Nature's rejuvenation programme !

It is raining (pouring) beautifully since last two days in Mumbai. Clearly, monsoon has finally arrived. What a flamboyant announcement! And like it always happens during the rains, the view from my room lulls me to the dreamy land! 

  

With the empty roads, endless streams of rains chortling through, rattling trees, the lightening rupturing the sky, raindrops chiming on windowsills steadily beating and breaking into tiny droplets dancing merrily, bouncing with glee, creating unstoppable rhythm, I get to witness an ethereal sound and light show! 

Remnants of raindrops clinging on the leaves and flowers glistening like jewels slide off gently. Rain has such magically soothing effect that with the very first drop of rain touching the bare skin, every single cell in the body feels rejuvenated!

The trees have adorned much greener and cleaner look and the brick wall of the compound looks a few shades brighter red. There is occasional, surprisingly loud chirp of the birds when the breeze bustles through the branches. The usually boisterous squirrel running over slosh of puddles makes a quick return to its burrow creating quite a commotion.  

On the ground lay the last summer blooms while some are still quivering on the branches, holding on to fleeting moments of hope. I gather the ones that are fallen and keep them away at the safe corner of the garden lest they get washed and ruined by rains. 

Like rains; emotions flood, heavy and intense, all the worries disappear, neurosis subsides and there is deep cleansing bringing calm, with a soothing, nourishing effect. There is mystic beauty in surrendering completely to that poignant experience.

The new tender leaves and buds erupting from the trees remind me it is time to part with what no more serves purpose in my life and focus on new beginnings. The experience is sublime and in those blissful moments when I experience my being in stillness, being aware of Nature, feeling it, interacting with it without uttering a single word, with open mind and receptive heart, there is nothing left to achieve. Life is just the way it should be. I am at peace, happy and content!

Horn. Ok. Please ! Highway on my mind!

Travelling on Indian highways is like hallucinatory potion of sound and spectacle; a potpourri of sensory overload, an exhilarating, unforgettable experience! I happened to travel a lot between Bombay and Gujarat, by road last week. For me, the experience is always a matter of huge interest, curiosity and immense enchantment! 

I am in complete awe of the trucks running on highway! No, my lunacy isn't infused with fresh bout of energy. You have read it right. I simply love observing trucks while travelling. I know, the incessant blaring horns from the truckers and their dangerously brash attitude clearly indicating that it is your job to avoid close encounters with them if you wish to stay alive irrespective of how their trucks are driven, creates frenetic chaos. But in spite of all that, I still admire interesting character those trucks bring on road. Each truck has a unique personality that tells a lot about the owner/driver and depicts some story.

I have great respect for the truckers (not for their driving skills) who despite their difficult circumstances of long hours of driving bring so much life on highways through some amazing art displayed on their vehicles. It is impossible to miss trucks of various sizes, painted in incredibly vibrant colours darting by if you are travelling by road in India. They are art galleries in motion; showcasing hand-made masterpieces of stunning illustrations, fascinating graphics and very unique indigenous typography, all hand painted by hundreds of unknown artists! How I wish I could take photographs of so many interesting trucks with vivid colours and quotes but with my car being driven at 120 kph, it was a huge challenge.  

The stress of driving on highway sometimes can get on your nerves but the interesting quotes on the back of the trucks keep you thoroughly entertained. The quotes/slogans are strategically written above the painting of village belles, scenic beauty, local/national heroes or God and Goddesses. In absence of any elaborate art work, the quotes are written at the center in bigger fonts. Most of the quotes are profoundly philosophical, some patriotic and socially relevant while some plain silly and truly hilarious and yet have mass appeal! 

Can you imagine how uninteresting and flat the drive on highway would be without those trucks with beautiful hand painted art and incessantly entertaining quotes? Let me share some of the best quotes I read that made me giggle throughout my travel. Pardon me for not providing the translation in English as the meaning would be really lost in translation. 

  

"Tanik dheere chalo, kaheki jaldi?"

"Maalik ki zindagi fruit aur cake pe, driver ki zindagi steering aur brake pe."

"Kaun kehta hain maut aayegi aur main mar jaaunga main to Dilli ka driver hoon, cut marke nikal jaaunga."

"Hasna mat varna pyaar ho jayega."

