Roo-ba-roo roshni....Dedicated to my FIL

In our day to day life, we come across scores of people who work hard, earn their dues for it and live a happy life but how many times have you come across persons who work diligently for others without expecting any remuneration for it. And many a times the first reaction of people is – You have to be out of your head !

My father in law is one such person. Today he is in ill-health with limited means of support(financial/physical/emotional) but has no regrets. On the contrary others have regrets for him, they don't even hesitaste in asking what have you gained. He says, “my gain is, the blessing of the people whom I helped which has been inherited by my children”.

 

 

 His service to the underprivileged earned him “The Best Citizen Award” .He dedicated his entire life to serving people selflessly. He is a very broad minded person, who does not believe in rituals and traditions that have no logic. He has no work deadlines to meet, no work commute, no family obligations- just him and his patients in the T.B.hospital and blind children to look after in the orphanage. His heart bleeds when he sees people living in such miserable conditions. He is of the opinion that they were not born in these conditions by choice. My father-in -law is not a doctor who could give these people health care but his small act of kindness has certainly brought smile on many faces and have made them feel wanted and loved.

 

He would donate his expensive clothes, shoes , watches, gem studded accessories, seasonal fruits, dry fruits , almost all material possessions, to patients, poor and blind people. He provided them medication, cooked sumptuous meals, helped them with bathing, shaving, ablution etc. completely unfazed by the fact that these diseases are contagious and could jeopardize his own health. He earned a lot of respect by the sweat of his brows and selfless service.

 

This spectacle was like a breath of fresh air in my life. After deep introspection, I decided to make changes in my own life. I didn’t expect to change the world but I hoped to change myself in some measure. Did I change at all ? Did I make a dent in my life ? It’s hard to quantify. One thing I can be sure of is this – My eyes have opened wider and my vision about humanity and our world has increased. Now I long to be with human beings, not computers.

 

I salute this man who believes - A life not lived for others is not a life.....So fortunate to be his Daughter-in-law...

 

 

Pets bring us unconditional love

Pet lovers purchase exorbitant and exotic pets, but this kitten about which I am writing, was neither purchased nor gifted to me. I found it lying in a pathetic condition in a remote corner of a building in our society. It was about the size of my palm and hunger had reduced him to less than 500 gram in weight. I assumed that it must have been left behind by its mother for reasons unknown to me or perhaps the mother had been killed by a dog. My pity knew no bounds when I saw this limping, famished, helpless little kitten. I carried it home and wondered how to look after it because I had never kept a pet.

I lay it on some dry grass lying in the balcony. Tender rays of the sun brought some life in him and he went and lay down under the cane chair. Every 5 minutes I would go and check on him to see that he is not being harassed by the pigeons or crows which frequented my balcony. I put some milk in a bowl and placed it before him but I realized that he had not been initiated into drinking from a bowl. In its efforts to drink, he nearly drowned himself in the bowl of milk. I lifted him out of the bowl, dried it and fed him milk with a spoon.

But it would not drink and I wondered why…I thought he was being fussy. Wisdom dawned on me and I warmed the milk in the microwave and fed it. The cutie pie drank all of it without any hassles. That was the first knowledge I got about handling pets.

The next thing I wondered was how the poor thing would bear this cold as it was the winter season. As one would understand, it is difficult to find a separate place for a pet in a flat. But they say necessity is the mother of all inventions. I found a jute stool, enclosed from all sides (MOODA). I placed it on upside down position in my dry balcony and lined the inside with newspaper and cotton cushions, I put some neem leaves as an antiseptic and placed the kitten in it and I wondered at my ingenuity of being able to take care of a small pet.

So far so good, but then I had to go to the office. Who would now take care of my new found pet with which I was already so attached? But my basic motherly instincts showed me a way. I left a small bowl of milk and water in the balcony. At the office every bit of free time was devoted to thinking and worrying about my cutie pie whether he would have had the milk, whether he is safe from the pigeons and crows and whether he is still alive.

The moment I left my office I found myself rushing home as if someone dear to me is waiting for me. The moment I put the key in the lock I heard a faint meow….which gave me immense joy and satisfaction. I am sure the feeling was mutual. The moment I opened the door of the balcony he jumped and clung onto me as if to say, don’t leave me alone.

