Nov 17, 2013

She is a 100% Mom! Are you?


"Aditya, don't be stubborn!", Screamed his mom, Radhika at the side of the road where he wanted to fancy the colorful kulfi flavors. Radhika was furious because she didn't want to lose her control and make a scene in public. Otherwise meek and well-behaved Aditya was acting weird these days and he was developing a temptation to all roadside snacks especially the cold stuff like ice-creams, kulfi, barf ka gola, neebu paani etc. But was she very worried? Read on to know more!

Radhika was a high-profile business manager in an international firm. Her job asked her more than a 9 to 5 job would but she was disciplined and controlled lady. Though her career was important, her family was important too especially her 8 year-old son Aditya whom she fondly called 'Aadi'. She knew that kids are like wet mud, however you mould them, they will take the form. Kids are what their parents make them, she was a staunch believer of this statement-cum-fact. 

Radhika's grand father was a state Ayurveda expert and all his life he has devoted to the practice of Ayurveda. Her father had carried his lineage and though, he wasn't a Ayurveda doctor but he made sure to learn his maximum from his father. Radhika remembers, whenever she had bad cough, her father would make her gargle with tumeric-salted warm water. Voila, the cough was gone in a less than 3 days. If she had pain in her legs, her father would let her mother massage her toddler-feet with mustard oil instead of giving her a kids painkiller. To cut the short story short, hers was a Ayurveda family

Radhika grew up to learn these little home remedies. But her father made a little change. He also gave her one teaspoon of Dabur Chayawanprash every morning and one every night. He believed and knew from his father, that kids had less power in their bodies to fight against the infections, the bacteria/viruses etc. and tend to fall ill sooner than adults. Immune system of adults is far better than those of kids. Her father made sure she never left home for her school without that morning ritual. Yes, Radhika recalls, "for my father, giving me that Chayawanprash was a morning ritual just like lighting that diya in the home mandir every morning and praying to the God. I could never leave without it, he said it is my bodyguard. Same with every night, with every goodnight hug, I got a spoon of Dabur Chayawnprash." 

Radhika learnt this from her father and now Aadi gets this spoonful of magic immunity every morning and before going to bed. To his pleasure, Dabur Chayawanprash has come up with interesting flavors- Orange and Mango, both being his favorite fruits. Aadi refers to it as his healthy jam. Reason! Reason was Radhika. She has made her little son understand that in ancient times where there were no stheshsope wearing doctors or dressed-in-white nurses, there were "Vaids" who served the king and the public. They used herbs like amla, laung, bamboo, sandalwood, sesame, honey, etc. to make medicines. Today, we can't do this all at home therefore we eat Dabur Chayanwanprash. It's a magic jam made of around 25-80 of these immunity enhancing herbs that will make him stronger to fight against any attacker that would make his body get cold/fever etc. Radhika believed and has also experienced if kids are given the right logic, they could relate to it better and would never say no to listening to you. Aadi got the message from this story about Vaids and the Ayurveda herbs, and he wanted to eat Chayawnprash every day, in a spoon or mix it with milk. He often wanted to eat it as a bread-spread and enjoy it. This made Radhika feel so relaxed. She was being a 100% mom by taking care of her son's physical and intellectual immunity. Dabur Chayawanprash not only helps in keeping flu/fever away or fighting against these common ailmetms, but it is also helpful for digestion, memory, physical strength, urinary problems. It gives children a strong base to start their life with.  (It can be taken by any age-group because it is never late to start taking it.)



Sometimes, Radhika wonders if India would be a person and she can be fed a big spoon of Chayawanprash to get rid of problems like corruption, poverty, illiteracy, power-plays, child-abuse, child labor, violence. But at the same time, she believes that if she is helping her kid grow physically and intellectually, he would turn out into a good citizen who would not give in to these bad facets, she would be helping her country. She believes that as one's body is one's temple, same way the citizens of a country are its soul. If the soul is peaceful and 'sanskaari', the country would be on its way to progress and peace. Here is a piece portraying her thoughts and belief that what we sow, so shall we reap- 

प्रोत्साहन की मिट्टी 
बन सव्रेगा सुन्दर नेक पेड़ ...

...लदेगा जो मीठेपन से,
भँवरें गाए जिसका गुंजन 
तितली इठलाये जिसके रस पर

बीज 'गर जो पाये 
स्याह कर्मों की परछाई 
तिरस्कार का मरुस्थल 
काटों की चुभन ...

