Vat savitiri- a tradition without glamour

2rd June, 2015 is vat poornima which  is a celebration observed in the Western India. Purnima means "full moon" and is celebrated on the full moon day (the 15th) of the month of Jyeshtha on the Hindu calendar, which falls in June on the Gregorian calendar. Women pray for the prosperity and longevity of their husbands by tying threads around a banyan tree or waṭ, which is called "pipal puja", on this day. It honours Savitri, the legendary wife who rescued her husband's soul from the ruler of the departed, Yama.

I did Wat pooja in the morning and went for work. Everyone around me in office, society was surprised that I am still following the ritual. It made me think, is it really regressive or just a ritual without glamour. To be honest, before marriage it all seemed foolish to take rounds of a tree to save your husbands life. Oh common, how is it possible to save anyone. Plus there was no one around me who followed it and could actually tell the real story.

That’s when I started to ask questions as to why should new age career women should follow this? What is the real essence of the ritual?

Let me tell you my interpretation of the story.

1.      It is story of Savitri and Satyavan. Savitri married woodcutter Satyavan against her dad’s wish. It means it was love marriage. Pretty modern right?. Basically, she was ready to leave all the wealthy pleasure for love. She was strong lady who could take decisions on her own.

2.      At the time when yama was taking away her husband, she followed yama to the end. She was determined to get the life of her husband back. It was very gutsy move on the her part.

3.      At the end, when yama granted her 3 wishes, one of her wish was to be mother of satyavan’s son. This was not possible as he was dead. Yama realized that savitri has outwitted him. Eventually, granted her wish.

I think savitri represents free spirited, strong woman. We should celebrate it.

Hope you do the pooja next year.

FROM HOUSE CROW TO PAINTED STORK..( just a technical title to show off my new skill..lol)

The day I met Aditya at CCD, I never thought I would be spending my Sunday mornings birding. Being a Mumbaikar, the only bird I knew was crow. It had no fancy title like house crow. To be quite frank I never thought knowing lot of birds(along with their names and features) means so much to birders. Last month got introduced to the bible of birders -Pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. Every birder has their bible and binoculars with them. Here I was with no book and binoculars. The second thing about birding was to not to talk. The hush tone was a bit too much for me to handle.. At first I could not locate the bird and then the colour..Identification was never on my agenda…I never paid attention to the white belly or white patch on the tail…

Now the point is if it was not my liking why did end up at Sinhagad valley on Sunday morning. And what is the point of writing this…The answer is- I read couple of months back that spending time together is what matters and not always doing the things which I love. Sunane mein bada accha lagata hai..karne mein thoda mushkil…I took months..lol..but phirbhi decided to try it out..The smile on Aditya’s face mattered the most. Soon started enjoying it. My funda is I observe and enjoy their colours (still not very keen on their names)..The strange part is I started noticing birds now..pagal lagati hu eklehi trees stare karate..par usme bhi majja hai..So, the blog is for anyone who was not interested in birding and may want to give it a try.

As all birders do, I have also made list of birds. Here it is(tadka marake..lol…):

1.    From my house balcony

1.    Coppersmith Barbet-(It has been declared as Mumbai Bird)

2.    Red-whiskered Bulbul 

3.    Grey Hornbill

4.    Asian Koyal (Male and Female)

5.    Oriole ( I call it taxi. As the name suggest it is yellow and black)

6.    White Throated Kingfisher - it is not the one on the logo of NDTV Good times. It is Common Kingfisher on the Logo. Even the name suggests common, I could not c it.

7.    Drongo- It is my favourite bird. Very easy to indentify. Don’t have to look at colour or size. Just look at the long forked tail. Bingo u can identify Drongo.

8.    Greater Coucal

9.    Laughing Dove.

2.    Bhigwan

1.    Greater Flamingo - The lead actors of the show at Bhigwan are Flamingos. Pretty birds. Don’t like noise. The fact is they get the pink colour by eating algae. The little one are blue in colour and slowly get the beautiful pink colour.

2.    River Tern- River tern is fast and beats the Sea Gull in catching fish.

3.    Sea gull- is little plum but never gives up. Gull could catch some fish.

4.     Ibis- usme bhi there is black Ibis, Black headed Ibis and Glossy Ibis. I like black headed one. It looks like it is wearing a pretty furry  white short dress.

