I was looking outside my window on Sunday, waiting to go for the rock show performances later that evening. Suddenly, a car stopped on the road opposite my house (MH-04-AC-XXX). A lady got out of the passenger seat and went to the back seat to pull out a foul smelling package containing stale food, and she dumped it on the road. The road has clear hoardings talking about keeping it clean. The lady seemed decently educated but she didn’t think one bit before using the stretch of road as her dumping ground. Idiots, I thought.

Later, when I went to Carter Road for the show, I saw that very same lady there. The theme of Celebrate Bandra this year is Go Green but somehow trashing the road doesn’t seem to appeal to the civic sense of some people around. Shame, shame! I pity the organizers who have taken pains to improve this part of Mumbai that is still being abused by a bunch of educated fools.

I had a beautiful evening at the U. Srinivas and Pt Shivkumar Sharma concert. It was food for the soul

The Times Group has organized the Bandra Festival. This festival covers a lot of cultural activities and these are held around this suburb. I attended a classical music recitcal by U. Srinivas (he plays the mandolin in carnatic style) and by Pt. Shivkumar Sharma (his name is synonymous to the Santoor) at the Bandra Fort on the special occasion of Dhanteras. I dragged 2 loyal friends along and I am sure that they are still cursing me for doing that…hehe! We had no passes but we took a chance and actually found ourselves seated ‘comfortably numb’ in the second row of the amphitheatre. The winding path to the amphitheatre was lit with colorful lanterns and diyas adding to the festive spirit. The pookalam, the backdrop and the lighting were apt for the evening and the special day.

The concert was attended by people of all age groups, from every community and from all walks of life with a common interest – music. Music truly brings us all together.

I had never attended an Indian classical music concert before and I found it to be a soul enriching experience. Seeing the maestros perform and their jugalbandi with their respective groupmates was such an amazing experience. I can only imagine the kind of dedication these Padmashree award winners have towards their music. One feels proud of this nation for producing such gems!

But the evening also showed me another side of a musician..that of a novice and a struggler who is at the mercy of labels and sponsors to get there for his 5 seconds of fame. I hope every true and sincere person finds his spot under the sky.

My friends had some other commitments and had to leave mid-way. After the concert, I met Tarun and his friends – Bharath, Sumit and Anu there and we went for some nice Lebanese food Sweet people, they all are!

Happy Dhanteras!

This year too, she’s sent a plate with the best home-made goodies. There are kal kals, chocolates, plum cake and awesome marzipan.

So here we are, the sweets and I, alone…

Shibani: Yummy sweets
Marzipan: Thank you
S: D’uh! Did someone say something?
M: Yes, I did. I’m Ms Marzipan.
S: What the #$&@! I think I’m having a sugar rush. I shouldn’t have had all those chocolates.
M: Aah, I don’t know but you could take a bite of me too.
S: Ok! Enough! This is creepy! I know I need sleep n I’ve been hogging way too much…lemme put on some music. I didn’t think a day would come when food would talk to me.
M: Nice idea! I want to listen to George Michael’s Last Christmas
S: FINE, FOOD! FREAK ME OUT!
M: Relax! How were the kal kals? You ate them with a very greedy look on your face. It was quite a sight.
S: (grins) Yeah, they were good. My neighbour should send more.
M: What’s next now? Take a bite of my clan, we were moulded just this morning. Your old neighbour woke up at seven to prepare us for our day’s work.
S: Really? She’s been working that hard for the sweets? I hogged most of them in under 2 minutes.
M: Hmm…
S: You know what Marzi, I am not gonna eat you.
M: WHY?
S: I don’t feel like.
M: Hey, you are supposed to do that..eat us. You love us. In fact, I heard you saying that you preferred us to anyone else on this platter.
S: I do, trust me, I do but I need to control my diet. I am putting on weight.
M: That’s ok. You can diet tomorrow. You know, I am the best that you’ve ever had till now…ever in your life.
S: (gulps down a mouthful of drool) I can imagine. I am getting tyres, you see. FAT is not good.
M: Well, think again. That gentle soul, your neighbour bought the choicest cashews from Goa when she was there last month for her grandson’s 3rd birthday. She fought with her daughter-in-law who was acting bossy, and slipped to the market by the music equipment shop. There she bargained and actually paid a little more. She sneaked us back to your building and has been up all day kneading and moulding us.
S: Yaar, kya musibat hai! Aaj kal food bhi senti deta hai!
M: Do you want to disappoint your neighbour?
S: NO! But I haven’t been to the gym in more than a month. I can’t allow myself to be carried away. Thank you, Aunty but I need to exercise some kind of self-control. If I allow myself to be lead now, then I’ll end up eating everything and looking like a fat oaf. I cannot just binge. No, not, non, neigh, nyaah. I am not eating you. That’s final!

What happened in the next few seconds cannot be explained. There were some confused and awkward movements but there was no more marzipan left. After the crime was committed, Guilt arose, patted my back and belly and eventually said ‘Well done, you ate those too’.

It’s not my fault. It’s the food…it entices me into eating it.

Here’s wishing all a very Merry Christmas

Here’s a pic of my chota sa X’mas tree. My lovely neighbours gifted us a plate of yummy x’mas sweets that you can see. Wishing everyone a very joyous & peaceful Christmas.

I went with mom to the local market to see the lights and festivities. Everything was so decorative and beautiful. I was in a convent school and we used to celebrate X’mas in a big way – with mass, carols, skits and various different competitions. I missed all this when I entered college. Even after that, there wasn’t too much of a celebration. But last week, we had a Christmas & New Year party in office and 1 of the guys was made to be our Santa Claus! I voluntered to decorate the place and we got gifts. Besides lovely food, we also had games with the entire office participating. It was just like when I was a kid. To add to the mood, I saw some animated movie called ‘Life and adventures of Santa Claus’.

One of my all-time favourite Christmas carols has been ‘Silent Night’ and below is something that I googled up:

‘The origin of the Christmas carol we know as Silent Night was a poem that was written in 1816 by an Austrian priest called Joseph Mohr. On Christmas Eve in 1818 in the small alpine village called Oberndorf it is reputed that the organ at St. Nicholas Church had broken. Joseph Mohr gave the poem of Silent Night (Stille Nacht) to his friend Franz Xavier Gruber and the melody for Silent Night was composed with this in mind. The music to Silent Night was therefore intended for a guitar and the simple score was finished in time for Midnight Mass. Silent Night is the most famous Christmas carol of all time!’

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

Christmas is a time to love and a time to forgive. For me, the evening was spent with these thoughts and some memories of some good old times. Also to think a bit more on what I am doing and where I am going…

Merry Christmas!