Hey You !

The cyclone was kinder on us this time.The horror of Umpan four years back was something that still invokes dread. The house helps could not come as tge rains disrupted transports,so I decided to clean my fridge. It still had leftovers of what Chib n Pooja kept. Alcohol mixes, sauces, pickles and preservatives. There is something about clearing! Out of date objects, excesses and what you havent used! What is sitting for more than six months need to go! Sometimes nostalgia prevents, but now I tell myself I am inching towards the expiry date, so should my nostalgia! I read somewhere storms doesn't always destroy, they clear the path for something to happen! So be it!

This could be a setting of an Agatha Christie novel. Ivy gate, chintz curtains and a desolate tea estate. Only the cup holds coffee and book,Before the coffee gets cold!!!!!

I look at these beautiful images of homes with not a thing out of place, and wonder does anyone live there? Depsite a day long effort, my home is run down, with stains on the sofa, marks on the wall , a chip here and a crack there. In constant need of reconstruction! Those rooms are perfect , but probably dont have stories of spilled drinks and broken glasses and dent in the leather. Of my grandmother's armchair and my erratic gardening skills. People move on but the tales are carried forward. That is life...that is how you remain alive. PS The image is by a skilled photographer, who made even the mundane look magical !

I always told this story to my trainees. About being the Eagle mum. An eagle mum prepares the nest in two layers, first downy feathers and below that,the thorns. When it is time to fly she removes the downy feathers so that the fledglings who refuse to fly fall on the thorns and that makes them flap n fly away! Bhaskar always calls is cruelty, the bojjat mommy! But to me its a way to push one out of the comfort zone, for the world waits beyond! My kiddos moved out to their own place today. And despite being an eagle mum, I kind of miss the chatter. I knew in my heart I would miss having them around... But they need to find their wings!

বইমেলা over the years! It used to be a birthday ritual me. But that too changed over the years. Covid, arthritis and this time a bad viral. But my spirit pulls me there. More than the বই its the হইচই।

I heard a strange chirp and found these two. My mother called them 7 sisters, and they used to create merry hell in the garden at her parent's Benaras bunglow. Today they came in two. Stayed. And played around the pots, looked around and chirped. Birds always remind me of ma, who loved all crestures big n small. Her birthday month brings in all kinds...from butterflies to birds! A grey day brings in cheer!