5.    Spoonbill- as the name suggests it has spoon like bill. Very interesting to c.

6.    Brahmny ducks
7.    Painted Storks- Never thought that I would be in love  with them. Not very pretty in appearance like lesser flamingos. But storks have 5 colours- white, black, pink, yellow and green. My rating for painted storks in 5 stars. Got to bighwan and catch them in action. Don’t forget to carry popcorn. Coz once u are there surrounded by storks u don’t wanna to go home. Just like esselworld tag line(esselworld mein rahunga mein ghar nahi nahi jaunga mein)..

8.    Sand piper.

9.    Pondya(pond heron)

10.  Brahmny Kite.

11.  Grey heron

12.  Egret- How can I forget  egret. It has long neck.. looks very classy. Has a striking yellow feets..

Would keep on exploring more birds. Do share ur experience too.

SPEAK UP

Had felt horrible abt the gang rape case…had cried(it might not be the ans to the issue but tears just could not stop)..was shocked when some said that these cases are pretty common. What is so special about this one..it just shows that we r not bothered about it and used to it..our mind recognizes it as bad news and moves on..shocking but true..

I thought of writing abt my own experience to help someone to gather courage and Speak UP..It takes courage to do it. atleast talk about it..

I had just cleared tenth standard exam. I had always been surrounded by good men. And I always travelled with friends or relatives ..never alone..i still remember the day, time and place. It was 7 in the evening and I was coming back from dadar…I took an auto and reached the station…I had to cross the flower market to reach station..The lanes were small there was hardly any light. My innocent mind did not allow me to think that someone may actually was trying to touch me..I assumed it was bcoz of crowd. Being a girl the sixth sense helped me but the space did not allow me to move an inch.. I somehow could speak up or even look at the guy..i was the only girl there surrounded by guys…I just ran as fast as possible..but it did nt end there I was travelling by train for the first time..did not know where to go and was confused. Could not ask for directions.. coz I did nt want to give the guy the impression that I was lost and scared… somehow read all the indicators and saw my train reaching the platform..as I was walking down ,the guy again tried to come close..that time, the very moment I was furious and just pushed him far away..i never knew I could do it..

I got in the train and started crying..i was happy that I resisted..i might not have something outrageous…but did something about it..thought of telling someone about it..but the place was just nt right to ask for help…

What was the reason to put it on paper something personal..it is just that these things do happen and nobody talks about it..i had heard some of my friends say that when they have been teased, they should have spoken up..feel bad about it later..We have been always told to suppress out thoughts and ignore it.. the lamest excuse is we cant change it…I agree we cant change the mindset in one day..but the other person should know that this behavior is absolutely not accepted and just get lost..

2012- so many years have passed after the incident, but I still get the shiver after I speak up.. I was travelling with my friend to sangli..and the bus had an accident and we had to change the bus..The new bus was already reserved by some people..( potla rakha matlab jagah mera)..this reservation system was used..Had to resist it..and to my surprise nt a single person in the bus took my side. Here I was fighting alone with a guy for almost half an hour…the guy was pretty furious…but I was strong on my grounds..The guy gave me ugly look and sat next to driver. It was getting dark..i was getting scared… my mind was constantly focusing on the guy, what he must be thinking..will he take revenge…

The incident might be small as nothing happened..but it just made me stronger…

I just hope that whenever u c someone being teased or molested…Do SPEAK UP..It can small thing..being supportive helps..maybe it can save someone’s life..

Mumbai Pune Mumbai

Thought of choosing an attractive movie title..(the funda always works)…It’s my six month in Pune. After the initial yuks and wows abt the city, I could finally write down something..(which is nt based on first impressions)

Pune is city of

Two wheelers- oh yes…hell lot of honking and overtaking. People have just happily ignored traffic signals..No one stops at red light..Having said that, it is dream city for automobile industry. You can see all brands here. All new brands are welcomed and are sold like hot cakes.

The question is does anyone walk? oh yes..you will c lot of parks in Pune..Punekar’s only go for morning or evening walks. The rest of the time they enjoy sitting on their bikes.lol

Sur(sa re ga ma)- Don’t worry, u can’t hear me singing.lol..So if you have got noisy picture of Pune then your half right. The city hosts many musical concerts ranging from classical music to Jazz, rock. It hosts Sawai festival in the heart of the city. All the shows always receives outstanding response from music lovers.

