learnings

and for the bigger interruptions in the path of of life, you just have to wait and let them pass.

the giver

and like the tree

she lived.
giving comfort,

shade, clean air,

fruit, a home.

she gave to all,
to rich, to poor -

she gave,

to good, to bad

unreservedly,

wholeheartedly.

she lived,

happily, giving quietly,

she died.

giving quietly.

good enough!

aaji, i once asked my granny,
do you think this dress is too good (expensive)?

"what is more valuable than ourselves?
nothing material is too good."

words of wisdom from my grandmom.
how i wish i could talk to her today.

instead of hiding my real self like
a thief stealing from life,
i'd walk proud and strong,
not being ashamed to be me.

i'd always be good enough.

ajanta caves

crafted with love and care and patience. the stone pillow too has been softened with faith to form a soft cushion for the buddha's sleeping head. the ajanta caves were a joy to behold. to think they were forgotten for centuries together before being discovered...the caves are surprisingly well maintained, with eco-friendly buses leading upto them from the car park below.

usha uthup - an original

had usha uthup, one of india's leading singers asked for advice from a pr person before launching on her singing career, no doubt she'd have been advised to dress the part. slim down, wear western clothes...here she is 40 years later. herself. in sarees, flowers in her hair, bangles on her wrists, rocking it like no one else.

truly an inspiring original!

the paithanis

the paithani is a much admired, historic weave from maharashtra. festive, opulent, bright and celebratory. and expensive. orignially, they were made using pure gold thread for the embroidery. the designs are painstakingly converted into the final form after days of labouring by highly skilled weavers. nowadays, a lot of them are made on power looms, making them affordable to a wider range of women. here are some from a recent gathering. the purples do seem to be the most popular.

work is worship

we were taken to a corrugated box factory yesterday, as part of a course i'm doing. the bus meandered through the garbage and slums of goregaon east industrial galas to stop before what looked like an overflowing gutter. we had to dodge through dirty water and waste paper to make our way to what looked like one machine in a hut. that lead to another little room, and yet another machine, towards yet another room and yet another machine - there were rooms and machines to cut, stick, fabricate, crease and print boxes.

the workers were listening to religious music, oblivious to all but the task at hand. the young man running this operation was guiding them with such dedication and devotion. to quality and to the job at hand. work is worship. it was humbling to say the least.