Sunday Funday Art!

Bits & Pieces 4

Tu Mera Hero!  (You are My Hero)

Someone I know is all set to tie the knot with her intimidating and macho boyfriend very soon. This girl has been through all his temper tantrums and slaps, bouts of extreme possessiveness but still, like a dim-wit follower of a local pseudo god man, she is hell bent on marrying the boy who she  believes, is a hero and will make her life a secure heaven. Anyways, it is just one story amongst the millions where girls easily or rather willingly marry boys who are involved in brawls and even heinous crimes like rapes. The basic feeling that runs deep down is the point of ‘safety’ which, to most girls, means only physical strength and a dominating personality. 

Image- art.wallpaperhd.rocks

I feel such girls themselves lack confidence in their own selves or maybe they are too insecure and shudder at the very thought of a big bad world out there that gets them naturally and mindlessly attracted to men having such terrifying personalities. Surprisingly, they are often happy in facing physical abuse and severe excoriations all their lives and barter dignity for a sense of safety.

I discussed this with my friend and she gave me a solid suggestion for their wedding gift that made me laugh my ribs out! “Why don’t you gift her a year’s supply of Volini!”

Good one!

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Didi! (Elder Sister)

On One sleepy afternoon, a few days back, two cute little boys rang my doorbell. I answered from inside and one said ‘Aunty, ball aa gai hai, please de do’ (Aunty, please return our ball) but before I could utter a syllable, another one promptly interrupted in somewhat hushed tone and said ‘Pagal, Aunty bolega to nai milegi, didi bol’ (Dumbo, she won’t return if you’ll call her aunty, instead call her didi). And both cried in unison ‘Didi…didi please ball de do’ and honestly, I could not stop giggling for an hour or so! Such instances of pure innocence can make one smile even after years pass by.

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Blossoms!

I have of late grown quite fond of flowers and have even memorized the names of various types with much interest. I can name them like kids can tell you alphabet table- excitedly, in a single breath! Blossoms add a dash of color and style in other wise wilted and annoying days of scorching summers. I easily identified a wild flower growing in my neighbor’s garden. It was a white petunia (in pic) and for some reason seemed to me like an infant, too cute to avoid! There is another plant called ‘Chinese Lantern’ (in pic below) that has a box like net that covers the fruit and looks beautiful in fiery orange! Now, I have added to my ‘to-do’ list this task of buying new flower-plants from nearby nursery and placing them in beautiful pots (gamla) that are easily available in the markets now. I have plants in plastic pots but still I feel earthen ones are better. I prefer flowers in pots because of the ease in carrying and also you can arrange and place them as and where you wish, unlike rooted ones.

Images- castleofcostamesa.com and www.whiteflowerfarm.com

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Mud & Mogra Magic!

I would love to share a soothing experience that calmed my tensed nerves. This happened a few years back when I travelled to my aunt’s place somewhere in Rajasthan. The moment we think of Rajasthan, three things come to our mind- royalty, colors and dryness. My stay was for around two weeks or so and we were tired waiting for rains to hit the parched earth. I was busy in exploring various aspects of culture like the Rajasthani dresses, bangles and artificial jewelery, and of course, filling myself with the yummy daal-baati-choorma at home. Do try rose choorma, it is awesome! Anyways, not deviating from the topic, it was a few days later that much to our surprise black clouds gathered up and a soft drizzle was welcomed by the fried souls below. However, it was nothing much and like a cheap deo, faded as soon as it had arrived. 

The next day, my cousin and I were given the task of cleaning the garden (the gardener had had a small accident) that after some reluctance we agreed to. So we set up on the task and gathered all the leaves in a heap on one side of the lawn making the fresh grass look as beautiful as a Kashmiri carpet. The walls around that big house were covered with bougainvillea flowers and a few other creepers, some of which flowered in strange colors. The garden, not small by any standards, was full of various flowers, a few rose plants and more of others like China Rose (Gurhal), Mogra, Motia, Paarijaat and Marigold, commonly called ‘genda’ apart from some local varieties. So, after clearing the patch, we were given a hot cuppa green tea as a reward for our hard work. Oh! I forgot to add; I leveled the grass too using a grass cutter while my cousin collected the twigs and heaped them in the corner along with the discarded leaves and branches, under the cotton plant that stood at a corner. 

Drizzle taps waiting earth

Its salubrious whiff escapes

I breathe after ages

We both started chatting about the last shopping spree, sipping the reward when we cheered at dark black clouds laden with the gifts of rain drops arriving in the sky like a postman arriving with a letter from home in a foreign land! Needless to say, our happiness knew no bounds! We stayed glued to our places, praying for a full rain this time and lo! Our prayers were granted. The downpour was good indeed with heavy droplets hitting our sun parched tanned bodies! The water was cool and carried with itself a certain comfort that is hard to describe in words!

We stayed put enjoying the tap of drops on green leaves, colorful flowers and brown tree barks. After some time, my cousin went inside while I lay down in the grass, lost in the pleasure of a particular smell that still lingers somewhere in my mind. It was not just the soothing whiff that the hot mud releases when wet; nor it was the typical earthen smell of wet ground but something more, even more lovely. I realized I was lying near a group of mogra plants, full in bloom in the pleasant evening! The smell that had literally intoxicated me was actually the smell of wet earth mingled in the sweet fragrance of mogra, an engaging, lively and sharp flowery smell. It was I thought something that gave us the pleasures of both, land and flowers! I kept laying supine there for a long time, drenched in rain and even after that absorbing the intoxicating perfume of nature that was instantly created by mixing of two different aromas, within me and letting it pull me into a comfortable slumber, a certain rest and calm. 

I have a mogra plant at my place and whenever it rains, that day comes clear in front of my eyes!

For a variety of room and car sprays, visit  

Godrejaer@www.godrejaer.com

For 'Inspire a fragrance'

Pics from-

http://www.himalayanexcursion.com/post_images/                                            

http://hqwide.com/nature-flowers-in-the-rain-wallpaper-25969/

Haiku by me

Bloom!

I love flowers for they make me feel so positive and hopeful about life! However, one uncivic thing that irritates me no bounds is our habit of plucking them. Today morning only I saw an elderly lady filling her entire 'puja thali' with various flowers. I felt like  telling her to stop but that would have resulted in a good quarrel and it would have been precocious on my part as well. 

Nature has produced them for a purpose, useless plucking must be discouraged right from an early age. This is what I feel and I am proud to say that I pluck flowers  very rarely, once in a blue moon that too when it becomes inevitable for the purpose.

Medium: Pencil Colours

A tag and an award!!

hiii!

I am presented with the Happy award by Sankoobaba. Thanks a lot for this honor :)

Along with this award, here are some rules.

Rules of this award:

1  Link to the person who gave it to you,

2. List 10 things that make you happy,

3. Pass it on to 10 happy bloggers.

4. Notify the nominees about this Happy Award.

So here is the list. These things make me happy!!!

1. I love animals especially puppies and cats bring an instant smile on my face :)
2. Gol-gappe  :P  *
3. Drawing and painting  :)
4. Reading on diverse topics  :)
5. Writing  :)
6. Colorful handicrafts- simply colorful art. Skill and design combined :)
7. Clicking photographs of nature and animals.  :)
8. Discussions and debates on varied topics  :)
9. Greenery and flowers **  :)
10. Smiling babies :)

* An Indian snack eaten with spicy water. also known as 'pani poori'.

** Unplucked ones. I hate plucking flowers.

Since this is a fun tag, whoever wishes can take it from my  blog!