Food(Khana khajana)- You will find food joints at every galli and nukkad. People are foodie here…It is heaven for pastry, biscuits and cake lovers.  Shrewsbury biscuits are to die for.  How can I forget chitale bakarwadi, shrikhand..Being a mumbaikar I was used to wait in line. But the wait used to be for bus, train or taxi. It was never ever for buying bakharwadi. Oh yes, u read it right. Punerkar’s take a coupon and actually stand in line for half an hour to taste mouth watering delights. They say it is worth the wait.

Gulabi thandi- It is the best excuse to eat more. The climate allows them to eat more. The climate is dry and cool. No one sweats and hence no need to carry tissue papers. You can always look picture perfect, the skin does not look oily..(enough of girly stuff).. I could wear a sweater for the first time in winter. All the cool jackets which I could not wear in Mumbai are back in my wardrobe.

Mangalsutra mahostav vs rave party- I had never imagined jewellary shops can use Mangalsutra mahostav as gimmick to sell the quintessential piece of jewellary of married ladies. But it is a reality and big success too. You will c all the gold shops crowed here. Sometimes I wonder are they buying gold or vegetables. I had to wait for 1 hour to get wedding rings from well renowned jewellary shop.

So u thought, people are traditional. Think again. Pune had been into headlines for its rave parties. Youngsters who come here to study and make a bright future had to hide their faces after being caught at the rave parties.

Apan, Tumhi = ji, aap- Marathi is the only language spoken and appreciated here. You will people using words like apan tumahala (which signifies respect). I used to think that my Marathi is good until I came here. I barely understand words here.

What do you want to add?

 Blue vs Pink..

Let me confess…Men r from Mars and Women r from venus.. till I got married in june I had different opinion..i knew that we r different..something very simple like.when I come from office I blab abt my day vs my bro used to say it was nice day..u know what I mean right....

Read a joke few days back on this. Here it is ..Men got 3000 words for a day and women 5000. When a man returns home after a long day he is over with his 3000 words but she still gets 2000.

Just thought of decoding this star wars..lol..

1.    Difference in vocabulary..Men must have learned about cute, pretty words in school. But,they are non existent in their talks. We always work on cute and pretty principle..it is very sad that nobody has put a theory on this principle..lol..guys on the other hand have fixation for cars and bikes..i never believed that boys like toys..but I do now..how can they watch formula one..i can watch it only at the end when I can c Michael Schumacher..

2.    High heels and sneakers- it is all in the preference..we love to wear nice pair of high heels..it looks damn good. Who cares about the pain…we have simple policy no pain no gain..Guys have different mantra here..who cares abt the looks..they buy something that is comfy..

3.    One line vs long ans- guys have all the time in world but still they can only ans in one line..they don’t like to give explanation..it is unnecessary for them. they might use the valuable time saved sleeping(was gonna say meditating)..lol..We always have time to give long answers with every piece of information that can be transferred to them…we always have time to talk and work too…

4.    On the road—I accept hands down that guys r natural drivers…we try to drive and some might be good..but on behalf of the rest..we r sorry for bad driving..guys just hate to take directions..they feel like they r always gonna find the right way..so even if we r lost for about 10 min and have no clue about the place..guys confidence is wavering..We tend to ask for direction..have absolutely no intention of enjoying we r lost phase..

5.    This is very simple observation but very true..guys r not bothered abt sun..they don’t mind getting tanned..u will hardly c a guy standing in shade just to avoid sun..imagine a guy carrying an umbrella or covering his face just as precaution to avoid sun rays..we are always finding shade to stand..still end up paying so much on the parlour..lol

Keep reading..

Pitru paksh-To remember the souls of dead

In India, everything seems standstill during 15 days of pitru paksh(nobody buys anything new, or starts something new..everything is just postponed)…if we had to remember some dead THINGS instead of people in the past..i could think of these…

1.      Black and white colour TV- TV must be in its 3^rd generation now(from black and white to LED)..i was fortunate to c coloured one..pics must be so still without the colours.

