Holi: Color, life lessons and nostalgia.

It's March of 2016 and here I am in the United States, 2 years after my last post, blowing the cobwebs off my blog. I took a moment to read my older posts and remember the people who were a part of all the hilarious situations I've been in, who have been so excited to see by "Blog alert" posts on Facebook and have constantly told me they've missed my writing. My first blog post was about a conversation with Babz (My grandfather, who we lost last month) and that just took me on a trip down memory lane.

The weather is steadily getting warmer and winter is slowly rolling into spring. We in India, celebrate this time of the year with a festival called 'Holi'. This festival marks the change of season.  If you haven't heard of the festival, I'm sure you must have seen a visual of it- people dancing, color in the air and all over their bodies. It is a festival of celebration of life and new beginnings. For some people Holi is just another day off from work. For some its an excuse to get high on bhaang. For some, it’s time with family and friends. For the farmers it means that it is time to harvest the crops they've toiled over, cursing the rain, protecting it from wild animals and waiting many, many months to see the wheat turn a golden yellow. And then, there are those farmers who are not as blessed as the others.

 

(Sourced from the internet) 

 I think Holi was one of Babz's favorite festivals. Vrindavan was definitely one of his favorite places and holi celebrated there is unlike anywhere else. Vrindavan, Mathura, Barsana and Braj are all places associated with Krishna. Babz would say that in Vrindavan you could feel the divine all around you. There are many stories in Indian mythology about why holi is celebrated, but the association of Krishna and holi is pretty interesting (and my favorite). Krishna was dark-skinned. He's depicted blue in his pictures. We call it 'Shyaam-rang' or 'the one with skin like dusk. His consort, Raadha was fair and that irked Krishna a lot. His mother playfully gave him an idea of dousing Raadha in color, so they would look the same. And that tradition continued. Holi is playful, like Krishna's nature. He was a lovable person, so he could get away with almost anything. Which is why you should not be offended by anyone or anything on holi! You douse each other in colors so bright, bringing down walls of the very things that divide us- caste, race, status and the color of your skin.

  

 

(PC: The Hindu)

Babz and I would watch the celebration in Vrindavan that they do with flowers, the Krishna-leela skits they do in Braj and the colorful riot people create in Mathura on TV back in Mumbai... both of us half wishing we were a part of the madness. And this year not having him around makes holi seem a bit empty for me, even though I haven't been enthusiastic about the 'playing' with colors part for a while. Also, I'm a thousand miles away from home and miss doing the things that were so routine. For instance, mom and dad waking us up with a fistful of color smeared all over our faces. Spending  time with mom in the kitchen helping her make gujiyas which are fried, sweet, stuffed dumplings that you just cannot eat one of. For our actual holi celebrations ever since we moved to Mumbai, Rati and I would perch ourselves on the balcony, looking at other people dancing away in the afternoon sun and seriously judging their song choices. We would later move on to our neighbors' homes for brunch and paani-puri (which may or may not have been spiked with vodka!). The late afternoons would be spent watching typical holi movies like Sholey or Mela. (Yes, I have seen Mela, multiple times. Go ahead, judge me.)

 We woke up like this.

I'll say, its not one of my favorite festivals, its still hard to not like holi. I love the freedom holi brings. I love the togetherness and yes, the color element is fun too. We say "bura naa maano, holi hai" or Don't take offence, its holi! Every person you put color on, you bring down a wall. You shed inhibitions and initiate an emotional connection. Or at least, that’s the way people should be doing it! 

So my people, with a bucketful of nostalgia, which is this post I wish all of you a very happy holi. If you're not playing with colors, you can still spread the cheer. For one day, go out of your way to make someone smile. Be someone's support. Be a positive influence. And remember, its easy to be offensive. Its harder to not take offense. Bura na maano, holi hai!

Love and light. 

The vote thing I did

It's been a while. And by a while I mean Woah! So what's new? Well for one thing I'm blogging from my phone for the first time! Ayo technology right there yo!! (sorry I've been watching a lot of ¡¡Superwoman¡¡ videos... I may sound a bit street.) And since I'm blogging from my phone I have no clue what autocorrect has been doing with my spellings. All Grammar/Spelling Nazi powers have been revoked.
There was one other thing... Uhhh... Oh yeah.
I voted! Yay!

