उसे! 

My older son has always been my captive audience. I had to recite two lines for him, knowing very well that he couldn’t understand the verse, so I translated them. He is such a darling son, he paid attention to what I was trying to convey. I got frustrated butchering that beautiful piece of poetry. 

The conversation then moved to how Khan Sahab Mehndi Hassan (the singer, a legend in Ghazal genre ) and then young Farhat Shahzad ( the lyricist) met by chance and their first collaboration started a whole new direction for both of them. Coincidentally that album was my introduction to Khan Sahab and Farhat sahab. Those Ghazals forced me to pay attention to Khan Sahab. Younger me was a Jagjit Singh fan but Farhat Sahab’s poetry and Khan Sahab’s voice  in this album widened my world even more. I went on explaining to my son how that one album became an amazing memory and later the reason I met Farhat Sahab. Few years ago when he visited Boston he came home for breakfast with his amazing wife. I think the mango I served did some magic and Amrit begum took me in her heart and life. Our friendship is beyond Khan Sahab, Farhat Sahab and ghazals and music now. It is a sum of so many things in life. I went to San Diego in Sept 2019  and it was one of the most memorable trips of my life. I was with them for a long weekend. The drive along the Pacific sea coast, listening to ghazals and miles of no conversation, only Khan Sahab’s voice and endless ocean by the side. My son laughed when I told him that I asked Farhat Sahab to just stop the car so I could dip my feet. During those 3 days I was just me, not a wife or a mom or anything. 

This morning I sat outside on my porch on this cold and wet morning, listening to this beautiful ghazal and didn’t even know when the tears started to roll down my cheeks, without any warning.

That’s the magic of the words and the voice. 

Sunset in Tijuana Mexico Cannot thank both of them enough to put up with my craziness of sunset, ocean, ghazals and everything else which comes with it. 

 

and thats how it started this morning.

कोंपलें फिर फूट आईं शाख़ पर कहना उसे

वो न समझा है न समझेगा मगर कहना उसे

वक़्त का तूफ़ान हर इक शय बहा कर ले गया

इतनी तन्हा हो गई है रहगुज़र कहना उसे

जा रहा है छोड़ कर तन्हा मुझे जिसके लिये

चैन न दे पायेगा वो सीम-ओ-ज़र कहना उसे

रिस रहा हो ख़ून दिल से लब मगर हँसते रहे

कर गया बरबाद मुझको ये हुनर कहना उसे

जिसने ज़ख़्मों से मेरा 'शहज़ाद' सीना भर दिया

मुस्करा कर आज प्यारे चारागर कहना उसे

- फ़रहत शहज़ाद 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHQzZW5SG1o&t=438s

another link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5QPs78IP1w