Aadrika

As I write today

It has indeed been a while, 

What better to write about

Than the most gorgeous smile. 

Sometimes cheery, 

Sometimes whiny,

Sometimes chirpy,

Sometimes fiery. 

Her priceless expressions

And her silky hair strands

She often holds my face

With her teeny weeny hands. 

Happy and content in a world of her own,

She seldom makes a noise.

Surprised I often am,

By her maturity and poise.

Those beautiful eyes,

Do leave us beguiled. 

Her stories and her imagination 

Often run wild. 

Sometimes Princess Elsa, 

Sometimes Peppa Pig

Sometimes a cute kitty,

She does know her gig.   

Her fondness for Pink

Is widely known. 

Rose, Baby, Hot and Magenta

Your mind will be blown. 

Her acts are adorable.

Today she turns three

It's a blessed day for us,

The youngest in our family tree. 

Ahaan

Waited with bated breath,

Outside the operation theater.

Expending time was impossible,

The news kept getting pushed...for later.

The mood ecstatic

And spirits high

Anxious I was,

I wouldn’t lie.

Our statuses elevated

As he cried.

The 9th day of October 2013

Ahaan arrived.

The formalities...

“Father: Mohit” and “Mother:Tanu”

The insipid had become exciting

He was our ‘Happy Blue’.

The wrapped frame,

The innocent eyes,

The tender hands,

And soft cries.

The embrace so fulfilling.

The touch so complete.

It’s beyond words,

Happiness was replete.

Each moment since then

Has been  loaded with joy.

For the impatient soul like me

The sleepless nights do annoy. :-)

But, his serene sleep

As he rests in his signature style

That iota of irritation vanishes

As he flashes  that toothless smile...

Have wondered often,

What makes us happy

Without being philosophical,

Got my answer, albeit differently. :)

The fact is...unfortunate

A lot has been discussed, debated, dissected and deliberated upon the issue of sexual harassment of Indian women. The following is not an attempt to be prophetic on this issue. It is an earnest attempt to understand the root cause of the problem. However, before I share my point of view, let me state one thing upfront- I am not a sociologist. In fact, I am far from being one.  The following is simply my interpretation and understanding of the issue, which may sometimes be stymied by my limited IQ or my hailing from a certain socio-economic background or my overall exposure to worldly affairs.

It has been more than sixty years since India became independent and almost equally long since the constitution came into being. The problems that a country faces generally change with time. However, few issues have remained constant over time. Among others, one issue that law makers and guardians of the constitution tried solving then and that continues to occupy center stage even today is the upliftment of women. And, one of the important manifestations of this issue, which has plagued our society since time immemorial, is the sexual harassment of women. If I were to sum up all that is happening in one word, the least I’d say that it is unfortunate.

The other day I was reading about the President of the United States, Barack Obama, taking out the First Lady out for a dinner date on Valentine’s Day. Mind you, the restaurant was owned by a celebrity chef. Before you start thinking about this being a frivolous piece of information on a matter so serious, I’d say take a moment and think again. I know that Valentine’s Day, which falls on the day of commemoration of Saint Valentine, is a largely western concept. So, I don’t expect Indians to celebrate this day. Neither do I expect Indians to be tolerant of the ‘westernization’ of the society. Nor do I have any expectations of Indian politicians expressing their feelings of love for their spouses in public. However, I certainly expect that tomorrow if an Indian politician were to pull off an Obama and wished his/ her spouse on the occasion of Valentine’s Day via Twitter, it would, in all probability, become a matter of national security for us.

And, this is where I think the problem lies. Our society is still not ready to treat women equally. Our society is not ready for us to show our love, affection and care for the women we love. Since our politicians and our politics are a reflection of the society that we live in, if our society is hypocritical on the issue of upliftment of women, which I believe to be unfortunately true, our politics and our politicians are bound to show the same characteristics. The fact that we do not have a uniform civil code till date, the fact that women reservation bill is only debated upon and never sees the light of the day, the fact that feudalism and the feudal mindset are still rampant, the fact that those who sincerely believe and work towards women upliftment form a minority, the fact that women get raped in police premises and the fact that my examples form a never ending list go on to prove, that how so much ever disgusting and shameful it may sound, sexual harassment of women is bound to continue. 