That has probably been the highlight of this year so far... So you can probably imagine what an awesome year it has been... Not.
Anyhoo I've been very keen about the elections this time. I did my research, watched a lot of debates, drew elaborate charts comparing the cuteness levels of arnab vs rajdeep vs Rahul kanwal. Arnab was not in the running really, but then nothing political cannot not include arnabG. Ideas, ideologies, agendas of the candidates were some things I looked at at a priority basis and I made my desicion. Quite a few of you may know about my choice since I've been quite vocal about the candidate.

Another thing thats being spoken about is Mumbai's low voting turnout. Whose fault is it?
 We faced problems in our area too. The serial number on my voting card had been changed. Since I was quite enthu about the whole voting process, I fortunately  had been tracking our names on the voters list. We still had to run back and forth to different venues because the EC officer "could not find our name on the list". We made a mad dash to the regional voting center and finally dug our names out of a couple of thick books (and no the list was NOT alphabetical. It was according to the serial number... The very thing we were looking for). So far (This is the 3rd time I've voted) we were given tokens that cointained the ever so important serial numbers, by contesting parties so that the process is easier. This time we were conveniently forgotten. A lot of our neighbors names didn't even make it to the voters list. That does tend to happen when you're a small group of people who don't belong the focal vote pool.  Coming back to the question, whose fault it was... I say both the people and the guys in charge. It is the ECs duty to include every eligible voters name (who at least holds a voter id) on the main list. And it is the duty of every eligible voter to check and make sure their name is there. After witnessing the fiasco in Mumbai, I checked for my grandparents's names in the Lucknow voter list and found them missing. Then my grandfather spoke with the local authorities to check their records. 
We need to stop being spoonfed. And the people whose names were missing from the list would maybe account to 5% of the voting public. But what about the rest? I know people who stay out of state but  specially traveled back to Mumbai to vote. And I applaud their sincerity. 
Voting is important. It took me two elections to realize this. And yes... After I voted I posted a finger selfie. Even though my newsfeed was full of snarky comments about people taking finger selfies... Lol. I took a selfie not because I thought it was cool or to rub it in other peoples faces... Because I wanted to send out a message that I did my duty, even though I'm just one person, even though probably my vote may not swing things anywhere, even though voting or not will not change the state of affairs in the country... I took a step. And if you're one of the people who didn't by choice or just could not vote because of the circumstances you were in, no I won't be condescending and apathetic. Just make sure you vote next time... But till then, refrain from criticizing and complaining about the choice that the public makes simply because you were not a part of the decision making process. 
About the results. Well I'm quite open about my "love" towards the Congress lol. I'm not looking forward to see them continue. They have been a little annoying.
Speaking of annoying. Social media has been quite annoying during the elections. Let's say if I'm vocal in my support towards a certain candidate; it does not mean I agree with abso-blooming-lutely everything they say. Or that I think they're the purest people after Buddha to walk the planet. So don't tag me in posts where there is "proof" of their scheming and fooling the public. Or some interview that was "fixed". Or Posts that contain a long rant questioning why would sane people vote for that particular candidate. I know.. I've read enough... If not more than you, then as much as you. And no amount of me "samjhaoing" you will make you understand, then what makes you think I'll change my mind? If you think I'll give up and write "Ohmygod this is the most riveting piece of news ever... I cant vote for this person. Thanksforsavingmylifeandeverything." Not gonna happen. I'm tired of these posts. Please send me cat videos instead. So, thanks. But no thanks. 
Well thats it. Thats all for now.

and how can I forget. 

Just one of those times...

You know the time when your mind totally agrees with your heart? It doesn't happen to often. It doesn't stay so for too long. (My) Mind and Heart come up with a plan. The plan is simple: Be fearless.
I read it on a friends's blog a while ago. And now, it doesn't seem like a bad idea.

I'm done with thinking about consequences. I mean, when is the last time consequences have thought about me? (Okay, bad one.) But really, now is the time to suck it in. Take a chance and trust myself. I realize fear is what has kept me back and this is a situation that is no longer acceptable to me anymore. Things need some adjustment around me and the time is now.