"Jatt risky after whisky"

"Chalo ek baar firse ajnabi ban jayen hum dono"

"Pass mat ana chhamiya kuch kuch ho jayega"

"Chalti hain Gadi udati hain dhool, nikalta hain paseena bikharte hain phool"

"Soch ke dekho saath kya jayega" 

"Kabhi sidese ati ho kabhi pichese ati ho,
meri jaan horn de de kar kyon muze satati ho"

"Kismat azma chuka muqadar azma raha hoon,
ek haseena ki khatir truck chala rahan hoon"

"Ya to muzse pyar kar, ya fir bardasht kar"

Do you remember any quote that has still stayed with you even after the journey got over? Please feel free to add them to the list! 
  

Going to my second homes !

Since last couple of days, the rhythm of our house is slightly off balance yet it has somehow managed to comply all the demands on time and energy. There is excitement in air as I am off to Baroda to attend "Upanayan Sanskar" (Yajñopavītam) in the family, followed by a very brief visit to Ahmedabad and a day's pilgrimage to our family deity. 

These days, my mind is consumed with nothing except what to wear for Yajñopavītam! I am utterly confused with options; which sari I should wear on what occasion, Chiffon, Silk or exclusive hand woven hand-loom cotton? Should I wear gold, diamonds or pearls in this scorching heat? If you are a woman and Indian, you would get the drift! No matter how planned things might be in advance, there are always some last minute changes that create high drama and add to the excitement. 

When it comes to attending any social occasion, I am absolutely thrilled! I love meeting relatives and extending family as it helps open up new realms of belonging and bonding. While there would be healthy dose fun and laughter, non-stop conversations and sharing, there would also be nostalgic moments tumbling out touching fragile and vulnerable spaces, especially while remembering my parents. 

Every time I visit Ahmedabad and Baroda; my second homes, I can't help thinking how time has just flown by. The cities where most of my life was spent have transformed and sometimes it makes me feel like an outsider. I often struggle to figure out where do I really belong? There are still remnants of my roots, associated with my identity in these two beautiful cities and loads of memories conjure up when I think about my life there till about a decade back but I miss the essence of these places that has diluted with time. I can't think about leaving Mumbai, the city where I currently live and absolutely at home with. 

While I cling to fragments of sense of belonging between these three cities with my identity bit hyphenated, I feel my home is where my heart is! And, despite all the changes, I feel at home wherever I go.  

Show me the "quick bucks"

"You must be very rich lady these days!" said Mrs. Nair, my neighbour, the moment she entered our house.

"?!?!" Alarmed and confused with exaggerated sugary sweet tone from someone who is known to be a snob, I tried to figure out what was coming.

"Stock market has reached 20,000 points na!!" 

"Yeah, it has. So?"

"Tell me, which stocks I should buy? " she asked with glint in her eyes. 

"Auntie, I am not a professional advisor on equities and currently, I am not buying any stocks."

"Oh come on, give me few tips. Don't I know how well you are doing in stock market?" She tried to cajole.

"Investing at current level is irrational and there are many factors responsible for any bull run like sentiment of the stock market, liquidity, FII flows, etc. Investing in direct equity needs good research and it is a risky asset class. Besides, stock market is very volatile these days. I am not sure if it is wise to enter the market at this stage"

"Oh! Don't you worry about that! You see, I don't mind taking risks. One has to take risks to earn money after all hain na?!"she persisted with big grin.

"Maybe, that is true but not before assessing every facet of the risk involved. I am an investor not a trader. My profile as long time investor would be completely different than someone playing the market for a short time."

"Profile??What profile???!!!"

"One needs to understand few basic things like what is the objective of the investment, time horizon one is looking for, risk appetite of the investor etc. before taking the plunge."

"Arre, don't bother about all those technical things dear. Who has got time to get into all that? I just want to take advantage of this teji (strong bull-run) and make some quick money. During last teji, my cousin Rajam earned big money and she now moves in a brand new sedan and has also booked a three bedroom flat in Banglore! And all she did was to consult her friend, who deals in shares just like you." 

"Wish it was that easy auntie." 