2.      Orkut- my introduction to social networking(or shall I say networking..).i did nt have net friends..(friends were people I have met) it gave guys a playgroud to hunt for their crush on orkut..send her request..c her pics..(with a click of a mouse.)I was in college by then..and nt having orkut account was being backword..everyone was there..(infact in a race to being popular..the people who will just smile at me in the colony where sending me requests..just hi friends..)..coming back to subject.what do we miss about orkut..was it privacy..u had ur friends and shared ur pics and experiences with them..it was not adductive..we did nt have notification..now we cant live without notification..to find out who is commenting on whom.

3.      Post office- it is not dead yet. But nobody writes letter these days..why to waste time when we can have instant talk or chat..there was charm to letter..sometimes people talk more honestly and logically when they r writing..they can be free about some topics which they would talk abt in person..(on chat people do talk nonsense too..)

4.      Row house(vada,havelli).-I miss my old house..it was built in 1930..it had wooden balcony and flooring…It was connected(I m nt exaggerating..it had 20 rooms..and around 2 doors for every house..and my fav varanda..we had so many childhood memories there..in a building structure, everything is small..u don’t see ur neighbors that often unless u poke ur nose in their house..

5.      Rasna, pepsi cola and pot ice cream- summer drinks..it was hard to imagine summer without rasna..we used to decide what flavor we should buy this year.(I used to vote for orange and kallakatta.)..my mom always used to keep check on me..( I was allowed to drink 2 glasses in one day)..for her it was just sugar, water and flavor( zero score on nutrients value)..

With the introduction of soft ice cream, pot ice cream lost its popularity..i remember my uncle had bought pot ice cream machine..it fun to create ur ice cream(the best part was it was unlimited..) we had great ice cream parties( mango flavor was the favourite)

What r the things u want to remember from the past??

It better to be late than never..

This does not mean that u should be late (nt meant for filmstar.) ..for all my friends be on time.. don’t use this on me..

Wanted to c if I have used this in my life..(ya sirf textbook mein accha hai)

1.      My fear of swimming (nt because of water..but costume..dont have figure like priyanka chopra…lol).i must have applied for swimming class couple of times(always full of excuse..no time.. will get tanned..we live in India where guys want fair, beautiful and good looking girl.. who can ignore fairness creams) with all the distractions how did I end in  swimming pool.. my girls trip to nagaon put me in sea with no swimming skills..pretty bad situation..the next thing was survival instinct..now I just love it.will be doing scuba diving towards end of this year.

2.      Giving my cs exam and law degree- freak..i almost died when I saw my syllabus..could not get the jargons..my friend used to actual do a workout with my heavy books..lol..i though it is not my cup of tea..but still started studying..and it did nt taste bad.

3.      Enjoying time with friends- this might not be expected in the list.. but yes it is..college days were magical, enjoying with friends and studying ofcourse. But things changed after corporate life started. Everyone got busy..more working hours and less friends time. It hit me when best friend got engaged..it was late to spend time together…she was gonna settle abroad..those four months were best..we had n number nightouts..we danced till 3 in morning..had some crazy discussions(we were so loud..thank god nobody complained about us)..most memorable was karoake session..we did not bother about the people in the mall.(I am sure they thought we r crazy..) we were singing songs, dedicating to each other..the whole mall could listen to our singing talent.. (god bless them all..lol)

4.       My first trek was real booster for me..i thought I could do trekking.. the feeling of  on top of mountain with no electricity, tv and books(just your co trekkers. it was great..it was nt like big boss..everyone helped and cooked..with a gud experience I went for night trek from katraj to sinhgad..we climbed almost 10 hills in one night. This was big achievement for someone who has recently climbed one in DAY light. Night trek took my breath away literally..i had bruises..but did nt give up(c I did nt lie abt my fighter spirit.) I must have started trekking late in my life..but I am still continuing with it..one step at a time..

5.      This has to be a life lesson which was taught by a friend(why did i  thought of sharing it..I have thought that someone who reads this might get something out of it)..jealously can ruin everything(even best friends)..i have seen people fight, argue even kill each other but never thought a friends can be so jealous about other..why would a friend send threatening sms to her best friend?  It killed their relationship..very sad and disturbing..

what have u done late??