For a change Mind & Heart are on the same side... Mine! And i feel like someone reassuringly sitting on my shoulder saying, it's alright bud... you tried! And y'know what? It feels good.
Papon playing in the background... saying "Iss dil ka kyaa karun...(Trans: What should I do with this heart of mine)" (Barfi, 2012). Mind is blissfully calm.

I'm at 25 years and 10 days. Damn, I'm getting old!

P.S: My friends blog is called 'Musing's of an Art Student'  http://musingsofanartsstudent.com 
Do say Hi, if you drop by, she'll love it :)

Peace Out!

Letters

I am weird in more ways than one.

Its surprising how at times I cannot hold conversations. I cannot indulge in small talk. If you happen to ask me about my opinion on something- say, curtains or wallpaper or if the orange kurta matches your pink chappals, my answer would most probably be: Smile, nod, and say "Hmmmm...Nice!". In my head I'll be in a panic, looking for the nearest exit.

But its strange how I manage to express myself through letters and writing.
I love writing and receiving letters. Even if they're absolute trash, I love receiving stamped enveloped addressed for me. It's something that's exclusively mine, I don't have to share it with anyone.

The art of letter writing may be dying. 96.4% of the mail you receive are either bank statements, credit card bills, phone bills, magazine subscriptions etc. (Statistics courtesy the National Institute of Postal & Telegraphic Studies) If you're lucky, you may get a legal notice or two. So mail isn't something people look forward to. They look at it with dread and indifference.

I think letters are beautiful. They say things you  cannot verbally express. Nothing can be more personal than a letter for you. When I moved from Ahmedabad to Mumbai I wrote a dozen letters to Anu and Debo, even though we had cellphones and would talk to each other every other week. And they wrote back. When I am at fault but I cannot verbally apologize, I write a letter.  I've been consistently writing letters (since the 4th grade) every year for Raksha Bandhan. I have 11 brothers (all cousins and some extended family) and each brother, gets their own addressed letter.

The Rakhi letters I send have the same format :
1. Pleasantries
2. Hoping the recipient is fine
3. Stating the main purpose of the letter: "On the occasion of Rakshabandhan, Rati and I are sending you Rakhis...."
4. Recent personal developments in the letter writer's life
5. Recent Rati-isms that are letter worthy
6. Short discussion of any news about the recipient that you've recently heard of.
7. Giving the writer's love and regards to the receiver's family
8. Sending love and regards from the writer's family's to the recipient family
9. Hoping to see / hear from the recipient soon
10. Lots of love

Whew. That's a lot of work. And structuring the entire letter to different people, according to their ages and also keeping in mind their sense of humor is what makes each letter different. And of course adding a personal touch to every letter- a smiley or a cartoon (if there is space left on the page, that is!)
I usually don't realize its Rakhi till i see the rakhi stalls on the road and ads in the newspapers, so often my Rakhi letters get delayed by a day or two. What does not help is keeping track that which brother is in which part of the world doing what; Which makes finding their addresses a very last moment-ish thing.

But its okay. Getting a Rakhi on the VERY day of rakhsha bandhan is not as important and letting the recipient know,that the author of the letter thinks about them, cares for them and loves them, even if they haven't met for years.

So dear brothers. I don't need you to write back to me. (Trust me,The last thing I need are pity letters). Think of the letters as handwritten annual reports of a Singh's life. If you string together all the letters I've ever written, you each own your own personalized, handwritten copy of 'Devyani's Autobiography' :P
I'm in a zen like state when I write letters. It's a way I share the happenings of my life with you. That for me is Raksha Bandhan in the truest sense.

Just tell me when you get your letters. If you don't I can sue the Post Office people for 500 bucks per letter. (At least I'll earn something.)
Happy Rakhi! :)

Pride Vs Prejudice

We walked into the room.

With my parents on either side, we entered a dull looking air conditioned room. Quite like the physician’s office, except with lots of cabinets & trophies and shields adorning the walls. She was a grim faced woman and it clearly looked like it wasn't a good time to be seeing her. But this meeting couldn't be postponed, we'd been preparing since weeks.

My parents had been shooting questions at me and my 5 year old self answering- colors, days of the week, months of the year, Hindi, English, spelling and what not. There'll be people asking me all these things and I needed to show them I was smart and good enough to study in their school.  

“Be nice to her, smile and answer her questions”, mum said. So I smiled at the woman- the smile was not returned. Strike One.