Thank you, Tanu

Time seems to fly

A year has gone by.

In hindsight, I marvel in delight

For the scorching sun has given way to soothing moonlight.

Through highs and lows and crests and troughs,

And particularly when the weather was rough,

Your reassuring presence,

Proved to be life’s essence.

My ability to wade through challenges and grief,

Has been because of your unwavering belief.

The Mayan calendar says that the world will end soon

Who cares; when you are by my side during morning, evening and noon.

The world would have been blue,

Had it not been for you.

Thank you!

Hypocrisy abound

As the Middle East simmers with uprisings against tyranny and as the West, the so called flag bearers of democracy, ‘supports’ the people in their quest against the despotic rule, I can’t help but wonder if the West’s foreign policy is the real and the complete truth or, just the tip of the iceberg or, an absolute sham.

The politics of opportunism continues to be practiced unabated. We find so many instances when we compare how the foreign policy of the West, especially the US, has undergone a dramatic shift in the last two decades. To not expect a change in the foreign policy would be foolish. However, the shift that I am talking about is more seminal and alarming. After the Tiananmen Square massacre, Henry Kissinger wrote (quoting from the book “Shock Doctrine”) - “No government in the world would have tolerated having the main square of its capital occupied for eight weeks by tens of thousands of demonstrators… a crackdown was therefore inevitable”. The protestors in Egypt were also demonstrating in the main square. If what the Communist party in China did was the last resort, then Hosni Mubarak was damn right in what he did. If what China did in 1989 was justified, then so are the crackdowns in Syria and Bahrain unless of course the lives of Chinese people was any cheaper than the lives of the Middle Easterners. What is also worth noticing is that the West has not openly come out in favor of the protestors in Bahrain. I am sure they could have overlooked a tiny nation with a handful population. And, it could have been just a mere coincidence that Bahrain houses the Vth Naval Fleet of the US. I guess my inability to understand the difference in the nature of the uprisings and the difference in the attitude of the West towards each of these uprisings can only be attributed to my limited mental faculties.

How come we never heard about the West ridiculing Saudi Arabia of its regulated control of media and of its unequal rights of women? On the contrary, the West pounces at the slightest of opportunities to ridicule China for its strict control of the media and its abuse of human rights. It could again be a coincidence that Saudi Arabia is the strongest US ally in the Middle East and plays a crucial role in the OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries). I guess the West had been waiting for the people of the Middle East to start the revolution before it could support them to overthrow the undemocratic rule. Rightly so because when it decided to be foolishly decisive in Afghanistan and Iraq, it created a bigger mess than it could have possibly fathomed. Looks like the cries for a revolution in China are either very few or, they have been curtailed well or, they are simmering and one day the volcano will erupt. Whatever is the reason, I can only wonder at how proactive the West is when it comes to China. ;-)

The Qwerty Keyboard and the associated risks…

Disclaimer- For the record, this write-up is non- family safe. Reader discretion advised.

The first thing that we often ask a person before moving ahead with chatting online is “Are you busy?” This courtesy becomes all the more important if the chatting is happening in a professional set up. If there’s a typo, “busy” could become “busty” as the letter “T” is just before “Y” on the keyboard. So, the courteous statement will metamorphose into an outrageous question and will read like this- “Are you busty?” If the person at the other end is a woman, under normal circumstances, I would lose my dignity by asking such a question. In addition to this, she would also question my ability to comprehend and my understanding of the female anatomy. Either ways I am screwed. My situation would have become even worse if the person at the other end is a man. In addition to losing my dignity, such a typo would have put my entire orientation at stake.