...जन्मेगी शक्ति कलेषित 
डसेगा दुर्योधन फ़न उठाए 
जाने कितनी द्रौपदी पुकारेंगी 
कहा से कितने आयेंगे मोहन 
शीश झुकाए बैठ सिसकेंगे 
हजारों पाण्डव

हाथ में हमारे आज 
लिखें लकीरें सतोप्रधान शक्ति की,
शक्ति जो मानेजो जाने 
नारी के प्रति आदर,
नन्हों के प्रति स्नेह,
बड़ों के प्रति सम्मान,

ऐसी युवा शक्ति का 
आओ मिल-करे निर्माण,
लाये पुनः सतयुग 
निश्चल आत्मिक दैविक युग 
शक्ति जो सात्विक 
जीवन जो अलौकिक

आओ मिल-हो स्वतंत्र 
विकारोंइच्छाओंमाया से 
पाए आत्मिक शक्ति,
आओ ऐसी युवा-शक्ति का 
संजोये ख्वाब
मिल बुनें हाथों से स्वर्णिम कर्म
रोशन करे सूरज-सौन्दर्य,
आओ फिर मिल-करे ऐसी 
'युवा-शक्तिको नमन!

This was the story of Radhika. Don't you think so we want lots of 100% Dabur moms in the country? Moms like her believe in raising immunity of their kids right from the right age and believe that they are contributing in making a better citizen of India.


This post about a 100% Mom is written for IndiBlogger for their "An Immune India" contest, organized by awesome Dabur Chayawanprash. Thanks to Dabur to come up with this immunity-builder herb mix. As a kid, I always had this magic herb-jam every morning and every night. Thanks to my mom too :-)

PS: All images, courtesy Google Images
Hindi Poem: One of my poems published in Online magazine- Garbhanal (http://guptashaifali.blogspot.com/2013/10/blog-post.html)

Nov 11, 2013

My Platinum (Shhh! Love Story)!


He was an NRI, I, a simple girl from India. He was outgoing, me an introvert. He was ambitious, me living life as it came. Yet, we bonded together. Don't know how! May be opposites attract was just coming in action, and I was holding my heart which was constantly running out to the man in front of me. This man, who could be my life partner, not for this birth but for the seven next ones as believed in the Hindu way of living...I was falling in love for sure!

Love, an overrated word, and I think the most googled word too. Who is not in search of this divine feeling? When our families met and they fell in love with each other (as happens only in India, marriage is the coming together of two families to be one!) , then we were introduced. We knew that the moms have liked the moms, the dads have bonded well and talked their secrets of trade together, the siblings have discussed, gossiped and made friends with each other, it was only me and 'Him' who were aliens to each other, except the bio-data stats we knew. We were put up to meet at a place which was replicating a small village in Rajasthan. The atmosphere was no where romantic, but was traditional. I wonder, if the parents knew the kids would drown in love and be lost in the romantic sea, so guard them with traditional ambience. Voila! how right were the parents, as always! 

'Him' and I started talking, and to our surprise none of us felt we could be talking to our future partner. We hit upon our school days, our love for reading, music and poetry. We laughed together, and I still remember our families going crazy by our look and wondering, "hey, are they gonna be married or staying friends". That ease of talking, laughing and sharing prompted us to like each other. "A husband is a friend forever" was the kind of husband I always believed in. I wanted a best friend with my hands in his hands. I wanted to see my 'bestest' buddy's face every morning I woke up. I wanted to roll in laughter at a comedy movie with my closest pal who won't stop laughing seeing me rolling! Yes, I was definitely falling, you could say, drowning in love with 'Him'. 

The evening went relaxed, we finished our awesome Rajasthan cuisine and came to realize we liked same food too. The love for music, the friendliness, the mutual comfort in talking, the dream to become someone in life, the family values we shared ...yes, I think it was an YES. The moment we bid goodbyes, I still remember the way he said, "it was nice meeting you, Shaifali"! My heart leaped and I was nervous, because somewhere in my heart I was saying the same, "it was nice meeting you!".  

No wonder, the night turned out to be a day, I was wide awake. I was listening to his voice as I lay awake that night in my bed. I was happy to have found whom my parents adored and whom I liked, and with whom I wanted to experience the word "Love". The following days were restless, he had said YES. We were going to be engaged!  It was like a love story where I have found my prince charming with whom I could make rare, pure, everlasting love come true.  The day I met him, the day we said 'I do' was like a Platinum day of love for me. I have realized it was he I wanted to spend my life with, it was he that was meant for me and I for him!