I took a seat next to the woman and my parents sat opposite to her. She was going through my papers, drawing and the extensive files Australian Schools make. Certificates- including my Guest of Honor Certificates that I won for music. Twice.

Still no smile she started talking to my parents. I don't remember what exactly they were talking about, just that she was doing most of the talking (quite loudly) while my parents listened, not looking very happy.                     

Strike Two.

 I zoned out of their conversation and started looking at the things on her desk- the colorful paper-weights, the stack of files, the magnetic pin cushion and started thinking about going to school here. Would I like it? It was an uncomfortable thought. I was lurched out of my dream with a stern question. “Fine, Spell ‘Tree’”.  

My parents were looking at me and so was the woman. Suddenly, I was in the spotlight. Mrs. Grim Face had a deadpan expression on her face. “Spell ‘Tree’ ”, she said again. It didn't feel right. Why should I answer to her? She wasn't even being nice. But my Grandma told me to be respectful to others, especially elders, even if they're being mean to you.

So I started. “T….R….E…” And stopped there.

The room was tense. My parents' eyes were as wide as golf balls. I could actually hear my mom shouting in her head “THERE’S ANOTHER ‘E’!!! T…R…E…E!! YOU KNOW THE SPELLING!  SAY IT…. SAYYYY ITTTT!”.

“Again”, commanded the woman.

I just knew. I did not want to go to this school. I didn't see myself in this atmosphere with a person who didn't like me very much. If I get through this interview, I would have no choice. 

I looked in her eyes and with a firm voice said, “T…R...E.”  

My parents were miserable. I felt bad for them, I almost did say out the ‘E’. Of course I knew the spelling. I didn't want her to know.

“She can’t spell. Not even a simple word”, concluded the woman. “I’m sorry”. There was more talking. It didn't matter. The woman was rude to me and my parents. A five year old understood that. I was done. 

As we left the room, I was dreaming of the ice cream that I was promised. My parents were in shock and were wondering where they went wrong in my upbringing .

I didn't care. Strike Three. She was out. 

P.S. : It worked out for me pretty well. I got into a better school- where the Principal was really nice. And an even better school after that. #DipsiteForLife
 So trust your instincts... you may be right afterall :) 

Great Music to Wake up to

I've always wanted to post something on two things: Food (Soon, I hope...) & Music.
Funny stuff, food & music, is what I'm all about. Really.
So, it's been a long time since I've posted something, and this post has been long overdue- here it is folks: Great Music to Wake Up To.

It is essential one has at least ONE great 'Wake Up' song. Not necessarily 'wake-me-up-in-the-morning', alarm call kind of song. But a song that can also pick you up when you're feeling low. Now, you may agree or disagree; your favorite wake up song may be "Baabul ki duaaen leti jaa" for all I know. So this is my list. I'd love for you to post a few songs that you like to hear when you're low. So, since I have nothing else to write about, here goes:
(The list is random... no specific ranking or preference)

1. CROSSROADS: Eric Clapton


Originally, a song by Robert Johnson, and now made popular by John Mayer, this a great song to start your day with. Bouncy Up-beat tunes make a great song to walk to as well. The best part? It hardly has any lyrics! So it's a great song if you have issues with learning lyrics and stuff.

"I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees

Asked the Lord for mercy, I said, help me if you please"

2. DO TO YOU: Bryan Adams

Sadly, I couldn't find a YouTube link.  And just FYI Bryan Adams has songs which are better than 'Summer of 69' and 'Everything I do, I do it for you'. Do to you,  is one of them. He's such a talented fellow and it's sad to see that so many people don't know most of his great songs. 

I love the way this song starts, "Da dan dan dan dan dan dan....Here we go!" 

You can't help, but dance. 

3. CHANGE OF SEASONS: Sweet Thing

Thank you 'Easy A'. This song features in the opening credits of this movie. This upbeat track makes a great running song... I always play it on the loop! An instantaneous mood up-lifter. 

4. SNOW (HEY OH): Red Hot Chili Peppers 

Man, whatte song. One of my favorite songs by RHCP. Even slow-ish songs can make you feel so good, this is the example of just that. I sometimes play this song as my alarm tone. Great way to wake up man. 

"They more I say, The less I know...