Let me not get into the Freudian slip bit here. Trust me, when I say that with “I” and “U” being next to each other does not help my cause. On one occasion, I wanted to ask my colleague- “How long is your list of people”. I ended up typing, “How long is you lust for people?” Again, how stupid of me to try to quantify something that is unquantifiable. ;-) Two, it can’t be more inappropriate of me to ask such a personal question.

Then it was my turn to be “busy”. So, when I received a ping, I simply wanted to say “gimme a sec”. Instead, I ended up typing, “gimme a sex”. With “C” and “X” next to each other…argh!!! What was I thinking for heaven’s sake?

It does not end here. At least in each of the above cases, I read my pings and corrected what could have otherwise been a career limiting faux pas. In a personal correspondence, I wrote to someone, “I ran some errands and also got me some MILF”. Of course, I wanted to say, “I ran some errands and got myself some MILK”. I don’t even have the excuse of saying that the letter “F” appears next to the letter “K” on the keyboard. It indeed led to some impression formation. :(

I never knew that even untimely “spaces” can lead to a simple phrase having a sexual reference. Consider this simple question-“What about it?” Now consider this-“What abou tit?” The second question may not have a specific meaning. But, it certainly has a derogatory sexual reference. :(

I am sure Christopher Sholes, who invented the QWERTY keyboard, would have committed suicide if he had seen how potentially hazardous his invention could be. These incidents have made me extra careful when I type. I purposely wanted this write up to turn out the way it did. By now you would have realized the importance of proof reading what you type during any digital text exchange –be it email, chat or, SMS. Happy typing! :)

An Ode to Europe- with Vijay and Vineet

SINGAPORE to AMSTERDAM (3rd Dec)
When I reached the airport and saw the passenger queue
All I could muster was a “phew”.
The meandering line knew no end
People glared if you missed a bend.
I was the fourth last to board that flight
It was a close call in hindsight.
My flight was uneventful- nothing new
I slept and ate well; there was nothing else to do.

AMSTERDAM AIRPORT (4th Dec morning)
Reached Amsterdam at 6:30 in the morning
It was the beginning of the trip that I had been longing
Cleared immigration and waited for my luggage
More…some more and there was no sign of my baggage.
“Mr. Rajkumar?” asked a service attendant,
“I am” I said, with smile abundant.
My smile didn’t last long, when I was told
That my bag didn’t arrive in that freezing cold.
I came up with the obvious exclamation
And she came up with a ‘comforting’ explanation.
“What next?”, I enquired almost panicking
I didn’t have much winter clothing.
“60 Euros” was her reply,
“You must be kidding me” came out almost as a cry.
After some logical arguments she realized,
That I couldn’t get much with clothing highly priced.
200 Euros was what we settled for
To not turn into an icicle before returning to Singapore.
Dressed in pajamas, slippers and a t-shirt- I was a sight
Wading through the icy burst required some might.
Got myself a pair of jeans, shoes and a sweater
It did make me warm in that freezing weather.
And I couldn’t reach Vineet (who was flying in from London)
Didn’t know how and where to meet.
Vijay’s flight (from Barcelona) got cancelled, I found
My worst fears began to hound.
Called Vijay and got an update
A flash strike had happened, oh come on mate.
This wasn’t the perfect beginning, I thought
Was this a conspiracy or some kinda plot?
After roaming for some more time in sorrow
Spotted Vineet at a telephone booth, and we hugged as if there were no tomorrow.

AMSTERDAM (4th Dec)
It started snowing heavily, but our spirits didn’t sag
After all, we are not yet an old hag. :-)
Our first stop was the Anne Frank House
Sadness is the feeling this saga will arouse.
The story of a Jewish family in the Nazi days
As it lived through fear and haze.
Then we went to the famous Van Gogh
We gazed at his creations in awe.
He died young; his art knew no end.
With more than 900 paintings, he is a legend.
After some aimless wandering, we called it a day
This place would have been even more beautiful, if it had been May.