After 9 years of being together, of being happily married, I can say it was a Platinum choice I made. True love, like Platinum does't fade away by the mundaneness of everyday chores


I wear 'Him' like a smile, like a piece of my soul and I live happily. 

"In the cacophony of the world
In the thick piles of work
In the mundane chores of everyday
In the bustle of crowd
In the bargain of the compromises
In the race of time, 
...I just took a second
   I peeped inside my soul!
I found you-
Rare, Pure, Eternal- my Platinum!"

I know, next year is going to be my Platinum year of continuing eternal love, my Platinum is going to buy a Platinum collectible for me!

*I wrote this heartfelt, real and unshared confession for Platinum Day of Love contest on Indiblogger.

**The image of the hand-cuff bracelet is a capture I took to show my life partner what he should gift me ;). I clicked it while traveling around the globe with him, on a SouthWest flight in California from their 'Sky Mall' promotional magazine!



Nov 3, 2013

जीवन-उत्सव



जीवन रंग-रंगीला लगता
साथ में घुली हो जब
परिवार की पंक्ति.

मेरा उत्सव तो वही कहलाता
बिछती जब परिवार की चादर
बनती उस पर संक्राति के तिल की बर्फी,
होली के नित-भावन मठरी -नमकीन, 
राखी पर भाई-स्नेह के मोतीचूर,
गणेश चतुर्थी पर आस्था के मोदक,
नवरात्री में उपवासों की भीनी महक,
दशहरा पर मूंगफली की बट्टी,
दिवाली पर माँ के हाथ की चकली
और भैया दूज पर बीते कल के 
अन्नकूट का स्वाद.

घर से दूर बसा संसार है मेरा,
इसलिए मेरा उत्सव यही सब
और बाकी सब जीवन उत्सव.
नित दिन, हर क्षण
जीवन उत्सव जीने की कोशिश में 
आता मुझे याद मेरा यह 'उत्सव'.  

Oct 18, 2013

युवा शक्ति...


युवा शक्ति 
बीज जिसका नन्हें हाथों में 
चाल जिसकी नन्हें पाँवों में 
बोल जिसके नन्हे तुतलाने में

बीज 'गर जो पाये 
अच्छाई की किरणें 
स्नेह की सिचाईं 
प्रोत्साहन की मिट्टी 
बन सव्रेगा सुन्दर नेक पेड़ ...

...लदेगा जो मीठेपन से,
भँवरें गाए जिसका गुंजन 
तितली इठलाये जिसके रस पर

बीज 'गर जो पाये 
स्याह कर्मों की परछाई 
तिरस्कार का मरुस्थल 
काटों की चुभन ...

...जन्मेगी शक्ति कलेषित 
डसेगा दुर्योधन फ़न उठाए 
जाने कितनी द्रौपदी पुकारेंगी 
कहा से कितने आयेंगे मोहन 
शीश झुकाए बैठ सिसकेंगे 
हजारों पाण्डव

हाथ में हमारे आज 
लिखें लकीरें सतोप्रधान शक्ति की,
शक्ति जो माने, जो जाने 
नारी के प्रति आदर,
नन्हों के प्रति स्नेह,
बड़ों के प्रति सम्मान,

ऐसी युवा शक्ति का 
आओ मिल-करे निर्माण,
लाये पुनः सतयुग 
निश्चल आत्मिक दैविक युग 
शक्ति जो सात्विक 
जीवन जो अलौकिक

आओ मिल-हो स्वतंत्र 
विकारों, इच्छाओं, माया से 
पाए आत्मिक शक्ति,
आओ ऐसी युवा-शक्ति का 
संजोये ख्वाब
मिल बुनें हाथों से स्वर्णिम कर्म
रोशन करे सूरज-सौन्दर्य,
आओ फिर मिल-करे ऐसी 
'युवा-शक्ति' को नमन!




 मेरी यह कविता मध्य प्रदेश से प्रकाशित होने वाली बेहद खूबसूरत एवं साहित्यिक ई-पत्रिका "गर्भनाल" के अक्टूबर २०१३ अंक में पढ़ी जा सकती है (पृष्ठ ४४ ).
http://www.garbhanal.com/Garbhanal%2083.pdf

Sep 19, 2013

"Death"



The sky thundered
the meteors showered
the grass shriveled
the snow blackened
the nature resigned...

...suddenly
to realize hands turned red,
the lines on the palm bled
love was killed there-
the 'being' died.