The conversation continued for next couple of minutes and I tried to convince Mrs. Nair to participate in stock market through SIP route once the market undergoes correction so that she would get the feel of how stocks behave. But Mrs. Nair left disappointed with some regret on her face for bringing bowl of payasam that did not  earn her any "tip" for stocks.     

Every time the stock market goes up, I end up having similar conversations with lot of people; friends, relatives, acquaintances and neighbours who just like Mrs. Nair, wish to invest in stocks without any prior knowledge or understanding of equity market. The difficult part is to convince them how investing in any asset class is not as simple as it sounds and that one needs to be extremely careful, prepared with thorough knowledge and understanding of every investment option. 

The major blunder people end up doing is to drool over reverie of making fortune in stocks, as if stock market is some magic wand to help them gain quick, handsome returns in short span. I am shocked by the mindless way people invest in 'hot picks" because some friend/neighbour/colleague/relative  recommends it! They invest recklessly as if oblivious to the fact that stock prices are subjected to erratic and random fluctuations depending on so many factors. 

The other day while going for work, my taxi driver overheard my conversation about stocks and he was curious to know how he could participate in the bull rally. It is not only people like him from lower financial strata and less educated class but also people from effluent, educated class make this enormous mistake to jump in stocks lured by greed and end up in financial harakiri.  

I am personally very bullish on equity as an asset class but to expect it to create magic as per my fancy would be a wrong premise. There is difference between creating wealth and making money and to create wealth in ethical way it takes time. Like life, there are no short cuts in stock market! Greed is good but not when it becomes unhealthy!

"One of the funny things about stock market is that every time one person buys, another sells and both think they are astute." William Feather

She is a mother too !!!

The girl looking after her little brother

It was during my visit to NGMA and other art galleries in that vicinity that I noticed this girl, barely ten, playing with a toddler. She seemed possessive about the treasure she had chanced upon; a brand new, good quality paper bag that could be used to hide her valuables. Between the footpath grill and trunk of a tree, a temporary cradle was made with a sari and her baby brother was asleep amidst all the chaos around. Members of her family were lazing around a few meters away; smoking and playing cards, completely unaware and least bothered about the preying glances this beautiful girl was receiving from the passersby.  

A vehicle passed blowing very loud horn that disturbed her little brother's sleep and made him cry but before this girl had time to realize it, a stick was hurled in her direction followed by choicest of abuse. A sinewy looking father figure from the group playing cards barked at her and the girl flinched rushing to the brother. The verbal abuse continued to grow till the baby brother was quiet. Within seconds that innocent girl transformed into a woman with great responsibility on her shoulder. Her smile vanished, her face saddened with the dreadful possibilities of what lay ahead for her.

Every time I happen to witness such incidents my heart skips a beat. As a photographer, there is always a line that I don't wish to cross lest I intrude life of people and that would be unethical. I wanted to click this girl's photograph while she was playing with the toddler, lost in her beautiful little world in backdrop of hustle and bustle on the road. While I waited patiently for the right moment to click, I was left with nothing but a disconsolate picture, wrapped in threadbare of contrived hope. The picture need not necessarily capture and explore depths of her story pregnant within because there comes a point when moral dilemma makes me question myself if I am devouring others' suffering. There is an invisible line which as a photographer, I would never like to cross.

There are millions of girls like her on the roads in India. What is the big deal about this little girl? Well, it was yesterday, on Mother's day that I spotted this girl. Since morning, I had read some amazing tributes to Mother on social networking sites. Here was a girl who herself was just a child but was forced to be a mother because of sheer destiny. There was very thin, amorphous line between her innocent self and her transformed grown up version that I had just witnessed. One question that kept haunting me was how long her innocence would stay intact.

Far too often, twang laden educated air engulfs our collective views about people like this girl and we tend to easily suspend their very existence! An 'educated" air with bloated ego that we often carry is devoid of basic understanding and respect we could accord to fellow human beings. People like this girl don't have luxury of lullabies, birthday parties or throwing tantrums. They are expected to quietly take the path of enduring fate and completely surrender to it. Their life is nothing but sardonic pastiche, a mute testimony to a vicious cauldron of urban destitution. Often, the city is too engrossed to listen to their silent screams of decay in humanity.  

When I left, I had no words to pay tribute to this little mother as all the touching tributes that I had read that morning seemed to pale after I saw this little angel!