Absolute joy!

Ya, ya, I am again writing about my angel, my daughter. As I already wrote in one of my posts, it is amazing to see a child grow. To be precise, to see a baby grow :-)

My angel is a storehouse of energy. She is always so so active, can't believe it! She is never interested in getting her tummy full and her little head is always thinking of some mischief or is getting curious about something.

When I see her taking little steps, I remember how she used to kick :-)....we were so curious to go to the ultrasounds. We were curious to see her growing and figuring out her nose, her elbows, her hands, her feet...Oh my God, we were so curious.

Back home in India, everybody says that may be when I was expecting I was also very active and not taking enough rest, and that's why my angel is also ever playful n energetic...funny!!! Sometimes I think does these things matter...

Anyways, it is really bliss to have a child and see it grow, learning one small thing everyday, making you love it more n more each second.


It's an absolute joy to have you, my angel. God bless you always :-)

Visiting South of France

Amazingly rich and beautiful, are the words I would use to describe South of France, where I am currently for sort of holidays(well, holidays for me and Avni while work for Shishir).

Staying in an apartment in Antibes, overlooking the harbour and snowy mountains in the background is like a dream coming true. I often wonder, did I dream anything like this at all....well, certainly NO. It's all God's grace that I am able to visit all these beautiful places.

In a span of 10 days, I visited Antibes, Juan le Pins (said as Jhua le Pa in French), Mousins (said as Mousha in French), Cannes, Monaco and Saint Tropez. This part of France along the Mediterranean sea is known as French Riviera (in English) or Cote d' Azur (in French).

....to be continues with photos soon.

ज़रा पाने की चाहत में

ज़रा पाने की चाहत में, बहुत कुछ छूट जाता है,
न जाने सब्र का धागा, कहाँ पर टूट जाता है।

किसे हमराह कहते हो, यहाँ तो अपना साया भी,
कहीं पर साथ चलता है, कहीं पर छूट जाता है।

ग़नीमत है नगर वालों, लुटेरों से लुटे हो तुम,
हमें तो गाँव में अक्सर, दरोगा लूट जाता है।

अजब शै हैं ये रिश्ते भी, बहुत मज़बूत लगते हैं,
ज़रा-सी भूल से लेकिन, भरोसा टूट जाता है।

बमुश्किल हम मुहब्बत के दफ़ीने खोज पाते हैं,
मगर हर बार ये दौलत, सिकंदर लूट जाता है।

-Alok Srivastava
(collected from anubhuti-hindi.org)

Real Happiness

Happiness is that which is ever lasting, which depends on no external factor, which is one's own possession, which is unvarying and which constitutes one's very self. That alone is real happiness.

-Hanumanprasad Poddar in 'Beyond the Veil'

जो बीत गई सो बात गई

जीवन में एक सितारा था
माना वह बेहद प्यारा था
वह डूब गया तो डूब गया
अंबर के आंगन को देखो
कितने इसके तारे टूटे
कितने इसके प्यारे छूटे
जो छूट गए फ़िर कहाँ मिले
पर बोलो टूटे तारों पर
कब अंबर शोक मनाता है
जो बीत गई सो बात गई

जीवन में वह था एक कुसुम
थे उस पर नित्य निछावर तुम
वह सूख गया तो सूख गया
मधुबन की छाती को देखो
सूखी कितनी इसकी कलियाँ
मुरझाईं कितनी वल्लरियाँ
जो मुरझाईं फ़िर कहाँ खिलीं
पर बोलो सूखे फूलों पर
कब मधुबन शोर मचाता है
जो बीत गई सो बात गई

जीवन में मधु का प्याला था
तुमने तन मन दे डाला था
वह टूट गया तो टूट गया
मदिरालय का आंगन देखो
कितने प्याले हिल जाते हैं
गिर मिट्टी में मिल जाते हैं
जो गिरते हैं कब उठते हैं
पर बोलो टूटे प्यालों पर
कब मदिरालय पछताता है
जो बीत गई सो बात गई

मृदु मिट्टी के बने हुए हैं
मधु घट फूटा ही करते हैं
लघु जीवन ले कर आए हैं
प्याले टूटा ही करते हैं
फ़िर भी मदिरालय के अन्दर
मधु के घट हैं,मधु प्याले हैं
जो मादकता के मारे हैं
वे मधु लूटा ही करते हैं
वह कच्चा पीने वाला है
जिसकी ममता घट प्यालों पर
जो सच्चे मधु से जला हुआ
कब रोता है चिल्लाता है
जो बीत गई सो बात गई

— हरिवंशराय बच्चन

I love you betu....

This is about and for my lil girl who just turned one. She is an angel for me. She is my cutie pie. She is adorable and each of her actions is just lovable.

She has started eating things with her hand (ofcourse she spills more than she is able to eat), and I can spend hours watching how her lil teeth cut the bytes. She also wants to put some bytes in my mouth and oh, my God that is so so cute. I just love her.

Today I took her to show ducks and feed them some bread. I parked her pram a little far from the bridge under which there are many ducks and even sea gulls like birds. I took a bread out of the bag of the pram and my lil one saw it. Then we went on the bridge and threw some bread in the water, quickly many ducks came swimming fast, even flying snatching the bread from one another. When the bread finished, my lil one pointed to the pram, like she was saying, "hey mamma, take one more bread out of that"! and I was so much in wonder that she remembered that I took the bread out of the bag.....I was all in smiles and love for her.

The art of raising a child

Recently I have been realizing that raising a child is an 'art'. I hope I am able to get my thoughts organized in this blog because there is so much to write (and simultaneously understand and think). This post has all that I am feeling nowadays. It is what I have been listening from various sources, it is what I have been reading, it is what I am thinking about and trying to figure out.

Birth of a child brings so much happiness, and more than that it bring responsibility. But initially, happiness owerpowers the responsibility factor. It is gradually realized that the baby is not a toy/or only a source of joy, you as parents are so much the determining force and factor in its life that you are 'RESPONSIBLE'. This does not mean that you become responsible. Atleast to me the meaning of real responsiblity is sinking in now, now my baby, my angel is one and I am constantly, each day realizing that yes, I am supposed to bring discipline in myself, in my life so that I become responsible and competent enough to make my child an amazing human being and a successful, happy person.

Sometimes I wonder that there is a very fine line between discipline and loving your baby. Most of the first-time parents love their child so much that they tend to overlook the discipline factor. No doubt, the child needs lots and lots of love and warmth. But the discipline should always be present. It does not mean enforcing it through scoldings or even beating your baby, it can come through just one look and the baby should know 'NO'.

* I will keep writing to this post as I have to organize my thoughts and everyday is a new experience, hence can not really finish this one.