AMSTERDAM (5th Dec)
Got two pieces of good news the next morning,
My bag had arrived and Vijay was coming.
The weather improved as it was a nice beginning
The sun came out, warm and beaming.
Some Dutch cuisine for brunch was what we wanted
So, we found and went to this place but found it deserted.
To our utter dismay
Closed was the local market since it was Sunday.
We settled for an Italian lunch instead
Comprising of delectable lasagnea, salad and bread.
We then went on a ferry cruise
The city looked beautiful in the evening hues.
I was pleasantly surprised to see
How evolved the inland waterways were in the city.
As evening descended, we chose our next spot
It was the museum of sex and we had to stop.
It uncovered the world of sexual mystery
Surprisingly, it had a lot of history.
Sculptures, photos, and mannequins abound
We laughed at a few as we moved around.
It was unique in its own way
We came out more educated, I must say ;-)
Post dinner, we went to a place that sold pot
While in Sin City, we had to give it a shot.
We were novices and had never rolled a joint
But who cared, and that was the best point.
In the next one hour we puffed and laughed,
And disowned each other when we coughed. 
It was time to venture deep
The red light district was worth taking a peep.
With men and women both thronging the place
Your wildest fantasies are set ablaze.

BERLIN (6th Dec)
While Amsterdam was relaxed and easy going
Berlin was certainly more fast moving.
The city had been the lynchpin
Of modern history and the times we are in.
The monuments (Reichstag, Holocaust-Denkmal, Brandenburger Tor) are indeed a sight
Some witnesses of the Nazi power, some of the Jew plight.
The Checkpoint Museum Charlie and the Berlin Wall remains
Tell the story of the cold war and its pains.
Later we went to the Sony Center,
It’s very modern with its swanky architecture.
In that freezing cold we were having a good time
The day had to be ended with some German wine.
So, for dinner, we found a place that offered German food
A cozy small house setting, it suited our mood.

BERLIN (7th Dec)
To experience world cultures at a single site
Pergamon museum was the obvious choice.
I found myself wanting in more ways than one
To appreciate what it offered, the experience was so wholesome.
We saw the beautiful Roman and Greek sculptures
And, peeked into Egyptian and Mesopotamian cultures.
There was little time and so much to see
Rushing through this museum would be a pity.

Paris (Evening of 7th Dec)
Paris was more a transit point than a destination
In our choc-o-block itinerary though, it had to find a mention.
As Vijay and I headed for Paris, Vineet left for London
He could not join us in the land of Moet and Chandon.
By the time we reached the hotel, it was ten thirty
We set out to check out the Eiffel Tower’s beauty.
It was drizzling and it was nippy
So what- we were determined and gritty.
I had never imagined that iron and steel
Could be so raw, so naked and yet so preen.
Every iota of effort was worth it
To see the towering structure glitteringly lit.

Paris (8th Dec)
We visited the famous Pantheon first
It’s a beauty to satiate your spiritual thirst.
Our next stop was The Louvre- an unparalleled artistic abode
Though, we weren’t there to solve the Da Vinci code. ;-)
The museum is huge
It experiences people’s deluge.
I had not seen such a huge art collection before
The audio guide came to our rescue as we assimilated some more.
We saw the biggest wall painting that had been made
The famous Mona Lisa was there, and a tribute we paid.
On a different note, I can’t help but mention
French women are worth all the attention.
Those lovely ladies, if they smilingly greet,
Your heart is bound to skip a beat.
A couple of hours flew by as it was time for us to leave
When we checked the ticket, I found that it was not from Orly but Beauvais.
How could I miss such an important detail?
I guess I was too excited or, my memory had gone frail.
Beauvais was way outside the city
Neither did we get a bus, nor a taxi.
Called Vineet to find out other options for a flight
There was one from Orly, later that night.
The city seemed to have come to a standstill,
And Paris was not all that exciting in that December chill.
After a long wait we found a cab- eventually
Our driver waded through the inching traffic skillfully.
I had seldom seen Vijay sweat and fret
Guess this was one such occasion, you bet.
Finally, we reached Paris Orly
Though, our happiness lasted only momentarily.
We soon found out that our new flight was canceled
And our hopes to reach Barcelona that day fizzled.
We got our tickets for next day’s evening flight
Could anyone have expected this plight?
We decided to put this episode behind us
But, there was no way to go to the city in a train, cab or bus.
Hotels near the airport were prohibitively expensive
And all we had was the airport to live.
Slept or, rather barely slept that night
The ordeal’s end seemed nowhere in sight.

