Why am I doing this--
Practically,the whole of my family,has had a love affair with the uniform for decades.
From being a part of the British Indian Army extending to flying fancy planes for the forces. Giving away their daughters to the men who do the above. Sending away their own daughters to adorn the wonderful greens and blues.
Anyhow,as a consequence to everyone being somehow related to the uniform,I have had the pleasure to travel in all directions and make "fauji friends" and hear about their adventures and mis adventures.
That just leaves me.I have successfully managed to fight off the pressure and give the road extensively traveled--a miss.Blame it on the sloppy habits. yaawn.
But since the Uniform and its stories are so close to my heart..I have.. LO BEHOLD, decided to share it with the world.
This section of my blog is dedicated to my family and friends.
Actually its meant to be a democratic blog.. he he..by,of and for them. For starters,the stories are borrowed except for the ones where I write out of my own experiences. These are the repeated stories I have heard over and over again at the numerous dinner and cocktails.
So, this is real life drama in a soldier and his family's life which is filled with laughter,love,bravery and a few tears.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Celebrating Nothingness
Recently I have started a new..well..lets call it a hobby. I have started making threads of cotton. The aim here being,making the thread as long as possible without breaking it.
The first time I saw this incredible art in progress was as a little girl. My Aji(gran) would sit in the perfect winter sun,her silver hair catching the gleam. Balls of cotton and a basket of knitting yarn would be perfectly perched near her ankles as she would sit for hours,diligently spinning prayer threads with her expert fingers. All of this done productively,,ofcourse.
On the other hand,there is me. Day to day , I find myself sitting with a roll of cotton with my fingers moving in a rythmic action of rolling the raw cotton and producing a long thread. I do it when I mindlessly watch Tv,when on the phone,talking to my mother and a list of other things. I realised when ,at it Im not really thinking anythning. Even if Iam, I never seem to remember. A conscious effort to think or to bring a thought to mind,usually snaps the thread.
Besides that,there are days when I walk up to a coffee shop with a view.
Translated: where I can see people go by.And I can do that for hours.Just sit there and watch them go by.
Sometimes it happens over music,sometimes when Im thinking about the characters and their lives from the book Im reading and sometimes to fill awkward silences,which were intended to be conversations.
When I see these people go by,I wonder what their lives would be like,thier jobs and families.My mind taps all possibilities in that 4-5 sec it takes them to cross the glass window i sit at.
The boys,girls,old,young,younger,men,women,vendors,beggars,the well dressed,ads on the shopping bags,umbreallas,the explosion of colours,arguements,happiness and the banter.I absorb it all.
May I now admit,I absolutely love the feeling. I love to make neverending threads of cotton,I love peeling the apple skin in one go,I love to tear the corner of a peice of paper in continuation till it becomes like a paper string or a streamer.
All of this done completely mindlessly,ofcourse. I guess I like to see continuity. To see things in progess without any obstruction. To see it take a form very different from how it started originally. Iam also saying I dont like to see breaks. I dont like the sound of a snap. I dont like discontinuity.
And when the thread does snap..I take the ends and join them together,like nothing really happened and continue my journey.Continue my journey like those thousands of people do as they walk past the coffee shop. Continue to the destination.
This desire of appreciating continuity brings to me a blissful state of mind. Which is far far away from any worry or anguish. Where I can celebrate futility.All by myself. All I need is me.
The first time I saw this incredible art in progress was as a little girl. My Aji(gran) would sit in the perfect winter sun,her silver hair catching the gleam. Balls of cotton and a basket of knitting yarn would be perfectly perched near her ankles as she would sit for hours,diligently spinning prayer threads with her expert fingers. All of this done productively,,ofcourse.
On the other hand,there is me. Day to day , I find myself sitting with a roll of cotton with my fingers moving in a rythmic action of rolling the raw cotton and producing a long thread. I do it when I mindlessly watch Tv,when on the phone,talking to my mother and a list of other things. I realised when ,at it Im not really thinking anythning. Even if Iam, I never seem to remember. A conscious effort to think or to bring a thought to mind,usually snaps the thread.
Besides that,there are days when I walk up to a coffee shop with a view.
Translated: where I can see people go by.And I can do that for hours.Just sit there and watch them go by.
Sometimes it happens over music,sometimes when Im thinking about the characters and their lives from the book Im reading and sometimes to fill awkward silences,which were intended to be conversations.
When I see these people go by,I wonder what their lives would be like,thier jobs and families.My mind taps all possibilities in that 4-5 sec it takes them to cross the glass window i sit at.
The boys,girls,old,young,younger,men,women,vendors,beggars,the well dressed,ads on the shopping bags,umbreallas,the explosion of colours,arguements,happiness and the banter.I absorb it all.
May I now admit,I absolutely love the feeling. I love to make neverending threads of cotton,I love peeling the apple skin in one go,I love to tear the corner of a peice of paper in continuation till it becomes like a paper string or a streamer.
All of this done completely mindlessly,ofcourse. I guess I like to see continuity. To see things in progess without any obstruction. To see it take a form very different from how it started originally. Iam also saying I dont like to see breaks. I dont like the sound of a snap. I dont like discontinuity.
And when the thread does snap..I take the ends and join them together,like nothing really happened and continue my journey.Continue my journey like those thousands of people do as they walk past the coffee shop. Continue to the destination.
This desire of appreciating continuity brings to me a blissful state of mind. Which is far far away from any worry or anguish. Where I can celebrate futility.All by myself. All I need is me.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Guilty Pleasure
i leave behind rings of guilt
and puffs of anger
trampling my conscince
as i bring you closer to my lips
i inhale the truth
i close my eyes in pleasure
and release the bitterness
my lips curl into a viscious smile
and for that moment,i forget
i forget,what life is throwing at me
a truth i do not want to face
and the day i decide to face it
you will be missed
my guilty pleasure..
and puffs of anger
trampling my conscince
as i bring you closer to my lips
i inhale the truth
i close my eyes in pleasure
and release the bitterness
my lips curl into a viscious smile
and for that moment,i forget
i forget,what life is throwing at me
a truth i do not want to face
and the day i decide to face it
you will be missed
my guilty pleasure..
Monday, March 1, 2010
BubbleGum Boy
PoP
you say the strangest things
POP
I like it
you give me that look
POP
it makes me smile
i get down from the wrong side of the bed
POP
then i hear your voice
questions keep me up
POP
you give me the answers
i fear the first few steps
POP
you give me the push
i ask for a peck
POP
you give me a kiss**
i ask for this
POP
you give me this & that
Move over chocolate
this is my BubbleGum Boy
POP*
* *
V
you say the strangest things
POP
I like it
you give me that look
POP
it makes me smile
i get down from the wrong side of the bed
POP
then i hear your voice
questions keep me up
POP
you give me the answers
i fear the first few steps
POP
you give me the push
i ask for a peck
POP
you give me a kiss**
i ask for this
POP
you give me this & that
Move over chocolate
this is my BubbleGum Boy
POP*
* *
V
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