This little hug evoked the hidden flame of love in me and I realized the importance of relationships in our lives. Time was flying and I couldn't find enough time to socialize. The cutie pie would bang about the house at 6 am. I would carry him in one hand and grab a cup of tea and newspaper in another hand.

What a treat it was for my eyes to see his naughty moves. This month old kitten that was weak and limping had now started walking briskly. Then we had to go to Bhopal to celebrate Diwali at my mother in law’s place. Now my worry was what to do with this cutie pie when we are travelling. Who would want to shoulder that responsibility?

(It would climb on my hubby's laptop as if to say please stop being a workaholic, play with me)

I decided to take the bull by its horns and bought a small basket and milk bottle for him. Legally you cannot carry a pet along with you while you are travelling by train but I was running out of options hence I decided to take the risk. Sixteen hours journey from Pune to Bhopal was not a cake walk. 

(Corners of my home that became lively because of this cutie pie)

He was sitting quietly inside the basket but after every half an hour it let out a miaow…I fed him with milk continuously so that his stomach was full and my co-passengers didn't notice that I was carrying a pet. I decided to leave this cute kitten in my in-law’s place as I didn't want to snatch away his freedom of walking and roaming freely in the huge, open courtyard of my in-laws’ home .

My relatives are very magnanimous when it comes to pampering a cute kiddo like this (Thanks Chickoo)…

Animals can teach us a lot about patience, love, care, compassion and relationships. Do try it…(smiles)

Home makeover ideas

Whether you live in a small cozy apartment or exotic bungalow, living room breathes life into your home. It is therefore imperative that the decor of your living room be such that it leaves a lasting impression every time a person enter your home. Leave the walls white as it generate positivity and imparts space to your room where as dark colors make your room compressed. I was living in a rented flat for almost 5 years and I was feeling stifled as I couldn't decorate my home as I wanted to. I was yearning to have a place of my own where I would unleash my feelings and creativity, choice of decor etc.

And finally a day came when we managed to buy a 2 bedroom flat in Pune. It was an ordinary place with dull walls, vitrified tiles, 3 balconies.I did not hire a professional for doing up my home as I wanted my home to reflect a few shades of my personality. I decided on wooden flooring for my living room as it gives an elegant and graceful look and is also the basis for the rest of the decor. Although it is quite expensive, but was worth my efforts and expenditure.

In order to break the monotony of the white color scheme I decided to paint the window pains with vivacious colors. My first acquisition was the furniture. I got it made to order as per my taste and choice. I selected the upholstery based on the color of the floor and walls.I have an inclination towards rose wood color so I chose the shade of my furniture as dark brown and picked up cream colored curtains that were really going well with the home decor.

Plants in the living room helps you to bring nature into the living room.Green color symbolizes freshness and breath of life. The next thing on my agenda was choosing the right size and tint of the pots for the indoor plants. I went hunting around for the right choice. After picking up the pots I went looking around the nurseries for the right kind of plants that will augment the settings and are easy to maintain.

An antique mirror could accentuate the look of my living room hence I bought a piece of huge mirror which had broad golden edges. A mirror never tells lies. When I see myself in the mirror I feel rejuvenated. Do I see myself changing everyday which no body else is able to notice or capture.

I decided to buy a beautiful floral wall sticker for the protruding beam as it will catch one's eye as soon as you enter my living room. It is nothing very extortionate but is definitely a mood elevator.The colorful stones in the tempered glass pot reflects my changing moods and feelings.......always bright and beautiful.The plant in the pot is growing at a fast pace as if I want to reach the zenith of my exuberant feelings.

Discordant color makes it noticeable hence the vibrant orange colored texture wall. Life is dull if it is not lit up. This pendant bamboo lamp seems like an ordinary dull piece but when it is lit up it will show what light can do to your life.It will lift up your spirits. The Buddha statue at my home signifies peace and depicts universal goodness transcending into you when you are at peace.

After toiling for 10 hours in the office do I look forward to going home or is it just a house ?

It is definitely a home !!!!!

When I enter my living room I start living again. All my toil, tiredness, traffic snarls,noise,irritation are forgotten the moment I reach home. Creativity is not magical and mystical. It is just a moment that transforms ordinary into extra ordinary things.