The more I try to let it go...Hey Oh".

5. DOG DAYS ARE OVER:  Florence + The Machine  

This song not only lifts you up, but fills you with a surging happiness, well at least it does for me. Not a great alarm song, but a great song to hear when you need inspiration. 

Happiness will hit you like a bullet in the back.. most definitely. I don't know why people would listen to lame-os like Beiber, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus when there are such songs around.

"Can you hear the horses... 'Cuz here they come." 

6. EDGE OF SEVENTEEN: Stevie Nicks

No 'Best Songs' list can be complete without a Stevie Nicks song. This is an iconic song. Sound familiar? The first few strains are used in the popular 'Destiny's Child' song "Bootylicious". Also tis song is in the movie 'School of Rock' {Jack Black asks Joan Cusack out for 'coffee' to a Bar. Joan gets drunk and both of them are seen singing this song}.

Stevie Nicks grainy voice reflect in the lyrics so well. She was going through a tough phase in her life, when she came up with this ... and it all comes together in this epic song. 

"And the days go by like a strand in the windIn the web that is my own I begin againSaid to my friend babyNothin' else mattered"

7. I'M THE ONLY ONE: Melissa Etheridge

They don't make female singers like Melissa Etheridge anymore. This has to be one of my ultimate go to songs when I need a change in my mood. Melissa Etheridge was a recent discovery for me. A lot of lucky people have grown up listening to her. The original version of the song can be found here.

"It's only fear that makes you run 

The demons that you're hiding from 

When all your promises are gone 

I'm the only one"

8. RUMOR HAS IT: Adele

From the first notes of this song, you know Adele means business. This songsnaps me out of my 'Blehness' and gets me going! Adele, you're awesome girl! 

9. SON'S GONNA RISE: Citizen Cope

Makers of the famous song "Let the Drummer Kick it", it's a great song to listen to in the morning. It's got this backstreet, bluesy, laid-back, easygoing style. A great morning song. Also a great driving song. 

10. STITCHED UP: Herbie Hancock Feat. John Mayer

Something that John Mayer is known best for (other than his Womanizer ways)- Blues. 

A guy who knows his stuff- Herbie Hancock. 

THIS is my morning alarm. I don't like being scared to death with someone yelling "DU HAST" when I'm in a deep slumber. So I like being woken up by John Mayer's voice. Some of the lyrics go. :                      

"Who's to say she's single

And who's to say she's on her own

Girls like that don't sleep alone"

So this is ot. Maybe I'll make a part-2 Sometime. But this is my list, just random ones from the top of my head (and iPod). 

A teachers day post will be coming up soon. I loved the last one I wrote, so did lots of other people. You can read it here.

#RandomGyan: I'm happy about not knowing much stuff, cuz then I know how much there is for me to explore. 
Cheerio!

It's been a while....

It's been a while since I've seen your pretty faces. Really, I've hardly gotten time to breathe with all the new stuff going on with me. But istill I is heres to makes you heppy agains!
So, there are a million things I want to write about right now. I truly have a thousand ideas swimming in my head AND I've started maintaining a notebook where I jot down points about possible blog topics.

So why am I not posting so often?
Well I have this tiny little problem called ME.

As I start typing I have hundreds of voices going on in my head saying if this post would be as good as the last one or what are people going to think or I will never be as good as 'so-and-so' or how lame I sound lahdidah...  And then I lose interest and I drop the idea of posting the blog halfway.

The objective of THIS post is to get over this neurotic, perfection-obsessed brain of mine and say, "There you go, an imperfect- unplanned-impromptu post!". So this ladies and gents, is a huge leap for me. *Applause*. (Heheheh). Really, I have so many wars going on in my head, with my self; It's really hard to produce something that's so in the flow and random. I read other peoples blog and go, "Oh my God, I can never write like that! How do they do that? How do they find the words??!". 

So this post, Is dedicated to the voices in my head.
 Dear Random Voices,
 Kindly shut up & stay out.
I have arrived!

Your's Truly.
D. Singh


P.S!!!
From now on, I'm going to add a random note after every blog which has nothing to do with the subject of the blog... which are more like random thoughts in my head. So here goes,

#RandomGyan: I don't really like autobiographies too much. I feel the writers are too full of themselves.