Paris (9th Dec)
The next morning was sunny and bright
We had time for some more sightseeing as we had an evening flight.
Found a locker for our luggage and so we dumped
Last evening was over and we were pumped.
The Cathedral of Notre Dame, next to river Siene, was the first place we went
Though thronged by many, it was serene and quaint.
The department of justice was what was next
We did not know what to see there and soon we left. :-)
The Conciergerie was next in line
A palace and a prison, it had stood for a long time.
Our lunch at a French café was a delight
It was perfect to relax and enjoy the sunlight.
Not wanting to take a chance and so we started early
For our flight from Paris Orly.
Thanked God for no more surprises this time
Else, I surely would’ve blown the top of mine
By the time we reached Barcelona, we needed some rest,
Though, Vijay got busy with the preparation for his test.

Barcelona (10th Dec)
Barcelona weather was a respite from the icy cold
The city was more refreshing compared to what I was told.
While Vijay’s coursework kept him busy,
The land of Gaudi and Picasso waited for me.
Picasso museum was what I first visited
Times that he lived in, were what his paintings reflected.
The genius of the man stood tall,
From canvas to ceramic, he experimented it all.
Antoni Gaudi is unarguably the most famous Spanish architect
The Sagrada Familia is a testament to why he is the best.
Each carving in that church showed his finesse and precision
Revolutionary for his times were his ideas and vision.
The streets of Barcelona have a very different feel
People are warm, relaxed and genteel.
In the evening I visited Park Guell
It’s yet another Gaudi marvel.
Oldies, youngsters and children one can see
The beautiful ocean at a distance and the glittering city.

Barcelona (11th Dec)
The next morning I took the cable car to visit the famous Montjuic fort
A witness to changing times, as it oversaw the port.
It had canons all over and one could easily gauge
That it protected the city from the enemy’s rage.
I went for a stroll- in and around
It was serene and there was silence abound.
The woods in the vicinity had many birds
The silence only broken by their occasional chirps.
Not far from the fort was the Museum of Art
Didn’t enter- just sat outside and enjoyed as it turned dark.
Vijay was done with his assignments so he also stepped out
His spirits were high, in spite of lack of sleep, without any doubt.
The street of Les Rambles had a carnival like feel
One can spend an entire night there; it would be no big deal.
We tried out some Tapas which turned out to be mouth-watering
It marked the perfect beginning to the evening.
While in Barcelona, I could not have missed the Flamenco
The performance was mesmerizing as it gained some tempo.
Everyone in the room had their eyes glued
As the artists’ hands clapped and their feet moved.
Freak out was the mantra that night, any excuse would have been lame,
If we had given in to our tiredness and slept, it would have been a shame.
The idea was not to be in a state of inebriety
But we had to go to Espit Chupitos for its shots and their variety (580 in number).
Each shot was unique- flaming or non-flaming
We started discussing business ideas (ha ha) as we started consuming.
I guess we had 4 each, honestly I lost count.
Each shot was fun; the bartender’s skills were paramount.
There was a slight buzz as we stepped out
The night was still young; there was a lot of crowd.
Without a discotheque, the experience would have been incomplete,
It was our last stop that evening and fun had been replete.

Return to Singapore (12th Dec)
I pined for more as I hadn’t experienced anything like this before
But, it was time for me to return to Singapore.
It felt like a hurricane dream where we experienced so much
I promised I’d visit Europe soon, its beauty was such.
Glad you made it to the end of this Mohithon
I guess I could have just gone on and on and on. :-)