Love the rain

I fondly remember the monsoon. I remember the drive up from Chandigarh to Baddi (Himachal) in the rains. Last August, I was teaching some students at Baddi, and used to drive up every Tuesday and Thursday. The road is broken all over the place and it is a complete roller coaster ride all through. The entire journey takes a good two hours, when ideally it should take 30 minutes if it were a good road. With the torrential rains we saw last monsoon, the road was almost non existent, and it was more like the car was splashing through pools of water one after the other, and I think it was the pure momentum that let the car move forward. The dilapidated road was eroded more in the process and every time the drive was to start, one had to brace oneself for an eventful journey. The funny thing is that all this is not enough to dampen anyone's spirit! Trucks, buses, cycles, rickshaws galore - everyone is out there on the road, and so what if your four wheel drive ends up almost scraping by on two wheels while tilting to let a truck go through - its all fun anyway!

I for one loved it. The rain battering down on my window. A few times I even gave in to the temptation of rolling the window down, and managed to get myself and the car seat completely drenched in the process! The weather would be amazing - a cool breeze, the cloudy sky, the majestic gray in the distance, telling you that more rain is on the way. The rainbow right after a hearty cloudburst. What I loved the most was the fact that the drive was through lush green rice fields. And the freshness of the green around me would lift my spirit. Every blade of grass seemed to stand up so strong and tall. Happy, just being there, enjoying the shower of water, soaking up the sunshine, and rejoicing in the company of its folks around it. It seemed as if it was smiling back to me, conveying to me that there is life in the smallest of creation. Be at one with nature, it can make even the most difficult of journeys (pun intended) more pleasant.

My best friend's wedding

The little things you do for me

And nobody else

Make me feel good

The little things you do for me

Making me smile

When no one else could

That’s why

I like to sit next to you

And hear your mad stories

I know they’re not true

And I like that we share

A secret or two

Together.

As I look at her, still like a little girl, excited as she gets her mehndi put on, delightfully tells me about her dresses and shopping, looking forward to every moment, I am reminded of the days when we were together. “Catching” the seat next to me for her, giggling away at little jokes, staying up till midnight to wish her Happy Birthday and waiting excitedly to cover her face with cake, and drench her with rasgolla syrup (IIMC tradition). Rocking away all night at Joka parties – being the first to be on the dance floor, and the last to get off. She would come banging on my door, making sure I don’t miss any party. Sitting together for hours in our dorm room, chatting away, about anything and everything, laughing, crying, secrets to share, and love to give. Those were beautiful times. Once you graduate, you treasure even a few hours together, and it seems then, time was endless. Even now, she is the same. We play dress up, figuring out what to wear, matching everything, sharing bangles, bindis, tops and still have that college girl feeling when we meet! Movie plans, treat outings, I can be myself with her. Always smiling, she can brighten up anyone’s day.

As she starts on a new life, my heart goes out to her to wish her all the happiness in the world. May God bless you. All the best for a beautiful life ahead!

Ahmedabad

This is heaven, as I know it.

I have been brought back to a world where there is still warmth, love, caring and kindness. Where feelings matter, people are honest and friendly. Where there is still trust, goodness and respect for values. Family is important, morals are strong, there is positivity, spirituality, people live simply, and life has happiness and meaning. God's own land.

It started off with a beautiful campus, a class full of bright, energetic students, an action packed festival, a dance workshop, a rocking party and a magnificent day out with the best of friends.

That was just the beginning - the start of my rendezvous with this amazing place called Ahmedabad. Nestled deep in history and culture, the entire experience has been a treat to the eye and to the palette. We went on a day out to old Ahmedabad to try out a traditional Gujarati thaali. So many colors, so many flavours, all in one! First came a Dhokla-like snack, Dhoodiya. That was followed by a riot of colour with small helpings of various dishes, most of whose names I don't even know. My favourites were Ondhyu ( a mixed vegetable with dumplings) and Raajma. Also Gatte ki sabzi, which is a Rajasthani influence. Cute rotis and puris to go with everything. Khichudi with ghee and later moong daal ka halwa. Chach (like lassi) topped it all off. What a feast! Gurh (jaggery) along with the meal adds its own sweet aroma.
We then stepped out to embrace the hustle and bustle of old Ahmedabad, the fort walls, and the buzzing market all around. Pretty handicrafts everywhere - puppets, bandhni, pottery, glass, paintings, you name it. I soak up the warm sunshine and the light breezy air. The weather is very pleasant at this time of the year in January. I feel a spring in my step, and delight at the atmosphere around me. A few steps away is the Siddi Syed mosque with the famous stone carved jaali, which is the symbol adopted for IIMA. An ever-growing tree, spreading its knowledge far and wide. We hop into an auto and the next thing we know, we are speeding away towards the serenity of the Sabarmati Ashram.

A tribute to the Mahatma. The greatest of men, the symbol of self sacrifice, love for humanity, selfless service with the vision, will and determination to achieve swaraj for the millions. A personality that inspires respect. It means something to be able to stir up a country with its numerous divides and unite people to work together for a common goal. It takes courage to give your life in service to the poor and to the nation.

The Ashram had this peace, calm and tranquility about it. Just walking around there was comforting to the soul. Reading some of the quotes, and the history, one is transported back in time. There were pictures of how people had written letters to Gandhiji with nothing more than "New Delhi" or "India" as the address. Even some saying "Wherever you are". There was a quote I liked that said "I would like the cultures of all the lands to blown as freely about my house as possible, but I refuse to be blown off my feet by any".

We sat down for a few moments, just taking in the experience, happy being there. Walking further down, we came to Gandhiji's residence, saw his neat room with a small chatai and a charkha. A person was demonstrating how the Charkha works. We tried our hand at it too! Very interesting how the thread just flowed out of a small ball of cotton.
I also went shopping in the city with one of my students! Girls day out of shopping, giggles, and street food. We went to a traditional Bandhni place, and went crazy looking at all sorts of colours and designs of tie and die dupattas. When you pull open the bandhni while it still has the threads tied in a design, and as the threads break, it is as if a billion flowers are popping up, white and yellow, as each intricate dot opens and the painstaking work of the die artist is revealed.

I have started to adore whatever little I have discovered about Gujrat - it's culture, language, food and art. I like the sound of the language - very soft and sweet. Humming around the city in an autorickshaw, I feel safe. Very few blaring billboard signs or big malls. All small shops, and lo and behold, all signs in Gujrati. It gives me a patriotic sort of feeling, and it shows that the people are proud of their language. My friend Megha gave me some interesting insight into the fact that the people here are the ultimate value shoppers, and that this is the toughest consumer market to enter. Makes perfect sense given the fact that this region produced entrepreneurs of the likes of Nirma's Patel, who gave HLL a good run at one point of time.

Small, simple memories such as this, come together to build a lifetime.