'Aam' baat!

An usual day, when I am late for office! Jumping off the auto rickshaw and running haphazardly to the platform to catch my fast local to Churchgate. Thought was lucky today as I was able to get on to the train that was already at the station. But no, how can luck shine upon me when I need it the most. The train moved at its own lazy pace making my late – later! Though train appeared to be a clearer one – that means I got place to stand with wall behind to lean on…yes, that comes as a blessing in these trains. So, this also means that FM stations on my phone were not getting changed on their own!

With my ears plugged in with some good music, body rested but mind tensed with the poor pace of the train, I looked out to check the station we have reached after almost 20 minutes of getting in. Sad, we had just covered three stations..but hey, what’s that? I see big unripe mangoes hanging on the tress…what beautiful sight! But how did I miss the earlier stages of budding, flowering and fruits on these trees on my way when I travel on this route everyday? I always thought this was a celebration time.

Coming of buds (manjar – as it’s called in Bhagalpur) on mango trees used to be quiet happening in my little home town as it marked coming of season when markets, houses and lunches would be dominated by the rajah of fruits, MANGO! Then would come the little mangoes, that we would call Tikola, which is so khatta…but yummmmmm!!! During the season all games were played around mango trees so that we could collect some tikola. Trees in our compound had to be protected from the outsiders who had their eyes on the hanging joys on the these trees. There used to be a mango tree bit away from my house that produced a variant of mango called ‘Fajli’. Fajli is a kind of mango that’s eaten unripe. Mix it with some salt, red chilly powder etc and it’s a perfect ‘chaat’. In Bihar, we also celebrate a festival around this time called ‘Satuani’, when we have the famous Bihari food Sattu during the day. Some like it sweet but at our home we always had it with spice and the khatta mango chatni was an inseparable part. My mouth waters just with the mention of this chatni. I also remember the famous ‘gudamma’ made of gud and kachcha aam.

My mother happens to be a great ‘Mango’ enthusiast, infact the whole of Northern India is. My parents actually go to these mango markets at 6 am with a sack and buy pure semi-ripe ‘Maldah Aams’. These mangoes are then kept at a cool place to ripe. So, after every lunch/dinner we would pick the ripe ones in lots and party. Mango shake is the special from my mother’s kitchen during the season. Mangoes would be proudly served to the guests. It would also be sent in cartons to relatives living in metros, coz it’s a costly affair for them. For us, it was just too much ‘aam’. Oh, it has been great fun.

Moving to Mumbai, mango appears to a really expensive and tasteless fruit. Those mangoes with red tip are bad! One can find mangoes sitting in a corner on the vendors’ cart with an 'imported' mark sticker on them unlike north, where fruit walas have a dedicated stall for mangoes only. It’s an insult for mangoes to share space with others there. Poor mangoes of Mumbai!

So while still in my thoughts about mangoes, I realized I have reached Mumbai Central and now just 4 stations away from Churchgate. I look around again and find some mango trees without fruits on them. Why? Didn’t their keepers take enough care of these ones? They say mango trees can have powerful reproduction every second year only. So, these ones are in their dull year. Ufff, infertility is in the air, I guess!

And I finally reach office, just 1 hour 15 minutes late. And once again, I forget all about the buds, the flowers, the fruits, the trees and the magic they create every season. Sigh!

Critical Approach

To start with some criticism I have received - A dear friend has deeply criticized me for my last post, she says she expects something better out of me. By the way of this post, I just want to thank her for being so honest and convey that there is nothing more to these posts except for some observations that I make. Please don’t expect heavy dose of words and thoughts in these posts. I am not meant for that stuff. As I have mentioned in one the earlier posts, mental exercise hurts! Thanks Shilpi, none the less.

Amar informs from Delhi that he will not be able return for two more months. So, my wait is here to stay. However, isn’t wait in itself exciting…guess because it gives reason to be. All our life we keep waiting for something good to happen – results, job, marriage, kids, salary hike etc etc etc. Remember times when we would wait for electricity to watch Chitrahar, Mummy’s return from shopping coz she would bring us something for sure, mummy’s permission to go out in rain – small were the needs then. Then there were some mean waits too – for my sisters to get married so that I could acquire full room! So there has always been big and small waits, this time Amar, it’s for you.

Had a nice Holi with my cousins in Pune using Herbal colours that needed just a soap wash to get rid of. It was good as I had office the next day and would not really like to appear in office multi-coloured. But just that my dear brothers and sisters were not satisfied with colours and in an effort to turn adventurous, they gulped in a glass full of ‘bhang’ and the drama followed!

Finished off an extremely boring hard core business press release. Feel exhausted and pensive. Exhausted because it was really tough to draw relevant patches from the brief full of marketing jargons and I love my boss for giving that magic touch to my document. Pensive because……there’s so much going on around and so little that I know. Have realized that only when you target big, you achieve big. Have also realized that it’s not just hard work and knowledge that pays, smartness is important too.

Loads to learn from ‘smart’ people around!

Life's Changing??

When I fell madly in love with Amar and was desperate to get married to him, hardly did I realize that marriage would not just bring togetherness for us but make us graduate to another level of adulthood. Today, I look at myself and find that things around me have changed significantly, so have I. Though I am thankful to my dear husband and our families that I am still able to live an carefree life, duties and responsibilities fall on shoulders automatically. I was a dreadful cook, today I host parties all on my own! Oh what a welcome change and relief.

Though not much has changed since my last post here except of some Salsa steps that I now know. Hey people, yes I know basics of Salsa..1-2-3..5-6-7, it goes like this, yay!!! Dance has always been fun – even today when I have to manage my extra pounds too! Salsa, Hip Hop, Samba, Kathak all are good, but there is one dance style which is extremely close to my heart and fills me with joy..yes its Madhuri’s style – watching her dance or copying her, has been fun always. Completely in love with the grace she brings with her dance moves, simply AWESOME! Madhuri has been one complete Bollywood actress package.

Well, appears there is a great dearth of quality marriageable boys these days. Atleast 10 of my girl friends are trying to find one but to no avail. Where have all good guys vanished, come forth! Some really pretty and good girls are waiting for you. I have found the best one for myself and I love him a lot